Stettler Stalks: Growing Up

It happens so fast, doesn't it??? When you have your first child, the passing comment you get from just about everyone is 'enjoy them, because they grow up so fast'! And you never think you'll take it for granted, but here I am astonished that I am writing about Emily's 5 year check up and Grady's 4 month check up.

Both of them are growing quite nicely, although quite differently! Emily is still close to the 100th percentile for height and around 50% for weight. But, hey, at least she's ON the chart now for her height! On the other hand, Grady appears to be taking after Braelyn's body-type. He measured between the 25th and 50th percentile for both height and weight. Rob and I were joking that he must be taking after his father in the brain-department since his head only measured at 10%. Ha!

Grady had been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks and is back to getting up once to eat. I'm hoping it is just a growth spurt and we'll both soon be back to an undisturbed night. (Note: by the time I actually published this entry, Grady has made it through the night again for 4 nights!) Our pediatrician recommended waiting to give him cereal until closer to 6 months. She said he looks just wonderful and really doesn't need anything other than breastmilk until around then. That's when a baby's supply of iron depletes and they either need cereal, which is iron fortified, or a supplement of iron. Grady loves to squeal (like a girl!) and talk to his sisters when he can get a word in for himself. He adores his big sisters! He is getting around pretty well by rolling now. I have to think about where I put him instead of just laying him down and expecting him to be where I left him when I come back. He really enjoys splashing in the pool when we go swimming in the afternoons.

Emily has become quite a proficient swimmer. She can swim the entire length of the pool with just one breath! I am currently looking for a class of some sort to get her in for the summer- maybe dance... she could use a little more grace and coordination with her long legs! More importantly, Emily has been asking a lot of questions about God, heaven and yes, even hell. We started a nightly devotional with her that goes through the Bible and then has a devotional that includes praise, prayer, an example using someone from the Bible and then an activity to apply the truth to her life. It's something she looks forward to each night and it brings forth lots of questions that I didn't know she was thinking about. The best part is that between the devotional and her questions, it gives me the opportunity at least once a day to lay out the gospel as easily and plainly as I can for her 5 year old mind. She always insists to me that she's already asked Jesus into her heart and that he's given her a 'new' heart that wants to love Him. I trust that if it is God's will, one day she will see the wretchedness of her heart as God does and that she will then be able to understand what it means to need Jesus as her savior.

Braelyn is doing well too- her turn for the blog spotlight will come in August when she turns 3!

Rob and I also celebrated our 10 year anniversary last week. We celebrated with a quiet dinner at the Melting Pot...a wonderful place for conversation. Thank you, Lord for blessing me with a wonderful husband and father to our children who loves You first!