We took Peder to the dr. this afternoon for his 7 year check up. Of course, the only question he asks is "Will there be shots?" Fortunately, there were no shots today. He is now 46 inches tall (up from 43.5 inches last year) and weighs 46.8 pounds (up from 44 pounds last year). Other details: blood pressure 77/49, heart rate 87. They also did another hearing screening (he passed so we're thinking his hearing issues are "selective" when it comse to listening to us) and a vision screening (passed that too).

When they has to prick his finger, I sat with him. He was very scared and was holding both hands. The nurse said "I need your hand." Peder said "My whole hand?!?" It was very funny.

We were in and out of the doctor's office in an hour. That is a first!

We are so grateful that Peder is a healthy little boy....

Back from St. Louis

Mark and I went to St. Louis for a week and returned today, August 1. Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to stay with the grandkids whiel we were gone and they did a wonderful job. It was the first time I'd left Caroline so I wasn't sure how she'd react. When we walked in she smiled and walked up to me and just stared at my face. She didn't cling or cry which was nice. Here's a picture of her in our suitcase after I unpacked. She LOVES to get into things, literally!

Peder went to the dentist again today. This time it was to put sealants on his six year molars. He goes to a pediatric dentist and it sure makes a difference when they do procedures. One of the assistants spent several minutes showinPeder what they were going to do on his teeth before even starting. She used his thumb as a pretend tooth and used terms like: shampoo the tooth, painting the tooth, vacuum cleaner, special flashlight. They have their own terminology for kids. Peder did not like the cotton in his mouth and the "shampoo" tasted bad. He only cried a few times. I was glad when it was over! It takes a specil kind of person to work at a pediatric dentist! I couldn't do it!

Caroline 16 months old today

Caroline turned 16 months old today!

It was difficult for her to stand still for one second!

Caroline is learning body parts.

She likes to point to face parts

(you have to be careful though, she pokes

her finger in your mouth and in your eye

if you're not careful). She also loves to point to

her own belly button. She says "bee-bah".

She has to work hard to see her belly

button since she has a pretty round belly.

Peder's Swim Show

Update for Mid-July

Wow! Time sure flies when it's summer!

We got over our illnesses and we're back on track now. We've had various activities lately including Peder's summer swim lessons. We drive more than a few miles away to Rowlett for lessons. Harriett is the swim teacher's name and she has been doing lessons for over 20 years. She words so well with Peder. He college-age daughters help too. This is his 3rd year there. When he first started he was so afraid to even put his head in the water and now he can jump off the diving board at one end of the pool and swim the length. Tomorrow is his last day and it's "show day" for the parents. The kids get to show off what they learned over the past two weeks. The parents usually don't stay for the lessons since kids typically work better without mom and dad sitting there, so it's nice to get to see results at the end.

Caroline is getting into EVERYTHING! I know it's her job right now as an almost 16 month old, but she's like a tornado. I guess I'm glad she's active but it sure is tiring.