Time for an update

It's been a little while since I've given any sort of update on the kids, so I thought today would be a good day for it, seeing as Nicholas had his 4 month health-baby Dr's appointment today. He's not quite 4 months, but...

A quick update on our summer first: I decided that it would be fun to head to NB for an extended "vacation" this summer. We don't typically get to spend much time with our parents (grandparents) even though we use pretty much all of our vacation to go there, and with my parents being off for the summer (teachers), I thought I might as well be there and not be alone all day. Also, it doesn't get as hot there as it does here, so it'll help me survive a summer at home!! We leave this Saturday (June 28th) and will come back to Brockville on August 10th!! Hence the early appointment for Nicholas to see the Dr and get his needles...

Anyway, mostly due to Nicholas' dislike of the carseat, we decided that it would be best for me to endure it for just a few hours vs. both of us for several, so instead of driving down, the kids and I are flying. Trev will drive the CR-V down by himself and leave it there for us to use for the month. He's planning on coming back with Kev (thanks Kev!!) at the end of the week and will fly back on August 1st to have another week with us in Fredericton. He'll again drive back on his own while we fly back. A bit convoluted, but everyone should be happier that way... I'll try to write about our adventures every now and again while down there.

Now for the kids' updates... Christine is 2-1/2 years old!!! I can't believe it! Yesterday marked the day, I guess... She's quite the chatterbox - talking constantly! Most of her vocabulary is french, but she does refer to herself as "me" and points to things and says "this". Hopefully those two words will be replaced by "moi" and "ceci" with all the time in NB! Other than the odd word in english, she doesn't speak much, but she certainly understands a lot. Most of our friends don't speak much french, but will talk to her and she can follow everything they're saying. She'll answer questions by "oui" and "non", but everyone understands that... She's pretty amazing. On the potty-training front, she's doing AWESOME! As part of our routine, we ask her if she needs to go quite often, but she typically will tell us if she needs to go. She has the odd accident, but all in all, it was a very quick process with her. Within about 1 week, she was done. Again, pretty amazing kid.

And her love for her brother... it's a good thing he's as big and strong as he is - it's helped with not having to worry as much that she's going to maul him with too many hugs and kisses!

On to Nicholas: he's continuing to grow like a weed. He had been sleeping through the night (7:30pm to 5-6am and then going back to sleep until 7:30 0r 8) for several weeks when all of a sudden, he started eating again at 3, then 6, then 8... Last night, he even added a feeding around midnight!! I felt like I had a newborn again - except that he weighs 16lbs 6 oz... We found him several times about 3 weeks ago completely out of his swaddle - he's quite strong and active, so he managed to get himself out of the straight jacket. So we put the swaddle away and his nights were about the same. At least he transitioned out of it ok - it didn't help anymore!! Oh well... The Dr actually suggested that because he's so big and getting to be so active that maybe he needs more than just milk and suggested I try giving him a little bit of cereal during the day. Well, he loves it! We'll see if it makes a difference to the night of sleep we'll get. I had hoped to last until 6 months before starting the cereal, but he suggested we try for about a week and if it doesn't make a difference, then just to go back to milk only. If it does make a difference, then he's going to be getting cereal!!! :)

Other than that, the great news: he won't need a helmet!! At his last appointment, it had been obvious enough to the Dr that Nicholas preferred to lay with his head turned to the right by the shape of his head. It had flattened somewhat on that side. He said that if it was the same or worst at this appointment, that he'd recommend getting him fitted for a helmet (kids have to wear these things 23 hrs a day!!). We now constantly put more interesting things on the left side, or sit on his left so he looks towards us, or move his head while he's sleeping to ensure he gets both sides even. I managed to flatten the other side of his head enough that it's symmetrical! Dr Everett was happy enough with the shape of his head that we won't need to put Nicholas in a helmet - I'm SOOOOO relieved!!

His stats at this point: as I mentioned above, he's 16 lbs 6 oz, he's 27" tall and his head circumference is 42.5 cm. He's almost doubled his weight (has put on almost 8 lbs since birth), and has grown almost 6 inches already. For those who knew Christine as a (very chubby) baby... they weigh about the same at the same age, but he's got a whole 2 inches on her! He's at the 85th percentile for weight, and 98th for height. He's going to be a tall boy.

He loves to see everyone around him, holds his head up well while sitting (assisted) and standing. He loves his exersaucer, and holds onto many of his toys for extended periods of time. He hasn't yet passed an object from one hand to the other, but I don't think it'll be too long. He can roll onto his stomach, but typically stops himself on his side. He smiles and laughs all the time with me, but most people find him to be quite serious. He looks like he's studying faces all the time - and that serious side makes him look even more like his father...