Ava has made it to the 62% of the BMI index. She is officially off the watch list for her weight!!!

Ava 48.5 inches tall, 52.5 pounds

Olivia 50 3/4 inches tall, 53.5 pounds

Gavin 33.5 inches tall, roughly 30 pounds

Gavin

Gavin 16 month appt

33 3/4 inches tall 95%
28 pounds 75- 90%
48 1/2 cm head circ 75- 90%


Ava 5.5years old
47 inches tall
54 pounds

Olivia 7 years old
50 inches
54 pounds

Height and weight check

Olivia 49.5 inches 51 pounds
Ava 46.5 inches 51 pounds

Gavaroo 23 pounds 11.5 months old

More Teeth!

On Sunday, April 29th, Olivia pulled out her first top tooth. From that minute forward she smiled. Beamed rather. She couldn't wait for the tooth fairy to arrive and she did bringing Liv a gold dollar and a silver dollar. She was rich! She ran to school and showed off her gaping hole to all of her friends...

Boy is she a little stinker... she's not the only one.

Gavin for the last week had been pulling at his ears and he was getting a tooth as well. It had cut through on the top awhile ago but it was still dropping down. I figured the ears were sore from that. But then he didn't stop rubbing or pulling so then I thought he probably had an ear infection. I called the hospital for an appointment but apparently you can't get sick on a Sunday after 1PM because they aren't open. Ooops. Thankfully he had a well-baby appt. scheduled for Tuesday, so we were just going to have to grin and bear his fussiness another few days and lack of sleep and then hopefully get his issues resolved.

Sounds easy doesn't it?

Well Maybe if in the wee early morning of Monday I didn't throw up it would have been. Dave feeling bad himself decided to stay home and help me since Liv had to go to school, Ava had a field trip to the farm, karate, and my back was killing me from barfing. Sounds like things are progressing a little better on the brighter side of things the help from Dave? Not when I heard Dave wretch and throw up right before taking Liv to school. Yea us.

I jumped out of bed and got Liv in the truck and took her to school. Thankfully one less kid to deal with for awhile. On my way back Dave had the other two packed in the other truck and they were headed to the farm. I offered for him to leave the baby but he said it would be fine. And it was. They all had a great field trip. Liv was worried we were too sick to pick her back up at school but alas she was picked up right on time. Dave and I were feeling better...

And then n hour later Ava barfs and barfs and barfs... with diarrhea. Yea us. So she is taken care of and Dave gets Olivia ready for karate who now is melting down that Ava gets to stay home. REALLY?? You are jealous of your sister puking? For the love of God please go to karate and behave yourself!

So she goes and whines the whole time about not feeling well. Neither of us believe her because she doesn't exactly tell the truth all the time. So Dave calls me and we discuss it and she is staying and going to finish, oh look at that she puked. Of course... but Liv can make herself puke on key so we still think she is faking it but Dave brings her home all the while scolding her for her behavior. Then two minutes after she gets home she pukes the entire night on. Guess she wasn't lying this time. Ooops. What horrible parents we are. But that is the lesson learned to tell truth so we can believe her... We'll see later if that theory sticks.

Somehow by midnight no one is puking any longer. People are sleeping everywhere.. or shall I say wherever they last threw up. One dog slept in our bed under the sheets. It was like a fun house at a really bad carnival.

The saving grace- Gavin did not get this virus. But what he got was another shiny little tooth poking right out of the top of his gum. Tooth number 4, welcome to the family...

Today is Tuesday, the day he had to make it to to get to his appointment. We made there, of course his ears were fine today, no rubbing, no pulling, and no ear infections. Just a tiny shiny new tooth today.

We can all sleep peacefully tonight. *Sigh*

STATS:
The Whopper 22lbs 1.8 oz 75%
Height 2 feet 5.25 inches 82%
Head 18.27 80.8%

Reference

Gavin 8 months 29 1/2 inches
Ava  5 years old 46 inches 50 pounds
Liv 6 years old 49 inches 50 pounds

Ava 5 year Checkup

Ava had her 5 year check up and is doing well. She's in the 90th percentile for height, weight, and BMI. She didn't have to get any shots and won't need any until she turns 11. All in all Ava is ready for kindergarten and let me just say- if she could go today she'd be there. She is so excited to go to the big kid school.

