The Fab Five

Yes, it's been awhile since I've given updates on our kiddos...but you try getting near the computer for any length of time with the brood I have!! I'm lucky to use the bathroom during the day! :)

Having said that, I actually have some moments here and there, so bear with me as I try to get the info. out there.

ETHAN - We couldn't have given this child a more suitable name. It means strong...and this kiddo is certainly that. He has had a rough go of it lately, but still remains our lovable Ethan.

He had his GI appt. last week, and we are happy to report he is again thriving. He weighs in at 34 lbs which keeps him at the 1st% for weight. His height is 40.67" (or 3ft. 4.67in.) which also keeps him in the 1st%. As Dr. Hofley put it..."he's back on his own curve again!" She looks at the overall more than the little gains and since his BMI is in the 22nd% she is happy.

We have had setbacks though in other areas of his life...mainly the therapeutic ones. Due to many insurance snafus, he hasn't had regular OT since June, nor has he had HIPPO since August. It is showing, and is difficult for everyone in the house right now. It is amazing though how forgiving a soon-to-be 6 year old can be. Every night when I go in to tuck him in, I kiss him and tell him I love him...and he ALWAYS says it back to me. Even on the roughest days. We hope to start up his schooling again as we took the summer and most of the fall off due to the arrival of the dynamic duo, and both he and I are anxious to get things back onto a more predictable schedule. The unpredictability of our days is getting to me as well! I will do more posts on Ethan another time. I do have 4 other children to talk about!

JOSHUA - My "Trying Three Year Old". I know that moms out there will agree with me...2 year olds are NOTHING compared to 3 year olds. OH MY GOODNESS! This child will be excellent at any profession that involves a strong will, and a charming personality. He is the reason for my gray hairs right now, and I am eternally sorry to my parents for my third year of life! Wow, what a trip!

He had his GI checkup as well, and is continuing to thrive quite nicely. Unlike his brother though, he is gaining in leaps and bounds. He weighs in at 27 lbs which places him in the 5th%. His height is still in the 1st% at 34.76 " (2 ft. 10 3/4 in.) Unlike his brother his BMI is at a whopping 55%! Needless to say, his visits with the GI may soon be a thing of the past. Dr. Hofley has placed both boys on a 3 month checkup instead of every 6 weeks, so we will see how things go.

We have also had some surprising, (not-so-surprising) news about Joshua. I may have mentioned back in the spring that he was receiving Early Intervention for a speech delay and that he was continuing on with HIPPO after he became 3 years old to help him along. Well, we had him further evaluated by Easter Seals for Sensory Integration Dysfunction, and he now needs to have at least an hour of OT a week like his brother. Because of the very same insurance snafus mentioned above, Joshua hasn't had his regular HIPPO therapy since August, and it is showing with him as well. He had been making excellent progress, and now has regressed a bit. We're looking forward to January 1st when our insurance starts all over again! In the meantime we've been doing research and filling out more applications to see about getting some financial assistance to help out when this happens again next year! The good news is that his Pediatric Neurologist feels that with therapy, Joshua will be able to catch up and learn what is needed to lead a typical child's life. (whatever that is! :)

REBEKAH - Ahh, little Miss Rebekah...she is everything a little girl should be...and Mike and I are glad she is in the middle of all these boys. Not that she will need the protection from them, but that it will hopefully keep her from becoming tooooo girly! I was a tom boy myself...and didn't have any brothers...so we'll just have to wait and see.

She will be 2 years old next month, so I don't have any updates on her right now. Besides, she is the healthiest one in the house...in both her general health and her development, so there wouldn't be much to write about in those regards. However, she is my daughter, and we never have a shortage of the many things that are Rebekah.

Precocious doesn't begin to describe my little darling...(as you can see from the picture on the right). She is full of "it" and she knows it. She will not only keep her brothers in line, she will out do them in any thing they try. Most people say to us..."oh the poor little thing, stuck in the middle of all those boys!" I say, "oh those poor boys...on either end of THAT little girl!" The stories we have to tell, and she hasn't even hit her second birthday. I'm not afraid to tell you that I'm a little apprehensive about her turning 3...yipes!

CALEB AND ELIJAH - Mike and I still find ourselves staring at them in awe of their presence. We even joked about having twins when we first got married. We agreed we wanted a big family, but by that we meant 3 maybe 4 children. We then said that we would decide to have the 4th child only to find out that we were instead having twins...who knew we'd be right?? Very bizarre. In any case, it still catches me whenever I say that I am the mother of 5 children. In fact, I had a good friend remind me the other day, that I am actually the mother of 6...with my Michaela up in heaven. It is amazing how God blesses us...

In any case...these two are now 2 months old. My how time goes by when you are so very sleep deprived. I have never, in my 33 years of life...including my college years...have experienced such sleep deprivation. It is amazing that I'm able to type this out and have it sound (mostly) coherent! Thank goodness for spellcheck!

As for the boys, they had their two month checkup and are growing quite nicely. Caleb is 9 lbs. 3.5 ozs. and Elijah is 9 lbs. 12 ozs. They are even on the charts, with Caleb in the 5th% and Elijah in the 10th%! WOW! Developmentally they are right on track, and unless you know they were born prematurely, you wouldn't know it looking at them. We were very happy with their checkup. It's so great to hear that all of these sleepless nights, and non-stop breast feeding days are paying off. I try not to think about future sleepless nights and the solid food filled days...just one sleepless night at a time!