Madeline 18 mos stats

 

This girl is 18 months now. She's still a tiny little thing but she has a big personality. She LOVES reading. I think she would sit if someone would read to her all day. She loves her brothers. She wants and tries to do everything they do. She loves her babies. She will wrap her baby in a blanket then hop in the rocker and rock. She loves doing anything outside.

 

Madeline has been slower than the boys in language development. I'm okay with that though. She has lots of single words but doesn't always use them...and I don't make her. She will copy almost anything the boys tell her to say. She looks at me and Brian like we are crazy if we try to get her to say something. She is beginning to combine words to make short phrases. Her favorite thing to say is "all done mama" (then she laughs). One evening she was finished eating so she said "all done". Brian got up to get her. She shook her head and said "all done...MAMA". Everyone at the table laughed. Now every time she's done she says it, looks straight at Brian, and laughs.

 

So here are Madeline's stats and all the kids comparisons at 18 months:

25 lbs (50th percentile)

31.5 inches (30th percentile)

don't remember how big her head was but it was 97th %

 

Luc at 18 mos.:

25 lb 7 oz (45th)

34 inches (90th)

head 50.5 cm (97th)

 

Evan:

25 lb 2 oz (35th)

33 inches (55th)

head 49 3/4 cm (90th)

 

On another note, Evan helped me pick out the boys Easter outfits. The compromise for the "fancy" shirt that I strongly encouraged was that he get to buy the shirt below. So the fancy shirt is for Easter and Evan's shirt choice is for any day he wants to wear it. You may see him wearing it every day. Then he wanted a picture in his new outfit.  

Madeline is ONE

Yes, she really is a year old. This has been the fastest year ever. I wish time would just slow down. I hear it just keeps getting faster though. Madeline has gone from a precious sweet tiny newborn to a screaming 24/7 colicky baby to a sweet happy smiley baby to a teething clingy whiny baby..and is now becoming a happy silly toddler.

 Madeline had her first taste of cake on her birthday. She seemed really confused but eventually, she dug in and asked for more. 



 

 And here are all the biggies for all three babies at one year:
Luc: 31 in (97th percentile), 22lb5oz (45th percentile), head 49 cm (97th percentile)
        He has been walking for two months. He said 11 words and some animal sounds.
Evan: 30 in (50th), 22lb (40th), 48 1/2 cm (95th)
         He had been walking for a month. He said 15 words and several animal sounds
Madeline: 29 in (50th), 20lb4oz (40th), 47 1/2 (97th)
         She only says dada and mama. She is taking a few steps. She has never slept through the
         night. She can identify nose, eyes, toes, belly, and mouth.

Madeline is so much smaller than the boys were at this age. She is also so far behind them developmentally in everything. I think this is God's way of making me feel like I have a baby longer.

Madeline 9 months...very late

Poor Madeline...she will never have updates about herself. I never blog anymore. So this post is over a month late. I'll still compare her growth and development with the boys though. So...

 

Madeline's weight 19 lbs 9 oz - 70th percentile

height  27 in - 50th percentile

The doctor didn't write down her head size but it is becoming more normal on her growth curve. It's just big.

 

Luc's weight at 9 mos. 20 lb 2 oz - 50th percentile 

height 29 in - 75th percentile

head - 46 1/2 cm 75-90th percentile

 

Evan's weight at 9 mos 20 lb 11 oz - 55th percentile

height 28 1/2 in - 50th percentile

head 47 1/2 cm 95th percentile

 

Evan was my chunkiest baby, Luc has always been my longest, and Madeline has been my little one...though she is quite chunky too.

 

 

Fast forward to 10 months...Madeline is a very fast crawler. She LOVES sneaking away to play in the toilet or garbage can. When she is heading in a direction that she knows she shouldn't (like the toilet), I say "no" then she laughs and takes off really fast to get away from me. She stands for several seconds without holding on. She is beginning to really show a temper. She is learning that what mama and daddy eat is pretty good. She loves drinking from a straw. She thinks walking through rain is really funny. She loves her brothers so much. She says "da-da" and is beginning to say "mama". I'm not sure she is intentionally saying "mama" yet. She says it when she upset.



6 months old!

