Everly: 4 Years

Age: 4 years

Chickens Love the Birds

Everly is all about singing lately. She's always singing something, usually made up by herself. Here is one of her songs, "Chickens Love the Birds".

Chickens love the birds, in the sky.
When they are cute.
They get to be the ...

I'd give you more of the lyrics but even I have a hard time telling what some of the words are. And whenever I ask Everly, she doesn't make it any clearer.

 

Everly: 3 Years

Age: 3 years

Weight: 26 1/2 lbs - 9% (This girl will always be tiny)

Height: 36 inches - 28% (She's growing height a lot lately and slowly moving up in percentiles)

Fun facts: Now sleeps in a big girl bed, loves her little sister, has adopted certain ladies at church to sit with during worship.

Interview with Everly

Q: What's your favorite food?
A: Chinese and here's a quote from earlier today, "I want tortillas and bread and chips"

Q: What is something you are good at?
A: ummm learning.

Q: What's your favorite color?
A: Blue

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I don't know... I can't think when people are sweaty.

Q: What is your favorite book right now?
A: Fairy books

Q: What are three words that describe you?

A:  Happy, girly, talkative (words supplied by mommy as Everly didn't understand the question)

Q: What snack do you like best?
A: Cookies

Q: What is your favorite movie?
A: Totoro

Q: What is one food that you do not like?
A:  Onions

Q: What is your favorite toy to play with?
A: My kitchen

Q: What is your favorite game to play?
A: Candyland

Q: What makes you laugh the most?
A: Verity laughing at me

Q: What scares you the most?
A: Nothing. (nothing scares you?) Just a monster.

Q: What do you want to do next year?
A: Go to Red Robin

The Girl Who Grew Too Little

If you saw my post on Everly's growth a few posts back, you'll remember that she was tiny. Now she's always been tiny so it wasn't all that shocking to me that she was still tiny. The doctor was a bit concerned though and so we scheduled a followup height check for one month later.

This whole past month, Everly's height has always been on my mind. I wasn't worried that she was short but I was worried that the doctor would think it was enough to warrant tests or medication. The doctors had tried to get my mom to do that with me and I'm ever so glad that she decided not too. I didn't want to deal with that mess with Everly.

The big day came and I went to the doctor with Everly (and Verity in the carrier because naturally she goes where I go). We get called back immediately (must have been a light morning) and get Everly measured. Everly had grown 1/4 an inch in one month. Now by growth standards that's really not all that bad but it still meant she was short. The nurse got my height and Justin's height again so the doctor could compare to what Everly is. At that point, my mama mind starts to worry. Then I hear the doctor wants to double check with another pediatrician…more worry. Next, the nurse comes back in and says she wants to measure Everly laying down.

You see normally they measure babies and toddlers laying down. When they are young their bones compress (or maybe it's their bodies..something to do with bones and bodies…) and they really aren't good at standing up straight, so measuring them laying down gets a more accurate reading. Now when we first took Everly in last month, we measured her standing up. This was partially because she's a bit over 2 years old now and because she didn't want to be measured so it was easier to get her to be measured standing up (like her brothers showed her) than laying down.

Neither the nurse nor I thought about the effects that would cause.

You see, when we finally measured Everly laying down she grew…2 inches!!! Yeah, there's no way she actually grew 2 inches in 5 minutes so apparently when she stands up she compresses 2 inches! Holy Moley!

Needless to say we were all pleasantly surprised. We plugged in her new height of 35 inches and lo and behold she shot up in percentiles. Instead of being in the 2%, she was in the 22%!!! Right where she's always been and should be.

Moral of this story? If you have a toddler who is under the age of 3, make sure to have them measured laying down! If you suddenly have a height concern when your child is measured standing up for the first time, have them do another measurement with them laying down! We could have avoided so much stress and worry if we had just measured Everly correctly the first time!

I Am Grateful

You're bound to have one in every family. You know that one child that just seems to worry you at every doctor appointment. Or perhaps you have to go through that with every child, just at different times…

Logan was failure to thrive as a newborn and had a few other issues so he was my new baby medical worry.

Ransom has dealt with eczema for his whole life and thus I had those medical issues…not to mention the nut allergy.

