Micah @ 4 Years

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.

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.

Comparing....

Micah	Isaiah
30 lbs, 8 oz (10%)	37 lbs, 6 oz (65%)
39.25" (30%)	39 3/8" (40%)

Micah @ 3.5

Oh, my sweet bug. He is such a character. What's new since his birthday? Well....

Micah definitely has a love/hate relationship with Esther. He can be so sweet and helpful and then be trying to (stealthily) push her over. I'm not sure what to do about that. He gets time out when I catch him, but I know I don't get everything! But it's just so sweet when the first thing out of his mouth most mornings is "how was your good nap?"

On the other hand, he's all love for Isaiah. Except for the accidental injuries between the two, I'm not sure Micah thinks Isaiah can do any wrong. 

He's in counseling. We all are. It's been a rough year. Enough said.

The absolute biggest thing is starting preschool. He LOVES SCHOOL! Oh my goodness, he wants to go every day. And on school days he wants to eat lunch at about 9:30 because he knows he gets to go to school after lunch. I haven't had a single issue with drop off! I really thought he would love it for a day or two (new toys! new friends!) and then be done (wait...rules?!) but he is loving it! He walks in, hangs up his bag, gives me a hug and kiss, and then is off. I'm always hanging around watching for a few minutes (because it's that quick) but he's completely unconcerned.

One glitch with preschool...he's having accidents there. Sometimes a couple a day (and he's only there 3 hours). I don't know if it's because he gets into things, or because he doesn't want to open the door into the other room where the bathrooms are (he can't see through it and hasn't ever been in there except for the bathroom). But the teachers are totally understanding and so it's really a non-issue for everyone (except me...I just worry).

Due to all the changes Micah's had this year, I decided to put off getting him a "big" bed. It's just one more big thing he will have to adjust to! I know it doesn't seem like much but he's comfortable in his little bed. He actually hasn't asked for a big bed since sometime before we moved into the apartment. So, I'm holding off on that until it perks his interest again. Until then.......I'm glad he's so little!

Micah @ 3 Years

Stats

26 lb, 4 oz (5%)

35 1/4" (7%)

Good grief, I can't believe my bug is THREE!

And he's FINALLY growing. Since last fall he's gone up TWO sizes! I bet he's a lot closer to average than he's pretty much ever been since he was born. Doctor's appointment is in a few days so we'll see what they have to say.

Speaking of doctors...we are back to the hematology clinic this week as well. Micah was too small to test when they diagnosed him with vonWillebrand's. So now we've got a multiple-hour appointment where they will draw blood, give him the factor X (I can't remember it's name) through an IV, then draw his blood again. (Sounds like tons of fun with a super active 3 year old and a 4 month old, right?) The purpose of this torture is to make sure that this stuff will help him clot so if he should ever need surgery they can give it to him to prevent excessive blood loss.

He never did get one of his bottom middle teeth. Our first attempt at a dentist appointment didn't go so well, so they didn't even try for x-rays. He only got the top row of teeth cleaned despite watching his brother going first and the lady showing him everything. I'm glad they didn't push it, though. The tech didn't give in right away but she also didn't push him. Ironically if the actual dentist had done the cleaning Micah would have been fine. He likes old men.

Potty training is going really well. I always forget the hell that is the beginning of the process. But, starting it when Esther was only a few weeks old was probably a good idea (I didn't think so after about 2 days, but now I'm glad that I didn't give up). She pretty much slept for the hours I spent sitting in the bathroom, waiting for him to go. Anyway, he finally got it, had a small set back, and is doing awesome now. He only wears diapers at night, and even then he will stay dry most days. He doesn't even wear one at nap time anymore! He's not 100% yet, forgetting to tell me if he's really tired or involved in playing. And pooping. Oh goodness, pooping is hit-or-miss. He will only poop in the potty if I catch him and make him go sit. Then it's a fit, but he'll do it and then he's so excited. Every so often he will have a few days in a row where he will tell me he has to poop...but it never lasts long. Boys!

Also, I have no idea how to teach a boy to aim.

In the past couple of months I've made some real progress with Micah sleeping in his own bed. I don't regret co-sleeping but his father was never any help with making progress toward transitioning to his own bed. Once it was just me it really only took a few days, a few tears, and a little bit of transitioning. Since January Micah's gone from sleeping in my bed, with me in it (meaning I was in bed at 7:30 every night) to falling asleep in his bed. Naps are full time in his bed...or Isaiah's, depending on the day. He will still climb in with me sometime in the middle of the night, but does occasionally stay the whole night in his bed. It's a process, and I'm okay with how it's going so far.

Micah's birthday one of many firsts. Since his father and I are divorcing, we are now taking turns with birthdays. It's the first birthday that I don't get to celebrate the day-of. I get to see him in the morning and before bed, but Micah and Isaiah are spending the day with their dad.

Micah's had more change than any of us over the past year. He's dealt with the move, new baby, and daddy moving out but he's also done the potty training and sleeping changes. He's definitely having some attitude lately and I'm not sure if it's from all of that or just from being 3. Micah and Isaiah are both on a waiting list for play therapy so I hope that helps him deal with all the changes. More are definitely coming in the future!!

Comparing...

Micah	Isaiah
26 lb, 4 oz (5%)	35 lbs (75%)
35 1/4" (7%)	37 1/8" (50%)

Esther @ 2 Months (and Other News)

Stats

12 lbs, 5 oz (50%)

22 3/4" (35%)

Another month has flown by! I know the holidays provided a lot of distraction as well as the "other stuff" I will mention in a bit.

