Nine-month Update

Last Monday I took the boys to the pediatrician for their 9-month checkup, so it's time for an update and stats check.

Sam - 19 lbs. 10 oz. - 29 1/4 inches long

Isaac - 16 lbs. 8 oz. - 28 1/4 inches long

Alex - 19 lbs. 6 oz. - 28 3/4 inches long

That puts Sam in the 70th percentile for height, Alex in the 60th and Isaac in the 50th. Sam and Alex are about the 35 percentile for weight, and Isaac is about the 4th percentile.

Sam, Isaac and Alex all have four teeth and everyone is busy standing up independently. They can stand for a good 30 seconds now, and they are cruising constantly, so we're getting close to walking now! Everyone is playing peek-a-boo and doing patty cake, and we're making good progress on finger foods.

There are two big milestones that struck me following this appointment. First, the boys now have been outside of me longer than they were inside of me. Second, at 16 1/2 lbs., Isaac now weighs what all three boys weighed combined when they were born. Isaac is a peanut compared to his brothers, but it's really hard to fathom that he weighs what he and his brothers weighed COMBINED on their birthday.


The time is flying by, and before we know it, the boys' first birthday will be here. What a celebration that will be!

Update on the Boys

Here's the latest on the boys:

Samuel Joseph

Born at 5 lb., 4 oz., it was Sam who determined the birthday. Our ultrasound on Oct. 8 showed that he hadn't grown in two weeks. Lab tests after delivery showed that his placenta had started to calcify so he wasn't getting nutrients the way he should have been.

Sam is our slow poke when it comes to eating these days, though he's far neater than either of his brothers. He's become a reluctant burper, which slows down his eating even more. Sam still has the reddish hair he was born with, and Mom is hopeful that he'll keep it.

Sam

Isaac Thomas

Weighing in at 5 lb., 3 oz., Isaac was the smallest of the boys at birth. He was just 4 lb., 12 oz. when we brought him home, but he's been gaining ground fast.

Isaac has started to eat really well, and is a pretty good burper, too. When he first came home he would always burp twice in a row and then get the hiccups. He had the hiccups a lot! Isaac had the hiccups a lot in utero, too, making my belly button jump all the time. Isaac likes to snuggle up with Sam in the crib, nuzzling his head right up to his brother's.

Isaac

Alexander Steven

Alexander came wailing into this world at 6 lb., 1 oz. He was parked up in my rib cage, and my ribs are finally shifting back into place three weeks after he was born.

The nurses in NICU made sure Alex was a really good eater before they sent him home. He's a champion burper, sometimes surprising us with his volume! He often dictates the feeding schedule, waking up first and hollering for food. We like to put Alex at the front of the lineup in the crib, so he can't beat up on his brothers with his long arms.

Alex