18-month Checkups

It's hard to believe the kids are a year and a half old! Before I can turn around, they'll be two! The time is flying by so fast, but we're enjoying every minute of it! Well...most of the minutes anyway!

The kids are at a really fun stage, learning new things with every breath it seems. They always surprise us with some new skill. Most recently they've learned to buckle the straps that hold them into their high chairs. Thomas is especially good at it and likes to go down the line of chairs, buckling all the belts. Luckily, they haven't yet figured out how to unbuckle them!

They've also finally started saying some words! Hurrah! Most of them they say once and then we don't hear them again, but there are a few that are constant. They all say mama and dada and actually mean us. They can also all say hi/hey and bye, accompanied by waving. Zachary is particularly fond of these two words and loves to say Hey! to you from across the room. He'll say it over and over, waving the whole time, until he gets your attention. It's so adorable! Two other words we get often are more and done, mostly from Thomas. They also will say woof-woof when they see a dog (or a cat or often any other random animal!). Other words we have heard a few times are ball, dog, diaper, shoe, cheese, and I don't what else. It's hard to keep up!

Their verbal skills are a little behind the average, but we aren't concerned. Not yet anyway! It's not unusual for multiples to have speech delays. They definitely find ways to communicate, even though they don't have words for what they want to say, and their comprehension is amazing! I'm always talking to them just about whatever we happen to be doing at the moment and am surprised and delighted when they respond in some way that lets me know that they actually understand what I'm saying. They are great at finding things that are lost. I'll say something like, "Does anyone know where Zachary's sippy cup is?" and minutes later one of them will bring it to me! Reagan led me to a missing laundry basket the other day.

In addition to working on developing our verbal skills, we are also working on learning to eat with spoons and forks. See pictures below, and I imagine in several posts to follow!

Anyway, here is a rundown of new weights and percentages. However, let me say Reagan and Thomas had their checkups before Christmas and right after our bout of RSV and they (especially Thomas) didn't eat well at all the whole week or more leading up to this visit, so I can't vouch for these being a really accurate reflection of their normal weights. They are accurate for after a week of fasting! Jonathan and Zachary didn't have their checkups until 2 weeks later.

Jonathan

22lbs even, a mere 7% for weight

He's also at 7% for height, which I don't normally mention, at just over 30 in tall. He is the smallest of the four, quite noticeably so when you see all four of them together. But he makes up for it with cuddliness! Jonathan loves to snuggle and be held and gives great hugs followed by a huge smile. Such a sweetheart!

Zachary

Still the biggest, Zachary now weighs 25lb 7oz. He's a big boy, although apparently still smaller than the average as he only hits 40% with that weight. He's a full inch taller than Jonathan, but that only gets him to 25%, so he's also short for his age. Zachary has learned to use his weight to his advantage when playing with his siblings, often dragging them to the ground and then lying on them so they can't get up. He laughs and laughs, and usually, but not always, his victim does too!

Reagan

Our reigning princess maintains her second-place standings in the weight category at 23lb 5oz which puts her at 45% (when compared to other girls) even though she is smaller than Zachary. They are almost the same height, but that makes Reagan perfectly average for a girl. Poor boys! She is the happiest thing, smiling all the time, unless you are trying to take her picture! But she's also quite a little mischief-maker who loves to snatch her brothers' toys and run off with them, cackling with glee while the afflicted brother is either reduced to tears or inspired to run after her!

Thomas

Thomas weighs (or did at the time anyway) 22lbs 8.5oz which puts him at 10%. Like the other boys, he is short for his age, barely taller than Jonathan and only 8%. Thomas is a spitfire if ever there was one! He is always moving, even strapped in a chair, he's bouncing or swaying or rocking. The child cannot be still! He's easily frustrated when he can't figure something out and will throw an impressive but short-lived tantrum before usually returning to the frustrating task and trying again and sometimes again and again! He almost perpetually has a bump on his head from falling down or running into things. I don't think he can pass by a piece of furniture without running into it! Still, he's the cutest, funniest kid, always making us laugh. And he will jabber at you in the most intelligent way, as if he's really saying something that you ought to understand because he obviously does!