April 3-10

Kaitlyn's one-year check up was Tuesday.  She's 21 pounds, 10 ounces, and 29.75 inches tall.  The doctor speculated that perhaps Kaitlyn had been wiggling during the length measurement since her weight has been holding steady at 75% but her height has been swinging from 60%-80%.  Otherwise all is normal.  :)  Kaitlyn is the exact same size as Olivia at the same age (if we give her a quarter inch of wiggle room).  Gretchen was a tad thinner.

Olivia and Gretchen both walked late (14 months), but once they started taking steps they were walking and didn't really go back to crawling.  Kaitlyn takes a few steps here and there every day, but has decided that crawling is faster and safer most of the time.

Kaitlyn has a fake "everyone else is laughing so I should, too" laugh.  I believe the video was in last week's post.

For everyone hoping for the baby news they know is coming at any moment... there isn't any.  :-D

When Kaitlyn gives hugs, she pats the huggee's back (or, more accurately, shoulder).  It's pretty cute, and when she started doing it I remembered that Gretchen used to do the same thing.  It was cute then, too.

All three girls lean in for forehead kisses.  If I say, "give me a kiss," they'll run their foreheads into my mouth.  Olivia still does that even now.  Gretchen is the least likely to do it, opting instead for a real kiss, but I know she used to do it.  Kaitlyn will sometimes lean in so forcefully that she's in danger of chipping teeth (mine, not hers).

Kaitlyn is ... wait for it ... sleeping in her crib!  In her room!  With her sisters!  This development comes after three months of sleeping in a pack and play in the oratory that is connected to our room.  She also spent about a week sleeping in the pack and play in the old workroom, during which time she also finally conquered sleeping all the way through the night!  There's a very happy mama over here.  No regressing now, Kaitlyn.

Gretchen "reads" several books.  We have 24 books that come with an electronic reader that reads them aloud.  It's pretty much the 2016 equivalent of books on tape.  Olivia and Gretchen love all the books and read them to themselves before bed almost every night.  Both of them quote large portions of the books throughout the day, but Gretchen took it a step further by "reading" the Cinderella book that she got from the library.  Note that the book from the library is about 50 times longer than the one with the reader.

Most people needing to go to the bathroom will simply excuse themselves, walk to the bathroom, and take care of their business.  Not Gretchen.  When Gretchen needs to go to the bathroom, she immediately runs to tell me (despite the fact that she was playing less than five feet from her bathroom, the one with a step and potty seat already set up).  Then she runs in increasingly frantic circles around the house -- to the bathroom, to me, to the living room for no apparent reason, to me, to the bathroom, through the playroom, back to the living room, to me, to the bathroom, into the playroom again -- until I either physically put her on the potty or she pees on the floor.  "Well Johannah," I hear you saying, "just take her to the bathroom when she first tells you and the problem would be solved."  That would be a fantastic idea, except that she tells me when I'm nursing Kaitlyn, or trying not to burn dinner, or changing a diaper.  This in addition to the fact that she doesn't actually NEED my help.  Most of the time she doesn't even want me to help her, she just wants someone to watch while she does it herself.  Also, I'm trying to encourage her to take care of things herself.  Because she CAN.  She's doing better lately, for which I am grateful.

The end of last week was spent at a homeschooling conference.  We haven't decided one way or the other about homeschooling vs regular schooling, so Bryan and I are both trying to be open minded.  I'm heavily in favor of homeschooling, he's more interested in a traditional school experience.  Regardless, this conference has many different kinds of talks and we went with friends (and without children), so it was fun.  We learned a lot about various things and Bryan said he'd even go back again, especially if I let him walk across the street to get a beer when he needs a break to think about things.  :)

Pictures:

Pictures from last week -- A picnic on Oma and Opa's old front porch:

Kaitlyn spent an afternoon with Bryan's Aunt Sandy:

Olivia and Gretchen had a few busy days with Eva and Eli:

Gretchen fell asleep in her food:

Adults at the conference.  Only one child in sight!  This is more impressive when you know that the three couples represented have a combined 9 children.

Jacque found this picture in the depths of her phone.  Kaitlyn in Florida, November 2015:

Someone discovered the card catalog: