The last couple of weeks we have been busy, busy, busy with dental appointments, and physicals with a few specialist appointments thrown in for good measure. Take into account that our crew is made up of nine children, one of which is a very sweet (but demanding) newborn - and you get a crazy couple of weeks.
Max had his physical on Monday. Almost a year since his last physical. He has gained ten pounds and has grown four inches since last year.
He now weighs 37lbs, and is 3'4" tall. He is still a little peanut coming in at around 5% on the Down syndrome growth chart. He is wearing size 4T - 5T, and can still sport some 3T pants. Shorts are better fitting at 3T. With being so little, I sometimes forget he is seven. This works to Max's advantage, as his teachers also forget - making Max a very catered to little guy. He is insanely popular at his school, as I kept being told by his para educator. I got to see it first hand one day, as I went to pick him up early from school. As Max and I waited in hallway for his backpack to be brought, I witnessed as Max was continually high fived and said hello to by student after student as they all made their way into the lunch room. The kid is making an impact in more ways than one.
The other night I watched as Max wrestled with the rest of the kids and Daddy - only this time, he initiated it! He took his tiny head and ran towards the girls (easy target) and buried it into their chests, all the while giggling. Well, that was all it took - and my whole living room broke out in roars and laughter with high pitched squealing here and there as I had a mound of kids tackling one another.
Ya know, sometimes having a big family with some complexity mixed in can be a bit overwhelming. SOMETIMES.
But more often than not, I sit back as I witness God's goodness - in the form of growing little boys, squealing girls, and a clingy, cuddly newborn.