Stats: 49 pounds, 45 inches tall

Gavin 6 Months

Gavin has had a lot of FIRSTS in the last few days. He has started saying, "dada, baba, and mama." He can roll over from front to back. He looks like he is about to cut his first two bottom teeth which is little scary for me since I have 6 more months of breast feeding left to go and the girls didn't get teeth until they were almost a year old. He was weighed yesterday and is a whopping 20 pounds 0.4 ounces and in the 89% for weight. His height is 2'4" and he's in the 88% for height and his dome is in the 65% which is nice being that his head is not large.

Gavin can sit up by himself and he can grab everything. If I make it out of this without going bald it will be great. His arms are always moving. When I nurse him he is constantly whacking whatever he thinks may be behind him. He is also a little nosey bugaroo. He has to see what EVERYONE is doing. He still sleeps great and through the night, he eats like a champ as if that wasn't obvious looking at his gargantuan size. He stands well on his chubby little legs and he is the happiest baby ever. Everyone who knows him or meets him gets a view of the dimples and the flirty eyes. I could not have asked for a better baby. He has also cut his first tooth.

 Gavin engaged in circle time with his buddies.

 See the look of envy that those other babies are so limber...

 This is the morning of his 6 month birthday.

 Later that day he had to crash out on the couch with his remote and phone. Being 6 months is hard you know..

 Gavin on a trip to the park to watch Ava pogo stick and Liv ride her scooter.

And my Gavinator- I just wanna smooch that face all over.

Size

Just for reference:
Ava 5 years old- 45.5 inches tall 48 pounds
Olivia 6 years old- 48.5 inches tall 48 pounds

Gavin

See my smiling baby-

He loves to take a bath.

Especially when his daddy is there to play with him.

And also because his head is covered with ringworm. Yip. Ringworm. You'd think there would be a good guess as to how a baby could have gotten ringworm on his head but apparently it's just a fungus that you can get on warm moist places just like athletes feet. Since I've had a hat on his head most of the time I am guessing that is what happened. Neither dog has it... the other kids don't have it. I haven't gotten it from feeding him. It is a mystery.

Boys- man they start at an early age with the hyjinks. On top of that- behind his ears became really red from drooling I'm supposing and somehow became infected. So every day twice a day he gets cream smothered on his head, a different cream behind the ears, and a medication he swallows three times a day for the bacterial infection. I feel like a terrible mother that my cute little baby has hit the skids but his ears look 80% better, the ringworm is 75% gone, and the medication he still has to take for a few more days. Thankfully it's not an issue. He sucks it right out of the dropper. It must taste great.

So since we saw the pediatrician once again, on Gavin's 5th month birthday he weighs a whopping 19.5 pounds and is 27 inches tall. He no longer can ride in the cute little car seat that snaps on to grocery carts but instead the next size up seat. And since I switched the seat he is much happier not being stuffed like a sausage into the old seat.

Thankfully he still fits into his swing!

Gavin 4 Months

My little Hawk all ready to fly on his 4 month birthday. You are a big boy my friend. So far you are 18 pounds and roughly 26 inches tall from what your dad and I can tell. You are a charmer and a ladies man. Every person I pass anywhere I go stops me to check you out. They just think you are so cute. So do I. You are one good baby too. I think you haven't given it your all at crying yet. You more or less just make the sad face and a little whimper and then it's over. I thank you for that. With all the chaos from your sisters it nice having someone easy. I love you little Gavin.

Size Matters

Finally. Finally I get to see the numbers I have been waiting for. Ava was weighed and measured and she is now 45 inches tall, 47.5 pounds with a BMI of 16.5% AND---- she made it into the 81% which means she is in the NORMAL range. WooHoo! She has been working hard this summer playing and running and doing soccer and karate and it finally paid off!

Olivia was also measured. She is 47 inches, 46 pounds, and is in the 39% range which is also considered normal. Liv actually has a great body size. she's not underweight or over weight. She has a cute little girls body.

Gavin, my boy. My huge huge boy dwarfs other babies. At 3 months he weighs in at 17 pounds and safely wears size 3 diapers and 9 month clothing. He will be tall. Like a giant. My friend Leah's baby Tyler is almost 10 months and weighs 18.5 pounds and they are both the same length. I can't wait until they are a year old and can play together. It should resemble something like King Kong vs the tiny skyscraper.

10 Weeks Old Big Boy!

So Gavin you are officially 10 weeks old today. It is amazing how fast time has flown by these last few weeks. You are growing and getting bigger day by day and a few days ago at your check-up you were 24 inches long and 14.10 pounds. This puts you in the 95% for both height and weight for kids your age. Although most of those kids were probably born at 7 or 8 pounds and you were almost 10. 

You smile and giggle all the time. You love your sisters who entertain you to no end. You are mesmerized by Sugar and can't wait to get your grubby little hands all over her and she knows it too and stays a safe distance away unless you are sleeping and then she takes full advantage of licking your hands, feet, and face.

Lady on the other hand will just walk by and lap you up with her big tongue whenever she gets a hankering. She is just waiting for the day I leave one of your dirty diapers laying around so she can have a feast. And when your daddy gets home you just beam at him. You've missed him all day and love when he comes to pick you up and make you giggle.

Since I am your only source of food you love me best. Secretly we both know this and every time I walk by you you light up like Times Square on New Years Eve. If you are hungry you smile at me and go for the boob. Even when you are eating you will let out a grin and I can feel the milk dripping down my side and all over the couch. Later in life when you ask why are couches look so dirty- this is why.

The best part of you so far is when you try and talk. Your baby babble is contagious making everyone around you speak your language. It's so awesome and I've tried to get it on video but you are a little stinker and clam up every time I get the camera near you. But I love your little voice and the little wiggly boy you are becoming. You so complete our family in a way you will never know. I think there's a little Sam in you from your Grandpa and a little Abadoo from your Great Grandpa and a whole lotta Dave in you which makes you the greatest little dude ever.

You are determined!

For Reference

Olivia's height 46.5 inches weight 45 lbs.
Ava height 43.5 inches weight 45 lbs.

Old Age is Setting in.

I forgot to add Ava's height and weight on her birthday after she had her 4 year checkup. She is now 42 1/2 inches and 43.6 pounds. She's looking good.

All Grown Up

Yesterday Olivia had her very first after school play date. She was invited to go her friend Grace's house for swimming and play. She was so excited to get picked up from school and to be driven to their house. She also drilled us earlier in the morning about the fact that Ava and I were not going to be there. What a big girl. She wasn't scared, she didn't ask for me, nothing. Not.a.thing.

When I picked her up a few hours later I was told that Olivia played with Grace and her two sisters very well. She used her manners, was very polite, and loved playing dress up. That made me feel really good that she had a great time and she was respectful of someone else's home when I wasn't there to watch her.

So enough about her- I was a nervous wreck. I worried all week about her being alone at someone else's house and what if something happened. My mind goes right into child molester mode and protecting my kids from any and all harm. So I did ask Olivia where she changed into her swimsuit, did anything happen that we've talked about that she needs to tell me about, did anyone ask her to keep any secrets... you get the gist. She said, "No Mommy, I know no one is supposed to touch me or ask me to touch them, and I know if someone does that I yell, bite, scratch, and scream for help."

Wow, she is listening. I'm so proud of her.

I feel better now getting that first time away at someone other than family's house out of the way. It was a great experience for her and it gave Ava and I a few good hours of hanging out together. We went to McD's to play for awhile. She met two boys and played for an hour with them. Then we did a little shopping, ate lunch, played in our backyard, and then it was time to pick up Liv. It was a really wonderful day all around.

And since we just don't have enough going on I did a quick height/weight check.
Olivia is now 45 inches tall, 43.5 pounds, has a BMI of 15.1 or 49%.
Ava is now 41.5 inches tall, 42.0 pounds, has a BMI of 17.1 or 88%

The Weeds Have Grown- Again

I assumed Olivia was going through a growth spurt. She had been asking for more snacks and eating everything on her plate without hesitation. What I didn't know was that Ava who wasn't eating as much as usual was growing just as fast. Here's the latest stats:

Olivia is 41 lbs 44 inches tall with a BMI of 14.9 or 40%.
Ava is 40 lbs 40 1/4 inches tall with a BMI of 17.6 or 91%.