This baby girl is 6 months old already....and she doesn't like sitting in the grass. haha

 

Madeline began sleeping through the night a couple of weeks ago...then we traveled to Alabama. She's back to waking up every 2-3 hours now. My body was tricked by having a week of sleep then back to no sleep. I have been so so tired lately.

 

She has learned to sit up and get up on her hands and knees. She hasn't figured out crawling though. She just rocks back and forth then flops down. She can get where she wants to go by rolling though. She's a little roly poly.

 

Madeline was introduced to some baby food last week. We started rice cereal. She has tasted carrots and sweet potatoes too. She isn't crazy about any of them but she will tolerate sweet potatoes. Her favorite thing to do during mealtime is mash her lips together so I can't get the spoon in...then if I manage to trick a bit in there she blows it at me. Evan did the same thing when I tried to feed him so I know she'll eventually eat.

 

My favorite things to remember at this age are:

-how she gets so excited when she first sees her brothers in the morning

-she plays (or pulls) my hair when she's nursing

-she gets so excited to see me when I get her up from bed or when I come home from work

-her little giggle is too cute

-she's still so chubby

Her stats:
17 lb, 10 oz (75th percentile)
26 in (50th percentile)
head circumference has jumped to 45 cm (97th percentile) more on this below

Luc at 6 months:
17 lb 4 oz (50th percentile)
27 in ( 75th percentile)
HC 46 cm (75th)

Evan at 7 months:
18 lb 12 oz (50th percentile)
27 in (50th percentile)

First of all, I suppose the percentiles are so different because there are different charts for boys versus girls. Anyway, Luc was born with a big head and has always had a big one. Evan was born with an average head but then it got big. Madeline was born with an average head and evidentally it has gotten big so quickly that it is a concern....that and her soft spot protrudes. So our dr sent us to have a brain ultrasound. They just wanted to be certain that there is nothing blocking the ventricles in her brain which could cause her soft spot to stick out and her skull to grow so quickly. The ultrasound was normal. We do have to go back in to have her head remeasured though. Baby drama!
 

 



Guess who is 5 and really excited about it...

Yep...he is "FINALLY" 5. From another perspective, this 5 years has flown by. I love the little boy Luc has become. He's so sweet and silly. Some of his favorite things right now are climbing trees, riding his bike, going to preschool, playing with his friends, and any kind of art. He is so creative and imaginative. He really surprises me sometimes. He has also become really shy at times. I would have never thought my outgoing, hyperactive toddler would become shy and timid around a group of people. Luc is such a sweet big brother to both Evan and Madeline. He often tries to make Evan happy when he is throwing a fit. He is so good to keep Madeline entertained for me when I have to do something. I love him so so much.

 

 

For my records...he is 45 1/4 in tall, 43 lbs, and has BMI of 14.7%. He's looking more and more like his Daddy but he's shaping out like a lanky Paulk.

Madeline at 4 months

 

Here is Miss Madeline at 4 months. The girl likes to eat. She still nurses every 2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 during the night. We are not on a schedule yet and her sleeping habits are terrible. She sleeps with me...in the crook of my arm...right up against me. I have loved sleeping with all my babies but it's about time to stop. I wake up sore in the mornings from the way I sleep. Also, I need to be able to get things done rather than just hold Miss Priss all the time.

 

Madeline has become a pretty happy baby. Her reflx is a million times better. She still has trouble after she eats sometimes but she is completely off medication now. I think her tummy is beginning to tolerate dairy somewhat too. I have been having creamer in my coffee and some cheese in food occassionally. She has the cutest little laugh. She has started cooing which for her is actually a high pitched squeal. I think I'll have another loud mouth here. She has rolled over from her front to back only a couple of times. I'm thinking she'll be rolling soon though. She has been enjoying tummy time a whole lot more lately.

 

So here are her stats...and comarisons with the boys at 4 months...

weight: 15lb 13 oz (90th percentile)

height: 24 in (25th percentile)

head: 43 cm (95th percentile)

 

Luc:

16 lb 2 oz, 26.5 in

 

Evan:

17lb, 25.5 in

 

I was looking back at the boys baby books. Madeline is by far my worst sleeper. Luc was definitely my best...and still is. He was sleeping 8-10 hours straight at 6 weeks. He also took really good naps early on. I wonder if the more structured schedule that I was able to keep Luc on has to do with that or just inborn.

2 weeks late...

Here she was at one month...

Madeline has been diagnosed with pretty severe reflux or GERD...same thing Evan had. We have been giving her Zantac for a few weeks now. It helps for a few hours. I guess it wears off after a while. She screams about 80-90% of her waking hours. On a normal day, that is anywhere from 4-8 hours of crying/screaming. Everyone says "poor tired mama". I am exhausted but really I hate so much to see her in pain. We started her on Prevacid this week. It is VERY expensive but hopefully it will bring her relief. On a good note, she is gaining weight. She weighed 10 lbs 14 oz at the doctor's office on Friday. That's 3 lb 14 oz more than her birth weight. She is just now beginning to smile a little. Here is a half smile half fuss...at 6 weeks old...

Baby stat comparisons

I like to compare stats for my kids so I can remember later. This is a couple of weeks late but here are stats so far. Madeline seems to continue to be more petite than her brothers...which I think is a good thing.

Luc at birth: 7lb 12 oz, 20 in long,
      2 weeks: 8 lb 10 oz, 21 in long, 38 cm head

Evan birth: 7 lb 7 oz, 20 in long, 35 1/2 cm head
    2 weeks:  8 lb 9 oz, 21 in long, 36 1/2 cm head

Madeline birth: 7 lb 0 oz, 19 in long, 35 cm head ?
           2 weeks: 8 lb 1 oz, 20 in long, 36 cm head

BTW I originally said Madeline was 21 in long at birth but I think they measured her wrong. At her 5 day weight check, she was only 19 inches. The pediatrician said they aren't very accurate with length measurements in the hospital.

4 YEARS OLD

I really can't believe this boy is 4. Luc is a smart, sweet, imaginative little boy. He always compliments me or his teachers on clothes or shoes or whatever else he notices. He can be sweet and caring with Evan...and he can be a typical big brother too. Luc's imagination amazes me. He can create some pretty awesome Lego vehicles and buildings. He is beginning to draw pictures...he literally drew his first stick person last week. It was a pretty cool drawing though. He loves to make up new games, songs, and stories. He is also very inquisitive. This boy really catches me off guard sometimes. "Why does that car have two 'hot things' but yours only has one?" "How do babies get out of the mama's tummy?" There are many other questions that I don't have answers for or don't know how to answer at this age. Anyway, I love love love this kid. I am very proud of the sweet little boy that he has become.

GROWTH UPDATE: Here are Luc's growth stats from his doctors appointment...

height: 43 in, 90th percentile

weight: 37 lb, 75th percentile

BMI: 5%

I was so sure that he was below average for weight since he looks so skinny. I was wrong. I think he's going to be a tall handsome guy...that's a mama perspective.

Evan 18 months

I can't remember if I did an 18 month post or not. Anyway, here were his stats at his 18 month check-up:

Weight: 25 lb 2 oz; 35th percentile

Height: 33 in; 55th percentile

Head circumference: 49 3/4 cm; 90th percentile

Here were Luc's:

Weight: 25 lb 7 oz; 45th percentile

Height: 34 in; 90th percentile

Head circumference: 50 1/2 cm; 97th percentile

Evan is a handful at 18 months. He is very active. He tried to keep up with everything Luc says and does. He's pretty quick. He always runs away from us at the park. He climbs on everything. He hasn't climbed/fallen out of his bed yet though. His vocabulary is pretty large. He uses a variety of different words and is saying 4-5 word sentences. My favorite thing about this age is how he puts his sentences together. He has lots of words but doesn't know how to arrange them in a sentence. It's so cute.

 Here are some things he says at 19 months:

-"Mama, hold you me peez"("Mama, hold me please")

-"Daddy no go pay wif Emi" ("daddy is not going to play with Emi")

-"Papa John eat gum. Papa John no eat gum." (My dad had gum and told Evan that he couldn't have any. Evan talks about it all the time)

-"Daddy/Luc/Mama pooed" (when actually he did)

-"Daddy no take you go night night" ("I don't want daddy to take me to go night night")

-"No go night night"

-"Come Mama. Scary monsters dere. Wight on." (He says this almost every night when it gets dark and he wants to go in his room. "Come on Mama. Scary monsters are in there. Lights on.")

-"Bawee hot. It burn you" ("Very hot. It will burn me.")

