My boys are FOUR!

So...as always, time has gotten away from me! My boys turned four last month. It's our last year in here! :cry: I will still have Annabella in here for another two years though. I did a pirate birthday party for them that was a HUGE success-from the pirate ship cake, to the treasure chest cake, treasure hunt, "Jack Sparrow" etc etc-the kids were thrilled! We could have had their party at ChuckECheese 18 times for what I spent on this party at home! :laughing:

They are still home with me, but it looks like that might be a thing of the past shortly(more on that later...). Nicholas is so active, and all.he.does.is.TALK.ALL.DAY.LONG. It is ridiculous. I can't even explain it. He literally takes my breath away he talks so much! LOL! He loves to be busy, and tease his siblings. He really is my more difficult child of the three lol. But he can be so sweet at times as well. And his smile is just awesome! I do love how inquisitive he is(generally speaking...), he just wants to know so much, and that kid remembers EVERYTHING-even if it happened last week(aka-a YEAR ago!). :laughing:

Anthony is my sweet child. The one everyone would be jealous to have. He is just the sweetest kid on the planet. And I want to do anything and everything in my power to protect him. He cries-I cry. DH and I can not stand to see him cry. It really is that heartbreaking. He takes everything to heart. He has a heart of gold that kid. He loves puzzles, building, helping anyone out. I swear-he is going to make one wonderful husband some day! I consider him my math wiz. Since he was little he could do puzzles without even blinking. I was amazed. At 3.5 he was doing 50 piece puzzles. He's my thinker for sure.

So-for Anthony, his 4 yr appt was today, alone, so I could talk about my concerns with his height/gross motor. It wasn't my usual pedi(we had a storm that knocked out power for over a week here so they were giving appointments wherever they could). I loved the pedi. She was awesome. Anthony tops the charts at 30 3/4 lbs. And he is 36 3/4 inches. 1% and 7%. My peanut. I asked about growth hormones and she mentioned he is on his own curve-but he is following it. If they see that he might not make it to five feet, then they would start the bloodwork/process of growth hormones. But she said that's closer to seven.

I mentioned he doesn't really jump-jump off the stairs, off the curb, out of the car, etc. It's awkward for him. He is very cautious. When going up the stairs, he does not alternate feet. It's almost like he doesn't have the strength to lift the opposite foot. He doesn't go down alternating either, although he has been practicing on his own. :wub: Hopping is difficult, and not really existant. And then she had him do some fine motor, which I am not too concerned about, but thought he may qualify for that. And we'll add speech as well. I can understand him, but sometimes I have difficulty, but I notice a lot of others have difficulty. She said he rolls his tongue.

All that to say-we have a preschool in town through the public school system. She said to get him evaluated NOW and he will start up in January. And because he has a sibling/twin, Nicholas will go too. I need to be the squeaky wheel and constantly call weekly to get him evaluated. She said they will wait til March, and then have him come in September, so we lose six months. So-that's where we stand. As his mother and a former preschool teacher, I knew something was up and he would need services. I just worry for him and kids picking on him. I want to protect him forever. :wub: And the fact that his brother just this morning said, "You're a baby because you are short," I don't want him feeling unloved/liked, etc. I don't know where Nicholas got that from at all-they are not in school, he's not around other kids, doesn't watch shows like that. I'm dumbfounded. Anthony knows no different. That kid is always wearing a smile. He wears his heart on his sleeve. :wub: And I have to say, Nicholas is totally protective of him and willing to help him out. When they go down the stairs together, Nicholas will say, "left foot, right foot Antony." And he will hold his hand as well. :wub: Nicholas definitely plays the role of big brother when it is most needed.

Here are some pictures. Then and now.

Babies..

Posing...

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!


Here's the link to their pirate party...Scroll down and you will see it.

Pirate Party

 

I can't believe they're FOUR! Ah-mazing! And the pirate party looks like it went super well. I know you were planning it for a long time!

It's good that the pedi confirmed your suspicions about Anthony and is being proactive about getting him support. While no one ever wants to hear that anything is "wrong" with their kid (although there's nothing really wrong with him!), it's reassuring to know that he's getting what he needs. And you are protecting him getting him into pre-school; he'll have a blast and he'll get what he needs. I am sure he'll make friends with everyone and charm all the teachers with his sunny disposition and do really well.

 

Meaghan, your boys are always so handsome and cute :wub:
Just having friends who have gone through the IEP and evaluation process, definitely be the the squeaky wheel so that it will get done in a timely manner. Nicholas has a wonderful support system at home and I think he will rock preschool like a rock star.

 

:wub: They (all 3!) are just so darn cute! You are an amazing Mama and are doing everything right for them!! I hope his eval goes good and they stay on top of things!! What WILL you do with all your extra time that they are in preschool!??!

 

Happy Be-Lated Birthday! We have a strict time-line that the school system has to follow here for evals. When we did EI with David they were pretty quick. I hope you have a quick eval.

I'm curious, if there are growth issues and maybe OT issues with Anthony why would the pedi want to wait to send him to an endo? My guys have already seen one for growth issues. I'm totally just curious. I know they needed to be evaluated to make sure they didn't have any typical syndrome that could cause short stature/slow growth. I know everyone takes their own approach who has a tiny one.
They may be tiny, but they sure do pack a punch (personality).

:birthday: :birthday:

 

Thanks ladies! :wub: Considering Nicholas will be up on ebay by noon today....

As for free time...I have Annabella, and I watch an infant three days a week, so that puts a kink in my plans! They will be in school two days that I don't have her, and two days that I do. The fifth day, all four will be home with me. Sometimes, makes me regret taking on a child to watch. Oh well...it's income, right?!?

 

I agree. Do you have an insurance that will let you see a Pediatric Endocrinologist without a referral? I also think you should call your pediatrician and say that you want him to see an Endocrinologist for his height. There is no reason to not be proactive about it.

 

I didn't see this earlier.

We didn't see our usual pedi, but I think he would have said/done the same thing. The Dr. we did see say he was on his own curve-and not falling off of it-so that was a good sign. (?) We have state health insurance. She mentioned how expensive it could be if it wasn't medically necessary(growth hormones). I too thought it was odd that they would wait until he was a few years older before doing anything. I really don't know what to do medically, ya know. DH is short-he's 5'4" and he's always said he wishes his parents did growth hormones on him. He had two cousins who did it and they shot right up. So a lot of it is probably genes...

And Bex, I looked up online, pediatric endocrinologists. It does look like I need a referral. I see the pedi for Nicholas at the beginning of December. So you would advise I call the pedi now and ask for a referral rather than wait? I'm always afraid of rejection for some odd reason.... :FIFblush:

 

If it were me, because it actually has been, I'd call and ask for a referral. Genes make a huge difference. The ped endo actually measured DH and I to see their "genetic potential". If there is a familial (genetic) issue that could be passed down that has not been diagnosed yet, it could be really good information for future generations.

I feel the same way when it comes to Dr's, I hate the fact that you have to have "permission" to get things checked out. BUT, after my ODS was diagnosed with severe asthma, my attitude changed with testing. Instead of waiting for the Dr to give permission, I almost demanded testing. ODS's breathing was at 30% when we got him tested the first time. I had to beg the Dr to give us that referral. What would have happened if I had waited longer?! After that experience, I realized that no one was going to advocate for my children if I didn't...

 

I would call them and ask them for a referral, for a "second opinion" on his short stature.

 

I love reading about your sweet children! You really are a special mama!!! :wub: