Isaiah @ 7 Years!

Stats

53 lbs, 8 oz (65%)

47.5" (40%)

Most birthdays seem to sneak up on me. Not that I don't realize they're coming but, once they get here, I'm always taken aback by the fact that my kids are growing up (You're how old today?!?) Isaiah especially, probably due to the fact that he's the oldest. This year, though...I was ready. I've been saying he's 7 for a couple months now (which started out with an honest confusion of how old he was...because last year lasted forrreverrrrrrrrrr). So, I was ready to start saying he's 7.

But....he's SEVEN.

He's gone from this tiny, helpless baby that I had no idea how I was going to take care of to a walking, (back) talking, loud, silly, sweet, little person. He is SO stinking smart. He loves to read (which I am only too happy to indulge!) He loves his friends. He loves his siblings.

Isaiah is able to do so much on his own now. He mostly made the brownies he brought to school today! He's made everyone sandwiches for lunch when I've had a fussy baby finally asleep in my lap. He showers, washes his own hair, brushes his own teeth, can (mostly) match his clothes. He folds and puts away his laundry! He was making his own bed, too...but I think with bunk beds that's probably going to come back to me.

He's in first grade. He started scouts this year. We went on our first camping trip! He has a little girl that I think he kind of likes. She's super sweet, and I saw her walk right up to him and say "I have a crush on you"!

It's bittersweet looking back through the past year in pictures. We've done so much and had so many changes but he...doesn't look different. I guess we've hit the age where he isn't undergoing dramatic changes from one birthday to the next. I can't tell he's getting older anymore! So, even though we've done so much you can't tell from looking at the pictures anymore. I don't know...I don't think I can put this part in to words right now.

But Isaiah's still my sweet, snuggly little boy. I actually gave him birthday kisses (instead of spankings) this morning and he was so totally and completely thrilled with that. He's the one that's always up for hugs and snuggles. It makes his day when we're able to curl up on the couch and I can listen to him read (those times are all too rare and usually involve a baby in my lap). I'm going to be crushed the day he decides he's "too old" for Mom's kisses.

I didn't know I could ever be some completely frustrated and in love with someone at the same time. Yes, I'm way too hard on him sometimes. Or maybe I'm being too hard on myself. Probably some of both.

If I'm being completely honest, though....I'm a little leery of the time around Isaiah's birthday. We've had spectacularly bad days the past two years. One of those times involved a call to the police. Hopefully things have settled enough that this year we can all get through unscathed.

But nothing can change how amazing he is and how much I love him!

"The Lonely Cheese"

"The Lonely Cheese"

by Isaiah

Once a cheese stood with no one around. Then someone came by but he did not play.

Isaiah @ 6.5

Sooooo....despite the fact that we were literally talking about this last week, I completely forgot about Isaiah's half birthday. Between the divorce being final Monday and the kids being with Jeremy Tuesday, it just didn't even occur to me. This is going to be a tough one to write.

So what's new with Isaiah since January?

Well, with all the changes he's been through, Isaiah started seeing a counselor this summer. He likes Miss Allison and seems to enjoy going and she said he's working through things and may be able to transition out of seeing her in another couple of months. We all still have some rough spots, but we're working on it. After school starts I'm hoping there's no more big changes for a (LONG) while and we can all have a chance to settle down.

Isaiah's doing a great job reading. I love it when he picks up a book on his own to either read to himself or read to one of his siblings. He's like me, reading everything around him...books, packaging, signs, etc, etc, etc. It's great that he doesn't just skip over the "big" words he doesn't know. He's always asking me what a word is and, if it's not familiar, what it means. Turns out, I suck at defining things for a 6 year old. This leads to....

...having fun asking Google things. Isaiah and Micah both enjoy using my phone to ask questions. She doesn't define things for him much better than I do, but it usually helps me when I'm stumped with how to phrase something. A few times we've had to define a word in a definition. I need to find a children's dictionary...

Isaiah misses Jeremy sometimes, naturally. He doesn't get as upset between visits any more and rarely asks to call/Skype with Jeremy anymore. It's kind of sad but I also think it sort of means he's adjusting to not having Daddy live with us anymore. I think moving was a good thing because Isaiah doesn't have those memories of Jeremy being around.

I have to admit that I don't know if we would have gotten through everything as well as we did without Isaiah's help. He is the most amazing big brother!!! It may have been unfair how much I've relied on him to watch the little kids while I shower or cook or clean, and I'm trying to keep that in mind. But, he knows how it goes around here and if I have to leave the kids with someone like my dad who hasn't been around them as much, I know Isaiah is a huge resource for that person. Just the other day my dad said he basically didn't have to do anything because Isaiah knew just what needed to be done. He loves his siblings and is so amazing with them. It's just amazing.

(No, he's not perfect. He and Micah bicker and wrestle and inflict pain on each other. But Isaiah will also help when Micah's stuck on his bike or pick up Esther and move her when she's getting too close to something she shouldn't be near.)

Isaiah's started talking about going back to school. He has a few weeks still, but he's missing his friends. I meant to have playdates this year, but there's been too much going on to fit that in! Isaiah did have quite the meltdown a couple weeks ago at dinner because he found out there was only 1 first grade this year (there were 2 last year) and he was going to have Mrs. Gorman, who is "strict". Ha! I think he's calmed down because we talked about how he's such a good kid at school and follows the rules so he's not going to be in trouble if he listens. I also promised that if it was awful, he could switch schools (but then he started talking about leaving for a year and going back....not sure want that going on.) That just seems like teaching him he can avoid things he doesn't like and we all know life isn't like that! Now I pretty much regret that idea.

That's all I can think of for now. Hopefully by 7 things will be more happy than upsetting!

Isaiah @ 6 Years!

Stats
47 lbs, 6 oz (55%)
44 3/4" (30%)

Another year has come and gone and I can hardly believe it! My big big guy is SIX!

Obviously the biggest thing this year has been starting kindergarten. I guess it doesn't seem so big when he's gone to daycare and preschool but this is the real deal now. I started him late (it ended up being October) because I wanted to try homeschooling first. It didn't work, unfortunately. Too much else going on and I completely ignored the social aspect which is a big deal to Isaiah. I assumed we could start that up after Esther was born, but Isaiah started talking about missing his friends and wanting to go to school long before that. So, I enrolled him in the nearby Catholic school. He LOVES it! His teacher always tells me how great he is and she loves having him in class. So I guess waiting didn't hurt anything. And, he hasn't had any trouble despite baby, divorce, police visits, etc!

He is SO smart! I've always known he was smart but its so great to see him doing so well. He's reading I don't even know how far above grade level (the first grade books that come home are easier than the ones he reads to me). His awesome teacher has him doing enrichment work to challenge him....he's even done some 3 digit addition work. They also have him going to an enrichment class once a week where another teacher works with things that challenge him a bit more.

For his birthday this year Isaiah decided he didn't want a Build A Bear, which we've done the past 3 or 4 years. I was sad that he had outgrown that tradition already, but he really doesn't need more stuffed animals. Instead, we went to the Lego store and he picked a new set to build. But he wanted to go to Fritz's for dinner again!

I can tell he's getting so much more independent. He basically taught himself to ride his bike without training wheels (because a pregnant mommy couldn't run with him very well). He can get his own breakfast, entertain himself during nap time, is figuring out the phone on his own (a bit more complicated than when I was little). And doing a million other things I can't think of now.

And Isaiah is the BEST big brother. He loves his siblings so much, you can tell by the way he treats them. He can wrestle with Micah and snuggle Esther. He is full of gentle kisses and sweet hugs and truly gets upset when he accidentally hurts either sibling. And he is a huge help to me. More than I can ever give him credit for!

He is also still my snuggler. I feel so awful that I don't give him as much affection as he seems to want but, with 2 smaller siblings needing help I just get touched-out sometimes!

At his checkup, he was down to the 30th percentile for height! After always being so high on the curves, I guess he's slowing down. His pediatrician also heard that heart murmur again. Its been heard on and off since birth and always makes me nervous when it's brought up. Since he already had an ultrasound on his heart 2 years ago, the doctor is going to take another listen in a couple months and we will go from there. If she hears it again we will have another visit with the cardiologist. If its gone, no worries (until it crops up again).

So, that's the big stuff on my big boy for now.

I love you, Isaiah!

Isaiah Lost a Tooth

Isaiah lost his first tooth! He even pulled it himself

Isaiah @ 5 Years

Stats

45 lbs (65%)

42 1/2" (50%)

Cyst Removal

Today, I had the pleasure of bringing Isaiah to the dermatologist to have a cyst removed from his face. He's had this spot on his left cheek for....months. At first, we thought it was a pimple but it never went away and would seem to change color (getting lighter so we THOUGHT it was going away, but then darkening again).

So, we mentioned it to his pediatrician when he was with us at one of Micah's checkups. She gave us an ointment to try, thinking it was maybe a blood vessel close to the surface (or something?) When that didn't do anything we were referred to a dermatologist. Two visits and she voted it was a cyst. We decided to have it removed since it wouldn't go away on its own and it could potentially get bigger.

Isaiah got to stay home from school this morning since the appointment was at 10:00. He and I hopped in the car and headed off to the doctor.

Here we go!

When we got to the office they were finishing up with someone else so we hung out in a regular room for a bit. He was excited about having a new movie to watch while they did the procedure.

Waiting...

When it was Isaiah's turn he got to get on the bed and they raised it up. His movie was started and he was pretty distracted by it while they were getting ready. 

Watching "Planet 51"

The worst part was while he was getting the shots to numb the area. He started freaking out and they were holding his arms down. I had been sitting in a corner (out of the way) and when he started crying I got up and started rubbing his leg. Eventually, one of the nurses moved away and I was able to hold his hand. I ended up watching the entire procedure very carefully. They were able to cut it out and while he was getting stitched up I apparently started squeezing his hand harder and harder. At one point he said "Mommy, you're hurting my hand" and I realized how tightly I was grabbing him!

He ended up with two stitches and a GIANT bandage on his face. Seriously, the thing was overkill! The doctor mentioned something about scar tissue at the bottom, so maybe it wasn't really a cyst? I'm not sure, but the sent it off and will call when they get the results.

We loaded up in the car to go home. He had gotten to pick something from the treasure box and was happy with his green monkey. Poor guy was a bit subdued when we got home but after going out to lunch (he picked Red Robin so he could get a balloon) the rest of the day he was acting pretty normal.

Giant bandage!

As an aside: While Isaiah was watching his movie we all kept asking him questions about it to keep him distracted. At one point I asked what was going on and he said "I dunno...I think the plane is approaching." Everyone kind of looked at me all surprised...'approaching' is kind of a big word for a 4-year-old. I said "Yeah, he uses some big words....my son's a genius"  ;)

Isaiah's Second, First Day of School!

My big boy started school again today. Since he's going full days now he's wearing a UNIFORM and looks SO BIG! 

Don't mind the fake smile...it's what he does!

The backpack isn't quite as giant on him this year...and Micah's photo bomb.

Hope you have another great year, Big Man!

Isaiah @ 4.5

I have a four-and-a-half year old on my hands now. Four going on fourteen most days! 

Isaiah can still be the sweetest little guy sometimes. I love that he will still randomly pop out with "Mommy, I love you" throughout the day. He has recently been turning away when I want to give him a kiss before leaving for work in the morning. It's quite sad, really.

Isaiah's had some weird thing on his face for several months and we were referred to a dermatologist. She promised me it's benign so I guess that's reassuring but the fact that she can't tell us WHAT it is doesn't convince me that she can say that 100%. I can't say I'm worried like I was with the whole "my heart is squeezing me" stuff that we went through buuuut....really, it looks like a zit that just will not go away.

Micah completely adores his older brother. He will walk over to him and try to hug him or just lean on him. Isaiah loves it most of the time but when Micah starts trying to swipe toys things get tense. The boys actually had their first real fight about a week ago. I can't remember what is was over but they were tugging back-and-forth and when Isaiah got it Micah raised his arm like he was going to smack Isaiah on the head. The first of many skirmishes, I'm sure.

Isaiah is 41 inches and somewhere around 40 pounds. These are not "official" measurements, however.

In another couple weeks Isaiah's going to be trying out school full time. He will still be in his Montessori classroom but doing more things with the Kindergartners since he's such a smart little guy. His teacher recommended it at the end of last year and I was SO excited that she thought it would be a good thing for him because he's doing so well at things. As we get closer to it, I'm honestly not as excited. I'm worried he's not ready for it...then I worry if it's really ME that isn't ready for him to be gone all day. (Yes, he was in daycare for years but....I dunno...that's baby stuff, this is SCHOOL.) With the stinky way he's been acting lately we've been enforcing nap time again which obviously won't be an option while he's at school.

Today, Isaiah declared he wanted to be an artist when he grows up.

We've gone to the zoo almost weekly this summer until it's just gotten too darn hot for me to pull the two of them around the zoo in the wagon. Since we are FOTZ members we signed up for free train/tram/carousel rides which is a hit with both boys. Isaiah has also really enjoyed the bird show and LOVES the animal show. So far he's gotten to touch a chicken, a snake, an alligator, and an armadillo.

He's definitely starting to read. I can't really tell you what words he knows, other than his name and "or". I know there's a lot, but I haven't really kept track. I know he surprises me every time he points to a word and correctly tells me what it is. I always get SO excited so I hope that's encouraging for him.

Isaiah's vocabulary is ah-MAZE-ing. Seriously, the WORDS this kid uses...well, if you read this blog with any regularity you know how he can be. And he has counted to 100 with help on the 10's. By himself he gets to the high-20's then seems to get confused by it. He's outgrown his bike and so we need to get him a bigger one at some point. He actually asked to have the training wheels taken off the other day! I told him that had to wait for a time when Mommy and Daddy are both home so we have someone to help him. I don't want to DISCOURAGE it...but can a 4 year old really be ready for only 2 wheels?!? I have NO idea!

That's about all I can think of at this point so, a couple pictures.....

Isaiah Starts Soccer!

Isaiah has embarked into the world of team sports. With SOCCER! I've never played soccer so I'm absolutely no help with any of it...other than I know you don't use your hands. There MIGHT have been a lot of that in the beginning, but he got better as the morning went on.

We got there a little before 9:00 and Isaiah started playing around with the balls they had laying around. We had a lot of "Don't use your hands!" but mostly just let him have fun while we waited for things to get underway. He liked to move the ball right in front of the goal (with his hands) and kick it in.

Then he met his coach and got his jersey and practice started. Isaiah got several "c'mon, Isaiah"s...which made us feel better. He doesn't just dawdle for us! Practice was 30 minutes (enough for 4 year olds!) and then some stretching and the game started! This league is nice because everyone gets equal playing time. Some kids are WAY better than others. They don't keep score. It's just fun. Isaiah had a great time!

A few highlights from the game:

• Isaiah got the ball at one point and started kicking. He  missed the goal...so he just kept on kicking right on off the field. The coaches started yelling "Stop! Come back!" He didn't get far...but it was funny. 
• Another time Isaiah was running next to his teammate who had the ball. Isaiah started trying to shoulder the poor other kid out of the way so HE could kick the ball. I think we need to work on recognizing teammates ;)
• At another point Isaiah got the ball and started kicking the wrong way! Thankfully he listen or realized what he was doing and got turned around going the right way! His teammate got the ball and made a goal! (Does that count as an assist?)
• He NEVER watched the game when he was on the sidelines! I think he was watching the other teams practice? I don't know....at the end he started actually talking to one of his teammates. So cute!

That's about it. The games are only 15 minutes each and his are back-to-back. Micah did pretty well during the hour plus that we were there. Jeremy, Mom and I took turns walking him around. He had some snacks. At the very end he got cranky because he was tired and passed out on the walk back to the car.






We ran to Target to get Isaiah a soccer ball and grabbed a cheap slinky for Micah (he LOVES Isaiah's springs for his Gears bucket). Of course Micah woke up when we got out of the car, but passed out again when we were on our way...clutching that slinky :D

Umm, Ewwwww

Want to know what can gross you out more than a 4 year old sneezing egg all over you? Finding a tiny piece of that egg in the bottom of your coffee cup.

Attack of the Pirate Ship

Isaiah came running downstairs the other night and told me something sad had happened. I had just heard Micah REALLY upset upstairs (Jeremy was with them) and asked him what had happened. He told me Micah had been sitting up, had reached for Isaiah's pirate ship and had tipped forward getting his poor head stuck BETWEEN THE TWO SAILS! Too bad I didn't see it...you KNOW I would have run for the camera.

For the record...the culprit looks like this:

Isaiah @ 4 Years

Stats

37 lbs, 6 oz (65%)

39 3/8" (40%)

Isaiah had a great birthday, minus an hour or so where we were trying to get him to NAP and he wouldn't. He was naturally spoiled rotten by family. I LOVE the fact that his favorite toy was the Bumblebee transformer "from" Micah. We made sure he knew that too! I think he also enjoyed having time with just Jeremy and me....we let him pick and he wanted us to leave Micah at daycare when we went to Build-A-Bear and the Lego store. He picked a camo bear he named Stuff-Stuff and decided he wanted to get "Lego guys" instead of a fish (because he has to feed the fish EVERY NIGHT!) So we did that and had lunch at Panera and went home. Then, after the failed naptime, we had his doctor's checkup. And family came over for presents/dinner/cake. It doesn't sound like a lot, but we were BUSY! 

We ordered pizza and cake and I think everyone got enough to eat. The cake turned out GREAT! Ohmygosh it was DELICIOUS and looked fantastic. She did a great job making it look like Captain America's shield! I'm totally going to have to post pictures. Everyone kind of made fun of me when I cut small pieces but we didn't buy a huge cake and I wanted to make sure everyone got some first. We had ONE person want a second piece! The cake was so rich but not in the so-sweet-it-burns way. Just...mmmmmmm! AND it was only $20 with half of it still left over! Even though it was about a 30 minute drive to pick the darn thing up, we are totally planning on getting Micah's cake from them!

I have no idea what to say about development. I still think he's advanced in his communication, even now when I have a better idea about what his peers are like. He's definitely "pre-reading"...recognizing words and symbols. Okay, he's had McDonald's down for awhile. Now he knows Target and Imaginext (a toy brand) and right away knew the book we got him was "The Giving Tree". My sister said she was half convinced he can read now. I know he can do other things, but can't think of what. 

He's started spelling. I guess they are learning songs to spell color words. I think he's done red and blue so far. I get SO excited when I hear him spelling or reading and he is SO proud of himself! There are a few books he's memorized and he will read them to Micah which I think is one of the most adorable things EVER. 

I thought it was funny that they were asking about potty training at the doctor's office. The nurse was really surprised when I said he's been completely done for about a year and a half or so. I can't imagine what it would be like to have TWO in diapers, so I'm really happy he got that down early.

Oh, and they asked about the chest squeezing. He hasn't mentioned it ONCE since we moved. How weird is that?!? I wonder if there was just something in the old place that gave him some tightness in his chest. Mold or something. With the foundation most likely messed up in some way, it's possible water was getting somewhere and there's grossness in that house. Certainly makes me happy we're out of there!

Basically, he's an amazing, happy, fantastic little boy. He's smart as a whip and can be SO funny! I love him so much, though I'm not real sure where the past four years have gone. Now...on to FIVE (and then *ACK* SCHOOL!)

Post-Move

Poor Isaiah spent the whole weekend wanting to go play on the playground that our balcony overlooks, but it was really too cold and I wanted to get some stuff done. Today it's supposed to be close to fifty so I told him we could go out when we got home. He was clingy when I dropped him off at school today. Didn't want to shake his teacher's hand or pick out work. I finally got out of there, but it took a while. He usually doesn't have any trouble with drop off, but I'm sure the move has him discombobulated.

Micah's been doing pretty well with everything. He's definitely been clingy so it's hard to get unpacking done. I want everything situated because I figure it will seem more like home when we aren't tripping over boxes anymore. So it's a balance between comforting the kids and trying to get unpacked. I almost wish I could take another day off from work to finish up, but it's really not worth it.

Ruff is having a tough time but THANKFULLY he didn't have a single issue with any of the stairs! He's barely eaten and hasn't pooped since Friday. Not sure how long that can go before we need to worry, I will probably check with the vet a little later today. He's only been peeing once a day but I'm also not sure how much he's drinking. It's like when he was at the vet after getting run over...he wasn't home so he was stressed out and wouldn't eat and such. Well the vet just said see if he eats for us when we get home and then bring him in tonight if he still won't poop. He may need a laxative (gross).

Cardiologist Report

Apparently the cardiologist didn't see anything to be concerned about. The entire reason for the consult was the radiologist thought Isaiah had a "prominent aortic knob" based on the chest x-ray and the cardiologist thought it was was just a shadow. So they did an ultrasound of his heart, and everything looks fine!

Doctor Visit x2 Boys

Dragging Isaiah to the doctor was a giant waste of time. Now, I love our doctor, but she didn't seem to realize we where there for a follow up (neither did the office ladies...I wonder how it was put in the system) and hadn't taken the time to look at his chart. She didn't say anything new, really thinks the squeezing is asthma or allergies, and told us to keep his appointment next week with the specialist. Glad I wasted the co-pay on that...seriously, her office called me TWICE to make sure I knew to bring him in if the complaints started again and when I did I felt like she thought I was wasting her time. Blah.

Micah is doing well. He only gained a little over a pound in the last 3 months but grew close to 2 inches. His weight dropped way down on the curve (from 50% to 20%) but no one seemed worried so whatever. I think he just had a growth spurt so he hasn't chunked back up from that. Also, since he prefers food to nursing when food is around, he definitely isn't the full-time nurser Isaiah was and isn't getting as much fat. If they are using the growth chart for formula-fed babies, he's going to be in a lower percentile anyway. I didn't think to ask about the curve. Obviously, it's not something that concerns me. Height is still low (12-15%, can't remember) and has a huge noggin (75%!) I think he's getting two new teeth...I've seen one on the top and the doctor noticed one on the bottom. No wonder he's been fussy the past day or two!

Christmas Program

Isaiah dressed up for his Christmas program last night. So stinking cute! We ended up leaving early because he couldn't/wouldn't sit still and watch the bigger kids' part. Jeremy was ready to leave as soon as the little kids were done singing their songs, so I guess we ended up compromising.

Worry About Isaiah

I don't think I've written about what's being going on with Isaiah. Unfortunately, he kind of got overshadowed by Ruff...you know...getting run over. Poor kid.

For several weeks (like, 3) Isaiah would wake up from his nap and say he didn't feel good. He told me his head hurt and his heart was squeezing. I have NO idea what that's supposed to mean, but it kind of freaked me out. I know they had heard a couple different types of murmurs when he was checked out after he was born, but I had not heard anything about it since then. We've also been to 4 different doctor's offices since the practice that came to the hospital. It could be no one at the new place knew about it.

So, I brought him to the doctor. She did not hear a murmur (yay) and sent us to the local children's hospital for an EKG and chest x-ray to make sure there wasn't anything going on that wouldn't be obvious from listening. She said a lot of times with kids things that seem like cardiac problems are actually GI related. We talked about low grade allergies also being a factor in some way. His frequent nose bleeds also seemed to point to whatever she was talking about. So, I wasn't too worried when we left the doctor.

The next day, Ruff gets run over. We still managed to get Isaiah to the hospital for his stuff and promptly didn't think anything more of it. Poor kid was sort of put on the back burner because of the dog (Sorry, Isaiah!). Then there was Thanksgiving. And we didn't hear anything more. "No news is good news" from doctors, so it didn't come back up.

Until yesterday. I got home and saw Jeremy had written down "admitting" and a phone number. I asked him about it and he said that the hospital had called and wanted us to go back in for a "consultation". It's not supposed to be urgent, but we have to go back with Isaiah sometime.

Cue freak out. I don't care if it's "not urgent" you want me to COME BACK with my kid because of SOMETHING. Something isn't right...maybe it isn't dire, but if we're going back something isn't right.

And the soonest they can get us in? January 3rd. A MONTH AWAY!!

Ohmygosh please let my little boy be okay! Please, please, please. It's like those dark fears that overtake me sometimes are coming true! I realize I might be overreacting but....shit...WHY do they want us to go back?

Guess we will find out in a month. I'm going to be a wreck before then.

Aunties Learning Lessons

AnnMarie learned an important lesson today. If you let a 3 year old pick out an ornament with the only stipulation that it be red, green, or gold you MAY end up with a Star Wars C3PO head.

Tears

Isaiah just burst into tears because Kahn got a hold of one of his stuffed animals and slobbered all over it. The toy was not maimed or destroyed, just wet. Pretty confident in assuming there was no nap had by that boy today.