So basically both kids grew half an inch in less than 2 months. This certainly helps Ava who needs the height to balance her weight but poor Olivia is going to be wearing a lot of Capri pants since her leg length is a size 5-6 and her waist is a size 5. This next winter is going to be tough. There is no way she'll be able to fill a size 6 in the waist and somehow I doubt that she won't grow another inch by September. Olivia now towers over the neighbor kids and most parents think she is 5 or 6 when she stands next to their shorter 5 year old. I have a feeling she will be the kid in all the school photos in the back row dead center right where I was. But alas, she is not alone. Ava dwarfs everyone around her too. I typically explain to parents at swimming or dance that she has a hard time focusing because she just turned 3 like 2 months ago... and then they say, "Wait, how old is she? Oh I thought she was at least 4."

"No she's just tall... the 93 percentile, they both are."

Then I get the raised eyebrows like, "Wow, those are some big kids." Thankfully Dave has made appearances at both places and then when the other parents see that he is the girls' dad they say to me that they get why the girls are so tall. Gee I was starting to worry that they were some kind of mutant aliens or something... thanks for clearing that up.

Anyways on a different note,

The whole neighborhood hung out together this weekend. The girls played outside all day long. Liv got her fill from babies to 12 year olds. She colored and made sock puppets, played tea party, ran around crazy, played basketball, football, and softball with the big kids. Ava, on the other hand, rode her bike and scooter almost all day. She stopped for the occasional tea party and to shoot some hoops but most of the time she was her own little person riding away up and down the street. We also ran our laps at the park, barbecued, and played some new games that I picked up on sale. I love when the we can go outside to a carnival of choices and play for as long as we wish and then go inside and rest and relax until we feel like playing again. Everything's outside so there's no cleaning up my house or dishes or anything. It's just easy. And best of all Ava is getting exercise and making friends and no one is sitting in the house glued to the TV. I am so glad we've eliminated it during the day. The girls get along so much better now, Ava reads more, and they seem happier which makes me happy.

The Weekend

The weekend went by fast. Faster than most. I think this one felt so quick because we didn't have a huge conundrum to deal with. Speaking of, Ava's leg is healing up nicely and she can play around for the most part. This is a huge relief from the previous week where I felt I was going to lose my mind trying to keep her still.

Dave and I finally sat TOGETHER in the hot tub Friday night and had a little date night. That was long over due and much needed after all the illnesses and hospital stuff we've had to deal with over the last few months. Actually spending time together was like that, 'Hey, I remember you...' moment you have one morning a few months after you give birth. AHHH!

Saturday Dave was in kid mode. He saw, he conquered, he fed, and they played. He took them through their favorite buffet a.k.a. Costco, then to an arts and crafts thing at the toy store. I, lucky me, went shopping ALONE and it felt GREAT. Not once did I have to bend over and pick up something that had been pulled off the clothing rack or dumped off a shelf. It was great knowing I was having a good time and the kids were out too having a good time with their Daddy and not sitting at home waiting for me to return.

Then in the evening we all regrouped and took the girls to church, Olivia's new favorite thing. She's been going when she's with my parents and has loved it. We had always said if they ever want to go we'd take them and she asked a few weeks ago so we've been going. There's been a lot of shuttling to and from the restroom but otherwise things are okay so far. I think Olivia just likes it because it is the one place that she can sing really loud and no one cares.

Sunday we went to an Egg Hunt at one of the nearby schools. The girls filled their baskets and snarfed down a lot of candy. We saw their little twin friends there and they played for a moment. Then we came home and signed up for ballet and swimming for April and May so they can do the Hip Hop class at the end of May and fit everything in. We will not be sitting in this house any longer. I feel like we have all been suffering from house arrest due to the LEG. Not any longer! Then we BBQ'd with some friends and relaxed the rest of the day. The weekend was just plain fun.

FUN.

Like every weekend should be except we have so much crap to do all the time that sometimes it feels like we don't have enough time for fun.

On a side note:

I need to add in the kids height and weigh measurements because I haven't done that lately.

Olivia is 43 1/2 inches tall and 38 1/2 pounds. (14.3 BMI or 20 percentile)

Ava is 39 1/2 inches tall and 40 pounds. (18.1 BMI or 94 percentile) Yes, we will be shedding some of these pounds as soon as she can officially run around again.

The Birthday Girl!!!

Can you say, "Happy Birthday" because Ava looks pretty darn happy to me. Every year we go to the same restaurant to celebrate her birthday. The waitresses were kind enough to sing happy birthday and bring her a bowl of ice cream. As you can plainly see- Ava is ecstatic. Here's my birthday girl the moment she woke up on her 3rd birthday. She is happy to not be 2 anymore and therefore NOT a baby.
Olivia took it upon herself to snap our picture. Just what I needed, my picture taken right as I woke up in all of my glory.
Here's my fancy birthday girl and big sister ready to hit the streets and go to breakfast.
Tammy came along as she was part of the group last year.
My angels doing what they do best- loving each other. Happy Birthday to my big 3 year old girl. You will never have to be 2 again. That was a big issue yesterday and now it's over. We are so proud of you. You are getting more and more independent every day in every way. Your biggest milestone right now is that you have begun to wipe yourself after using the potty, you get yourself out of bed at night and use the bathroom at some mysterious hour without waking us, and you take off and put on a fresh pull-up. Most people would not be impressed probably with something like this but to me it was the last thing I "had" to do for you as a baby and now you can do it for yourself. Amazing. My babies are pony- tail wearing, hip hop dancing, big bike riding girls. It seems like yesterday I was sitting in that hospital bed looking at your plump little face imagining what you'd look like as a child. And now I know and you're perfect. I love you cake-a-roonies!!

Height: 391/2 in
Weight 38 lbs

Liv's 4 Year Appointment

This appointment was scheduled as a well-child appointment for a 4 year old. Most of the appointment we dealt with the sick girl with the bad cough, yesterday's high fever, and her headache and body pains. So much for the flu-shot. Liv's been hacking for a few days, finally got the fever yesterday but it's gone today, and now had a headache which I assume is more like a tension headache from coughing and constantly sneezing. There's a small possibility she may have strep throat and we could have done a culture but we decided to wait a few days to see if she gets better on her own. We also went over Dave's family history of heart problems to see if it's genetic since both his sister and brother have Mitro Valve Prolapse. The doctor's looking in to it but thinks that it is not genetic. Phew.

Wanna know what I got? Nothing, just my period. I thought I'd just throw it in there that we all apparently need to suffer at the same time. Dave has had chronic back spasms, the dog barfed on the couch yesterday during the fever and it left a stain which means I now need to take the cover off and wash it. It doesn't sound like work but it is when you try to put that sucker back on. It takes a small army. Ava is sneezy but not yet sick although her face is bright red... could be anything I suppose.

So yeah. The well-child appointment didn't exactly go as planned but I did promise Olivia that she was not going to get any shots. The doctor confirmed this as soon as he walked into the room except that he then realized this was a 4 year appointment not a 3 year appointment as it is a week before her birthday and now she needs FOUR shots after she turns 4 next week. Sigh. We also found out that she needs to see the dentist twice a year and the eye doctor once a year. Both of the girls have seen both doctors but not as official appointments. Usually they get checked when we get checked since they like to sit in the chair and the doctor obliged. So once I got home I made their appointments for Saturday for both vision and teeth. Should be a fun day. Sigh.

Anyways here's the stats... Olivia is 38.8 pounds clothed, and 42 1/4 inches tall. This puts her weight in the 74% and her height in the 93%. She will most likely be somewhere between 5'8" and 5'10" as an adult. Her BMI for age is 38%. Overall she's right on track and healthy (ok maybe not today, but overall.)

Just for reference: Ava is 39 inches tall or in the 93%, 38.0 pounds or 97%, and in the 88% for her BMI (which should be under 85% or 37 pounds). So we are still over in her BMI which she had been doing well on until Halloween and Liv's birthday rolled around and we weren't as strict with her diet. So we will get her back on track and keep working at it.

My Ava

is doing great. She's been weighed at 37 pounds and she is 39 inches tall. This puts her BMI at 81% which falls into the NORMAL category. WhooHoo Ava! She's back on track.

We will still keep her on her modified diet and encourage her to eat healthy. But overall, I am elated to know Ava is back in the right BMI and she is getting plenty of exercise. What a relief. Phew.