Month two was pretty big for Esther. First Christmas! First New Year! It sure is odd having such a tiny baby for the holidays since the boys were born at the opposite end of the year. Christmas Eve was rough because she fussed most of the evening after Mass. Thankfully, she made up for that by sleeping in her chair most of Christmas day.

The boys are still in love with their sister! We have had some hard times listening but there hasn't been anything negative directed at Esther. Even Micah has done an amazing job when I was expecting lots of trouble from him. Isaiah, of course, is an awesome big brother!

Esther started smiling around six weeks and that has now progressed to full on open mouth, arm waving, feet kicking excitement when she sees me. I love it! She's also grown like a weed lately. In size 1 diapers and wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes. We kind of skipped over the 0-3 size, though some will fit her. She even outgrew the little crocheted hats we got from the hospital! :(

The past week or so has been rough. She still naps pretty well for the majority of the morning which lets me catch up on stuff (and shower!). Evenings, though? Must. Be. Held. I'm so grateful I got that sling! I can mostly make dinner with that, except when I'm using the stove...that makes me nervous! The worst part was bathtime for the boys because she would get herself so worked up until she just screaaaamed! Then it took forever to get her to sleep with having to do bed time and such. The past few nights I've put her in the tub with the boys which is super crowded, but no screaming baby!

Esther is also getting better control of her giant bobble head! It seems like she's holding it up better and longer every day. I will be super excited when she has it controlled a bit better and can sit at the table while we're eating (instead of in my lap).

In Other News...

Since we didn't have enough going on, I started potty training Micah. He got it in 2 days (minus the pooping part)! I was so proud! Unfortunately, we've had some regression which is frustrating (especially when we're out running errands). I hate to admit it, but I've lost my temper and yelled a few times. I regrouped and calmed down about it and he's doing better again. He's even staying dry at naptime and overnight! Except pooping. WHY is that so hard for boys?!?

Last thing...Jeremy moved out at the end of December. Due to his cheating, lying and stealing, we will be getting divorced. I have 5 million things I want to say about that, but 99% of them aren't nice...and once I get started it will take a while to get all that out.

Comparing...

Esther	Micah	Isaiah
12 lbs, 5 oz (50%)	12 lbs (92%)	14 lbs, 14 oz (78%)
22 3/4" (35%)	21 3/8" (60%)	23 3/4" (69%)

Ren Fest!

We brought the boys to the Renaissance Festival today. First time for both of them! We got there right after they opened and they were totally overwhelmed by everything at first.

One guy pointed out that someone was holding a peregrine falcon. They talk about them ALL.THE.TIME on one of the PBS shows Isaiah watches, so he thought it was cool. They told us about a bird show.

Then, Isaiah saw a dragon swing. I LOVED it as a kid! He had brought some of his own money, so we let him ride it if he paid for it. When the guy really had it going I thought Isaiah was going to get sick (or freak out) for a second...but he settled down and really enjoyed it. The only problem with that was he wanted to ride EVERY other ride he saw!

We did stop and watch the bird show. Micah sat through...the first bird and was done. He and I stood back and (I) watched after that. Jeremy and Isaiah kept their front row seats for the rest.

Next up was lunch. Micah gobbled up some fried fish! When we were walking around after lunch Micah was fascinated by some gypsies. They stopped and were saying hi to him (and he was just staring at them....) I asked if he wanted a picture with them, and (to my surprise) all 3 people plopped down on the ground. Micah freaked, but Isaiah got down there for pictures. They were an interesting bunch (of course...its Ren Fest!) But it was SUPER awesome when the guy let Isaiah strum his guitar and they launched into an impromptu song with Isaiah helping the guitarist!

Watch Isaiah play the guitar!

Lots more wandering around. We watched a magic show then went to see the gypsies' show. They remembered Isaiah and let him help with the performance by giving him some shaker thing. He wasn't great with staying on rhythm, but it sure was fun for him.

We found a petting zoo right before we left and those sheep were RUDE! When we got some food they jumped up on Jeremy and I think would have done the same to Isaiah if we hadn't kept an eye on things. Micah did pretty well with them too, he wasn't scared but I got nervous they'd knock him down so he fed them from my lap.

After that, we let Isaiah pick out a sword and headed home. Made a quick pit stop for root beer floats and cherry limeades at Sonic. The boys are worn out (and grumpy) now...but we sure had fun!!

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

Happy Easter!

I love being able to backdate entries...later it will make it seem like I'm more on top of things than I really am! Though I guess writing such things gives away that I'm NOT on to of things. Oh well.

So. This year was Micah's second Easter, but the first one that he was really aware of. Last year he was...what? Two-and-a-half weeks old. Granted, he won't remember this one either, but at least he participated.




Actually, the day started with Isaiah waking up butt-crack early like he always does. He MIGHT have been up before 6:00, but I honestly can't remember. I went down with him so he could have his basket and find the eggs the Easter bunny had hidden. I made him leave one for Micah to "find" and he got to open the others.



Micah also woke up early, but probably because Isaiah was being loud and excited. He certainly didn't understand why we were taking pictures so early but he got into things quickly. It certainly helped that he got some things to shake and make noise with! 
 













Then it was time to get ready for church! I must say, I have ADORABLE little boys!

After church we came home for a bit, then headed to my mom's for Easter food and LOTS of egg hiding. After we had some cinnamon rolls, Micah got to open some birthday presents (since his family party had been cancelled due to SNOW!)

Other than that it was a lot of family time and a lot of great food. A new game was played and enjoyed by all (jump rope to grave to church doors?). Isaiah had a FANTASTIC time playing with Joel and Curtis. And the boys were worn out after all the excitement and missing naps.

First Year in Review!

 He's changed a bit in the past year!