Everly is my constant it seems. She's a teeny thing. Always has been small. We've had weight gain issues when we were figuring out her food sensitivities in the beginning. Now she's just a slow gainer…well not now! Now she's pack on the pounds like there's no tomorrow…however, her height is still a slow and steady gain.

Verity, well Verity currently has given me no issues…but give her time. I'm sure some medical worry will occur for her eventually.

Back to the point of this post…. It's Everly I'm focusing on this time. You see we took her in for her 2 1/2 year doctor appointment. I probably should have just waited till 3 years but she hasn't gone to the doctor since she turned 1 so I figured we might as well. Now this whole time, I've been weighing and measuring her at home. So I knew what to expect. I knew she was following her curve for weight on the WHO chart (although now that she's no longer 2 years old exactly, she's not really on the WHO chart) and I knew that she has gained in weight percentiles (a good thing for her as I think she's just playing catch up now).

So I was a little surprised when the doctor wanted to double check with another pediatrician about Everly's height. Go figure, I get a call back saying they want to do another measuring in a month. Overly cautious people… It's a good thing to be so cautious, I'm sure but it's annoying when they do not seem to listen to me. Yes, I know it looks like she's dropped in percentiles but that's only because this particular doctor only has Everly's records from her 6 month appointment (we were trying out other doctors) so naturally things are a total wreck. There's also my milk supply to consider. I think Everly is just now finally starting to grow at the proper speed so naturally it doesn't look like much if it's only just started…but whatever, they are the doctor and I'll appease them with another weight/height check. Thankfully, it's all free.

But the post title says, "I Am Grateful"? I haven't mentioned why I'm grateful. Well, I'm not grateful for all that hullaballoo. However, what I am grateful for is my mom. You see, my mom was a diligent mother and recorded all our heights, measurements, vaccines, etc. Now most mother's do that. At least for the firstborn kid gets all that (it's a fact of life that things get lost and you get too busy as you add more kids…which is why Everly and Verity might never get photo albums). However, not all mom's KEEP those records. Why would you need them you ask? It's just taking up space. Your child is now grown and records from when they were 2 just don't make a difference.

Well it does!

You see, when I got married, my mom gave me all my records. I mean ALL. I've got a huge folder stuffed with my medical records, school records, all that jazz. And you know what? I LOVE it. Having those records has kept me sane.

You see, I was tiny just like Everly. In fact, Everly has been the same weight and height as I was for almost every single measurement! So when the doctor gets worried that Everly is tiny, I can just go to those measurements and say (usually to myself) "See, Everly is fine. She's just going to be tiny like her mama."


Curious as to our measurements? Here's some of them.

Birth - Me: 20 inches, 7 lbs, 8 oz. Everly: 20 inches, 8 lbs, 9 oz (ok she wins on weight)
4 months - Me: 25 inches, 13 lbs. Everly: 25 inches, 12 lbs 8oz
6 months - Me: 26 inches, 14 lbs 7 oz. Everly: 26.25 inches, 14 lbs 6oz
From 10 months - 18 months things change but I attribute that to the fact that I was eating solids and cows milk at that time (crazy recommendations back in the day) and Everly didn't start all that until later.
2 years - Me: 33.5 inches, 23 lbs. Everly: 33 inches, 24.5 lbs

So am I worried? Not now. If the doctor tries to push growth hormones will I use them? Not likely! They tried to push my mom into it and I'm ever so grateful that she declined. I'm perfectly happy with my short stature and I'm sure Everly is just taking after me.

But you can bet that I will be keeping thorough details for all my kids and they will get them passed on to them as they get married and have kids of their own.

Mini Photo Shoot

I suppose the fact that we did a mini photo shoot isn't all that surprising. I seem to do them fairly often. That being said, it's rare that I take pictures of all the kids. I don't know why. I really should take pictures of the older kids more often but for one reason or another I don't.

This time, I got everyone. I took many more pictures, mind you. However, someone was always looking the wrong way, making a weird face, etc.

Logan, Verity, Everly, & Ransom

Yes those are my crazy kids. Verity seems to be the only one with a "normal" expression. Everyone else is just goofy.

Sisterly Love

I laid Verity on the bed while I went to go do something and when I came back, this is what I found. Everly decided to feed her toy banana to Verity. Verity thinking it was all too funny.

