The Littlest Apple Turns FOUR!

I’m greatly looking forward to getting back in to a regular routine with our Fall schedule.  It’s going to be busy, but after a summer of laziness, I think that’s just what we need!  Preschool, soccer practice, soccer games, mom’s group, leading a small group, weekly bible study, volunteering at the preschool, lots of OB appointments.

And blogging too!

I had a HUGE update post planned (about what we’ve been up to, and what I’ve got planned for fall), but I decided to break it down into several categories over the next few days.

Today we’ll focus on…The Littlest Apple.

The Birthday

He turned FOUR last week!

We had a small family party yesterday.  Pregnancy exhaustion and the record breaking temperatures here made me rethink my original plans to have a big superhero themed bash in the backyard with lots of friends.  I’m so glad we kept it small this year, though I think this is the last year I can get away with a family-only party!

I ordered these great Superhero invitations back when I was still planning a big bash (inspired by this amazing Vintage Pop Superhero Party from AndersRuff).  I LOVE the invitations and will definitely be looking to this amazing crew for future party ideas!

My plans to make The Littlest Apple a Superhero Cake came to a screeching halt when he requested pink cake with pink frosting (aka Strawberry Layer Cake).  After much deliberation, I decided to just go forward with my decorating plans and ignore the pink, knowing it wouldn’t be my best effort.  Thankfully, the pink frosting (homemade, with strawberry preserves) wasn’t as pink as I remembered.  I used some of Wilton’s Sugar Sheets to create a superhero logo for the top of the cake.  I freehanded the design based on the invitation.  Then I used the same sugar sheets with my big star punch for the stars.  Everyone thought the stars and logo were construction paper!  I’m no cake decorator, but this turned out better than I thought it would…

This year, to keep down the number of toys, we asked both sets of grandparents to help us buy a new swingset for our backyard.  This is the one we picked:

It will be delivered sometime this week.  But The Littlest Apple still got quite a few gifts too (mostly of the superhero variety)!

Preschool

The Littlest Apple goes back to preschool on Wednesday.  He’ll go on MWF and stay in the afternoons on Monday and Wednesday for Gardening and Drama electives.  We’re both really looking forward to preschool!  Because his birthday falls on the school cutoff, he’ll be repeating the 3’s class again this year with new teachers (who I already adore!).  I was worried about this at first, but after a playdate with his new classmates, I think he’s going to fit right in.  He’s still one of the smaller kids in the class, and maturity-wise, this is where he needs to be.  He’s actually not even the oldest one in the class!

Medical

4 year old vaccinations are traumatic for everyone involved.  Glad that’s over with.

His 4 year stats: Weight-32 pounds, 6 ounces (19%!).  Height-38 1/4 inches(14%).  Height has tapered off, but weight is still gaining steadily.

Gastroparesis/GI update: The GI doctor was very pleased with our progress when we were there in July (and he’s gained even more weight since then).  We’ve cut back his night feeds (via feeding tube) by 10% in the hopes that his appetite during the day will increase, which it has.  He actually eats something for breakfast on most days now!  I know we still have a long way to go until The Littlest Apple can eat enough orally to maintain his weight without the need for his g-button, but I’m feeling encouraged by his progress.  He’ll be starting an appetite stimulant again too (which we’ve tried once w/o success, but felt like trying again).  Our next appointment isn’t until November.

Next up, a pregnancy update…including the baby’s gender!  (I’m such a tease, ha!)