My boys at 15 months old

We had Evan's 15 month check-up this morning. He is doing great. I asked about his reflux...which is STILL really bad sometimes. He still spits up a lot, cries after he drinks a cup of milk (which he always downs in no time), and is really really gassy. Sometimes he has trouble laying down to sleep especially if it is within a couple of hours from the time he has eaten or had a cup of milk. Dr Mani wants us to try soy milk and stay away from dairy for a little while to see if that helps. 

Here are pictures of both boys at 15 months and their stats. I think it is amazing how different they look.

Luc:

Height: 33 1/2 in - 95th percentile

Weight: 23 lb 7 oz - 48th percetile (keep this in mind)

Head Circumference: 49 1/2 cm - 97th percentile

Luc had 7 teeth

Evan:

Height: 32 in - 75th percentile

Weight: 23 lb 8 oz - 40th percentile

Head Circumference: 49 cm - 91st percentile

Evan has 5 teeth 

Evan is one once heavier than Luc was at this age. Evan's percentile is lower that Luc's was though. Either the growth charts have changed or someone figured it wrong.

Evan's one year check-up

This will be a boring no picture blog since I am super tired and need to go to bed. Anyway, I'll post his birthday pictures later...which was also a pretty low-key birthday.

The boys are very similar in size. Evan may be a tiny bit smaller than Luc was. Here are there stats at 12 months starting with Evan:


Height 30 in (50th percentile)
Weight 22 lb (40th percentile)
Head 48 1/2 cm (95th percentile)

Luc's 12 month stats:
Height 31 in (97th percentile) I am thinking one of these percentiles is wrong.
Weight 22 1/2 lb (45th percentile)
Head 49 cm (97th percentile)

Evan woke up with a swollen red eye this morning. Luckily, we were already going to the doctor. She said it may be the start of pink eye...or it's just allergies. This is awesome since we're flying tomorrow. I'll just put a patch over his eye.

Evan looks great for the most part. We did have a little bit of a dramatic visit though. He got 3 shots which he was pretty sad about. Then they wanted to take blood to check his iron. She took the blood then came back in and said "I need to get a little more. Something looks REALLY BAD with his blood." I say "Oh is he anemic" (after all, I do forget to give him his vitamins). "No, it's a lot worse than that" she says. What the heck? So she squeezes more blood out of his tiny little finger as he screams his little lungs out. Again, his blood looked really bad. She decides it is best to do it a 3rd time but start all over on another finger. By this time, I am beginning to feel a little panicky and both Evan and I have blood all over us (my legs, my face, my neck, his clothes, his face, my arms, etc). She does it the 3rd time. The blood "looks" normal. Dr Mani came in and said he is a little anemic. I asked about the serious problem with his blood and she said it must have been something in the test tube or something. UGH Anyway, no biggy about low iron. I just need to be more consistent with his vitamins.

We do have to take him back to the pediatric ophthalmologist to have his eyes checked again. She said they still look off when she does the light test. I'm not very worried about his eyes. We also have to take him to a cardiologist to check out the heart murmur. I'm not worried about that either since both Luc and I have a murmur. Anyway, we'll go just to be 100% positive though.

Other than that, Dr Mani was happy to see him walking, talking, finally sleeping through the night (although I'm not happy with his early wake-up call around 6:30-7am), and eating well.

All About Evan

Evan is 7 months now. He saw the doctor just last week for his 6 month check up even though he was also 7 months. He has dropped down to the 50th percentile for both weight and height. He is doing great. She told me that I should really be more consistent working with him eating baby food especially seeing that I am going back to work a few hours a week next month.

He is crawling all over the house. He does an army crawl. He pulls himself with his arms. It doesn't slow him down though. He's quick. If I go in another room, he will follow me in there. He is also finally eating baby food better. Ashley worked with him a couple of times while we were staying at her parents house. He eats pretty good now. He will also drink from a sippy cup. He cut his first tooth...the day we moved. He LOVES taking a bath. I will get a video as soon as I can. It is hilarious. He goes nuts in there.

 Such a big boy.

Evan at 6 Months

I can't believe this boy is 6 months old. I think I say this every month but really. Why do babies have to grow up so fast? Evan is officially 6 months old. We will not have his 6 month check up until he is almost 7 months. I don't know his height or head circumference but I did weigh him. He is a load to carry around at 19 pounds.