How long can this possibly last? How long till these girls decide that sharing food isn't fun and they fight over who gets the leftovers?

The Big Sister

I meant to post about this weeks ago but well... I've got a baby what can I say!

Before Verity was born, I wondered how Everly would act with a new sister. Would she love Verity or be jealous of her? Kiss her or hit her? Non-stop tantrums or still somewhat her regular self?

Go figure, Everly not only likes Verity but she is obsessed. The second we came home from the hospital, we set down Verity in her car seat and Everly practically dove right in to get an up close and personal with her new sister. No, Hi Mommy. No, Hi Daddy. Just Verity.

Every single day, every single second it seems since Verity has come home Everly has wanted to kiss her, to touch her, to hold her. It's nice that she loves her so much but it's also a bit annoying that I constantly have to guard Verity.

If we have company over, Everly will immediately start pointing at Verity and say "See? See, Verity?" She's all to eager to show off her baby sister.

Of course, Everly has had her moments. Part of it is just her Terrible Two's. Part of it is definitely Verity related. For instance, going up or down the stairs is now too hard for her most of the time. If I'm carrying Verity down the stairs (naturally since Verity isn't going to make that trip herself!) then cries of "Hold You" are heard. (Hold You by the way is Everly's backwards way of asking YOU to hold HER) Let's just say it ends in either me carrying both girls down the stairs or Everly left at the top of the stairs in a ball of tears.

Overall however, I must say that Everly is adjusting to being the big sister quite well. Now we'll have to see how much she loves Verity when Verity starts grabbing her toys and chasing after Everly.

2 years of Everly

It's weird to think that 2 years ago today I was just starting that evil drug Pitocin so that I could have my first little girl. Where has time gone? It doesn't seem like it's been 2 years! It doesn't seem like I should have a toddler girl, yet I definitely do!

Everly Joy is just that; a joy in our family. Constantly talking, singing, and dancing with the occasional full blown 2 year old tantrum, Everly is a very much needed part of our family.

But will someone please explain to me how we have gone from this:

To this already?

In a Field of Dandelions

I don't know why but I can never see my kids picking dandelions without thinking of Five Iron Frenzy's song "Dandelions"...probably because I listened to them quite a bit sometime in high school. Doesn't matter if the dandelions are yellow (like in the song) or if they are ready for blowing... the song comes to mind.

In case you are unfamiliar, here's the lyrics... not that they fully apply as I wasn't given any dandelions...this time they were strictly for blowing or as Everly seems to prefer, hitting them against her face or picking at them.

In a field of yellow flowers,

Underneath the sun,

Bluest eyes that spark with lightning,

Boy with shoes undone.

He is young, so full of hope,

Reveling in tiny dreams,

Filling up his arms with flowers,

Right for giving any queen.

Running to her beaming bright,

While cradling his prize.

A flickering of yellow light,

Within his mother's eyes.

She holds them to her heart,

Keeping them where they'll be safe,

Clasped within her very marrow,

Dandelions in a vase.

She sees love, where anyone else would see weeds.

All hope is found.

Here is everything he needs.

Fathomless Your endless mercy,

Weight I could not lift.

Where do I fit in this puzzle,

What good are these gifts?

Not a martyr, or a saint,

Scarcely can I struggle through.

All that I have ever wanted,

Was to give my best to You.

Lord, search my heart,

Create in me something clean.

Dandelions

You see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven,

Softened by the sweetest hush,

A Father sings over his children,

Loving them so very much.

More than words could warrant,

Deeper than the darkest blue,

More than sacrifice could merit,

Lord, I give my heart to You.

Lord, search my heart,

Create in me something clean.

Dandelions

You see flowers in these weeds.

Finally Fall

Fall officially stared awhile ago but we took a little longer then normal to really get the leaves and such. Not to mention that we are now getting our rain. The other day, we needed to waste some time before picking Justin up from work so the kids and I did a mini shoot at the park (ok they mostly played at the park, the pictures were finished in about 2 minutes flat I think!)

It has gotten impressively difficult
to get a good picture of all three

Logan

Ransom -
kind of a deer in headlights look...or something creepier

So much hair!

