Stats
30 lbs, 8 oz (10%)
39.25" (30%)
Oh, my sweet bug. I can't believe he's FOUR! That boy is something else. He is just the happiest, craziest little thing I've ever known. He has the biggest bubble of any of my kids but hugs are his way to avoid things. He absolutely loves his siblings. His smiles so big and so bright, but he refuses to even look at a camera 99% of the time. He is my biggest unprompted helper. He is a giant goofball. He is stubborn as all get out.
And, I'm not going to lie, his birth was somewhat traumatic for me. Not in a full PTSD way but the thought of having another baby freaked me out for well over a year. (When I found out I was pregnant with Esther I made sure my new OB knew how quickly Micah came and emphasized the fact that I would prefer a doctor to be in attendance this time around.)
I love him so much.
The two biggest things about Micah have always been: he's so tiny & his crazy bleeding disorder. Well, his blood will always be a thing...but, he's not quite so tiny anymore. I'd say he's graduated from "tiny" to just "small". About a month ago I realized that he was wearing the hand-me-downs from when Isaiah was 4! Micah's still quite a bit lighter than Isaiah was, but he's now within an inch of Isaiah's height at the same age.
When I started jotting down notes for this update I wrote a whole paragraph about how Micah's barely even been bruising lately. Naturally, we've had an increase in bleeding issues since then. It seems like he just needs to brush his nose against something and it's going to start bleeding. The best one was when we were on a walk and Micah just got upset and it started. He wiped out at the pool last weekend and I really expected him to be black and blue the next day. (Thank goodness that didn't happen.) Instead, his nose started bleeding. Twice while we were there. Which reminds me, I need more Kleenex in my purse.....
Sometimes this bleeding disorder can be tough. There are things he wants to do that just make me cringe inside. Like cutting out his Pinewood Derby car. Or playing bumper cars (at Chuck E Cheese, so nothing totally insane). While I know that his levels on a bad day are a lot better than others on a good day, I have a hard time not being nervous about things. Whacking his head at the community center or falling off the playground sends me in to a mental debate about whether or not I need to call the clinic and get their opinion on if he needs to come in. He has had marks on his back from a bad fall for months now. I just don't know what to do about it. And while this condition usually becomes milder as an individual grows up, the ways he has to hurt himself get more dramatic (teenage boys!). Anyway, I try not to spend all my time freaking out, but we've had a few big spills lately.
On a vaguely related note, I recently read a book where one of the characters (a little girl) ended up being diagnosed with von Willebrand's. It was a little bit of a flashback, those parents waiting to hear back from the doctor about blood test results, praying it wasn't cancer (because this stuff mimics leukemia). Even though they are fictional, it made me feel somewhat better over my freak out when I got that letter from the hematology/oncology department. Good times.
Micah still absolutely loves going to school. There are days he looks absolutely exhausted and still insists on going. I can tell he's getting more in to the learning side instead of just going there to see other kids and do the noisy/movement stuff. And he suddenly seems to know almost all his letters and can count to 20 minus a 14 or 16. He's getting better at writing his name and can more or less spell it (he tends to forget the 'i'). And apparently he spent most of one day doing puzzles with one of the teachers.
Esther is still absolutely in love with Micah about 95% of the time. She's getting better about demanding what she wants (instead of letting the boys steamroll her) so there have been some fights between those two. But he's still the one she gives most of her kisses to. Isaiah is her protector, but Micah is her buddy.
On a vaguely related note, I recently read a book where one of the characters (a little girl) ended up being diagnosed with von Willebrand's. It was a little bit of a flashback, those parents waiting to hear back from the doctor about blood test results, praying it wasn't cancer (because this stuff mimics leukemia). Even though they are fictional, it made me feel somewhat better over my freak out when I got that letter from the hematology/oncology department. Good times.
Micah still absolutely loves going to school. There are days he looks absolutely exhausted and still insists on going. I can tell he's getting more in to the learning side instead of just going there to see other kids and do the noisy/movement stuff. And he suddenly seems to know almost all his letters and can count to 20 minus a 14 or 16. He's getting better at writing his name and can more or less spell it (he tends to forget the 'i'). And apparently he spent most of one day doing puzzles with one of the teachers.
Esther is still absolutely in love with Micah about 95% of the time. She's getting better about demanding what she wants (instead of letting the boys steamroll her) so there have been some fights between those two. But he's still the one she gives most of her kisses to. Isaiah is her protector, but Micah is her buddy.
After all Micah went through last year, I haven't been pushing things on him too much. Unfortunately (for him) that's about to change. I know he can keep his diaper dry all night, he's just not a bit interested in going to the bathroom first thing in the morning. He also still sneaks in to my bed at some point every night. We've had a big lead up to "when you're four, you're going to start sleeping in your bed all night". (He's even said "when I'm 4, I get to sleep in my big bed all night".) I'm hoping he will just...stay there now that he knows he is supposed to. More likely is me having to chase him back in his bed. Once we have that down, we will be doing away with diapers at night (because I'm not giving him the opportunity to wet MY bed if I can help it!)
That boy...I just don't get this part of him. He straight up will refuse to do "the next thing" developmentally speaking. Had no interest potty training. Later it was fits about pooping in the potty. Using utensils are still not high on our list of things to do. Staying in his bed. Keeping his diaper dry. All things I've known he could do, he just had no interest in. Laying down the law leads to melt downs. So I've learned to do this giant lead up to new things (maybe more than I need to). Ever since the "when these diapers are gone, you don't get any more" launch in to potty training, it seems to work. It's just so different from Isaiah who just decides he wants to do things and will do it.
Funny story, a month or so ago Esther was having a really rough time sleeping due to a cough. I made Micah go back to his bed because he was super squirmy and kept waking her up. At some point after going to his bed, he came back in to my room and slept at the foot of my bed. Like Ruff does! He's probably lucky I didn't shove him off the bed like I do to Ruff some nights.
Micah is just an amazing little guy. He can be such a big help to all of us. He still hates having his picture taken. But mostly, he just has this huge personality that makes up for how small he's been. People love to see him coming because he gets SO! EXCITED! when he gets somewhere he enjoys. He also managed to walk the entire time at our last zoo trip...and we went down to the bigger Africa section! Other than the ride back up on the tram (I don't even try that hill with the 3 of them!) he walked the entire time and didn't complain once!
So, more changes on the way for Mr. Bug. But he's rolled with them so far so we'll see how it goes.
Micah is just an amazing little guy. He can be such a big help to all of us. He still hates having his picture taken. But mostly, he just has this huge personality that makes up for how small he's been. People love to see him coming because he gets SO! EXCITED! when he gets somewhere he enjoys. He also managed to walk the entire time at our last zoo trip...and we went down to the bigger Africa section! Other than the ride back up on the tram (I don't even try that hill with the 3 of them!) he walked the entire time and didn't complain once!
So, more changes on the way for Mr. Bug. But he's rolled with them so far so we'll see how it goes.
Comparing....
| Micah | Isaiah |
| 30 lbs, 8 oz (10%) | 37 lbs, 6 oz (65%) |
| 39.25" (30%) | 39 3/8" (40%) |