Evan is still not sleeping through the night. In fact, now that we are back in Alabama, he has been waking up every 1-3 hours. No, I am not exaggerating.

I started feeding him cereal and usually apples once a day. He doesn't like to eat from a spoon. A lot of the time, he mashes his lips together so that I can't feed him. If he does eat it, he will gag or just spit it out. I don't know how much actually goes through.

I am just assuming that some cereal is going through and that it is the culprit to his constipation the past couple of days. He hasn't pooped in a couple of days and he's been gassy. When I started feeding Luc cereal, he became constipated. I am just assuming that Evan is getting some cereal in him and that the same thing is happening. Anyway, the nurse at his doctor's office said that I could just stop feeding him until I get back to Austin and see Dr Mani.

Here are some fun things that Evan has been doing:

-smiles most of the time

-reaches for me

-still loves to watch Luc

-loves to grab anything within reach

-of course anything he grabs goes directly to his mouth

-he is sitting pretty good without support

-he scoots all over the place

-is very cuddly

-loves his burp clothes (strange I know but it is his lovey)

- loves to suck his toes

-fake coughs and gags to make us laugh

-When I wave, he throws his arm around like crazy. I can't decide if this is his wave or just a movement

Evan scooting from Noelle McNeil on Vimeo.

Luc and Evan comparisons at 6 months:
-Luc 17 lbs; Evan 19 lbs
-Luc started crawling right after his 6 month birthday; Evan is almost there
-Luc was sleeping through the night; Evan is not even close
-Both were happy, smiley babies
-Both grabbed everything and put everything in their mouths

4 months old

I can't believe the baby we were so worried for 7 months ago is a healthy 4 month old now. The past 4 months has really flown by. I am glad we have gotten to do so much but I hate that it is taking all my baby time from me.

Anyway, Evan is so big. He rolls over from his stomach to his back. I haven't seen him go from his back to his stomach though. He wants to sit completely up. He can balance for a few seconds. Once he falls, he is super P.O.ed. He smiles, talks, and laughs all the time. He loves to watch Luc...or anyone for that matter. He has become such a good baby. We drag him to the park twice a day, interrupting his naps, and he is okay with that. He still sleeps with us. I think he will until we are done traveling. It is much easier than trying to get him used to a new bed every place we go. It may be more difficult to get him to sleep alone than it was for Luc but it allows me to get sleep now.

We took him to the doctor today. We went to the American Hospital in Paris. The doctor is from the U.S. He was really nice. Evan looks good. He's having no trouble growing for sure. The doctor said that if he had used European growth charts he would have been off the charts for everything. So here are both of the boys stats at 4 months old:

Luc's stats at 4 months:  weight 16 lb
                                     height  26.5"
                                     head (big - I don't know)

Evan's stats at 4 months:  weight 16.9 lb - 90th percentile
                                       height 25.5" - 75th percentile
                                       head  17.2" - almost 90th percentile

So in Europe the doctor writes a prescription for vaccines. You have to take the prescription to a pharmacist to have filled then go back to the doctor for him to give the shots. UGH SUCH A PAIN! So I have to complain about this. The doctor we saw is very far away from us. We have to take 3 different trains then walk about 15 minutes to get there. The metro stops over here mostly have stairs...a few stops have escalators and even fewer have elevators. So Brian took off from researching today to help me. He can't take off another day so next week, I will have to make this journey alone with the boys. I am NOT very excited about it. I am considering taking the bus which may take closer to 2 hours to get there.

This isn't the best picture but it was his first time trying his vitamins. I was supposed to give them to him starting at 2 months. He was having enough stomach problems so I didn't want to add iron to all that. Anyway, this was his first and last time for vitamins. He took them, then projectile vomited all over the place.

Cuteness

I think Miss Molly will have to part with the excersaucer when we get back. Evan's going to want his back. I'm sure by then she'll be crawling all over the place though. All these babies are going to seem so grown up even though we will have only been gone a few months. We sure do miss all of you!

Like I said, Evan loves the excersaucer. He can even bounce himself a little.

Evan has gone from a crying most of the time colic baby to a smiling all the time happy baby sine we've been gone. I love it.

I think this shirt was made specifically for Mr Chubby Cheeks himself. Thanks Mama for finding it!

Sweet brothers....This is a very rare moment