I've seen this expression before

For the Love of Squash

It is officially fall finally and the weather has finally changed as well. With the change in season and temps, we are officially in soups and gourds mode.

We recently received a ginormous squash from Grandma (Justin's Mom....like I mentioned before I don't want to mention last names so there will always have to be clarification, I guess). This squash was huge. First we did just a basic roasted squash which sadly I undercooked because, go figure 1 hour was not enough for the massive beast! However, it was nonetheless apparent that Everly LOVES squash!

Today, I made the second half of the squash. This time I cooked it too much to be used for roasting so I just scooped it all out and made Smashed Squash (talk about fun to say!) Now normally I time things pretty well so that lunch is ready at 12:00. Today I didn't. Today, food was done before 12:00 and I was trying to hold the troops back while we watched the clock. Besides the smashed squash was still pretty hot. The boys of course are totally ok with that; they like their schedules enough that they have no problem waiting for the proper lunch time. Everly however, is another story. It's one thing for her to have to wait all through the cooking process but it's quite another when she can tell that food is done and it's not being placed in front of her.

I decided to hold everyone off with a bit of zucchini soup (zucchini was yet another thing we received from Grandma and it's making its way into everything) It wasn't much, just some leftover soup from a batch that I had frozen. (I'm stocking up for when #4 comes). The boys thought it was great to have a little appetizer....

Yes I know the picture is crooked.
I just want you to see that she was
getting every last bit of squash.

Everly..... "Squash. SQUASH!!!!" Crying and wailing proceeded. There was no denying that the girl wanted her squash. It didn't matter that I explained to her that she was going to get both zucchini AND squash, (and she likes zucchini too!) she wanted her squash and she wanted it NOW!

I finally decided to just remove the soup and give her the beloved squash. Instant smile. The girl started digging into her squash like there was no tomorrow.

Then she asked for seconds. "Mo, squash?"

Then she asked for thirds!!!! Seriously, who eats THAT much squash???!!!

I believe we have found Everly's new favorite food.

Sadly as easy as smashed squash is to cook and for as well loved it is to eat, it makes for a very messy toddler. Needless to say, Everly had to have a bath afterwards.

One Smashed Squash Happy Girl

Fluffy Mail

Fluffy Mail.

It's this wonderful term that we, cloth diaper mamas refer to when we are getting or expecting more cloth diapers in the mail. I actually never buy cloth diapers anymore. I bought my set when I was pregnant with Everly and I was done. Ok...I may have bought one or two new shells because I just "had" to have a gray diaper and a teal diaper...

Even though I do not buy diapers very often, we still seem to get our fair share of fluffy mail. I sometimes get diapers when I win a giveaway. Giveaways are totally worth it by the way! Check out my pinterest giveaway board to see how much I've won. (I like to keep track, what can I say) However, most of the time, I get fluffy mail because I am working with a sponsor for my other blog. I occasionally do giveaways and reviews on The Pistachio Project and since cloth diapers are very much a part of being crunchy, they are quite a frequent product that I get to test out.

I had received a package from Vitacost today. Just my standard monthly grocery stuff. (I buy most of our personal products and natural foods from Vitacost. If you've never tried Vitacost, you should! They are 30-75% cheaper than anywhere. They generally beat Amazon even! If you've never used Vitacost then you should check out this referral link, you'll get a free $10 for your purchase. No strings attached. If you bought a cheap enough product than you could pay absolutely nothing. It's worth giving it a try!)

 Back to the point of this post.... When Everly saw me open the Vitacost package, she asked, "Diapert?" (don't ask me why she's decided there's a "t" at the end but that's how she says diaper). "No girly, no diaper." She is apparently as excited about fluffy mail as I am. In fact, a month ago when I got some giveaway diapers, she confiscated the box and took ownership of her diapers.

Later this afternoon, I received another package. This one I had been expecting. I am working with a sponsor on my blog for a giveaway and she was sending me a diaper to review. Everly now knows that when I check the front door, it's for a package. "Ackage?" I grab the package and bring it inside. She follows me to the kitchen where I begin to open the package. "Diapert?" "Yes, Everly a new diaper."

I probably got to look at that diaper for a full 5 seconds before she demands it from me. "Daipert, Everly? Diapert, Everly."


Fine have your fluff, little girl.