Doc visit #1 - Ben

Thursday was my day with Ben, and I finally got him to the pediatrician for his 2-year check-up. He weighed in at 25 pounds and was 35.5 inches tall. All in all, he is a healthy little guy who is at about the 5th-percentile for two-and-a-half year olds with his weight, and about 35th-percentile for his height. We were told that our preemies would catch up to their age group between ages two and three, and now he is on the charts. Over the next two weeks, I'll be back to see the doc three more times with the other kids (insert a sarcastic "yahoo!" here.) After we saw the doctor, we went to the Children's Park, which is a beautiful garden park dedicated to children. Throughout the gardens are plaques and statues in memory of little ones, and even though the wind roared and traffic zoomed around the edges of the park, it was serene. Ben romped over the teddy-bear statues, stared at the waterfalls, threw rocks in the streams, and smelled the colorful blooms. My nose was cold, but my heart warmed as I watched him take it all in. It was one of those moments that stopped time, and I realized how very, very blessed I am to have four healthy children. While I kept a close watch on Ben, my mind wandered in thankful conversation with God. We got cold, but I just wasn't ready to leave yet, so we climbed into the car and I just held Ben close while he told me stories I couldn't comprehend and held my cheeks in his little palms. We had lunch with Allen and then drove around the azalea trails; Ben watched the flowers, and I kept hoping he'd catch a few Z's before we had to get the other kids.

Friday, I was home with the kids, and we spent the morning inside coloring and reading books about gardens and spring. Jon got the bug that the other three have had; he had problems breathing so I started the breathing treatments again. It's been about a year since we've had to do any for him, and now he sits calmly with the mask over his face and holds the tube. What a difference a year makes! The treatments helped a bunch and now he is on the mend. The afternoon was pretty enough that we all spent a lot of time outside; the kids played with the sand and on the slide, while I worked on rolling the sod we had cut last weekend. We traced each other onto the porch with colored chalks, and got soaked playing with the watertable. I had everyone bathed and in PJs before Allen got home for dinner.

Saturday, Allen and I worked on getting the rest of the sod moved, then we went to Lowe's and Home Depot finalizing some plans for the yard. We all had a pleasant dinner out, then came home and got the kids in bed. Sunday, Allen mowed and vacuumed while I worked on the huge piles of laundry, paid bills, and worked on our taxes. In our spare time, we started playing with the new camera FINALLY!!