just keep growing

I realized today I've been really bad about Megan's monthly updates. It's not because she is at a standstill, it's just because I'm a slacker mom. She is still growing slowly, and at the risk of freaking myself out I looked at the growth chart on the cdc's website. Bad idea, according to that chart she is below the 3rd percentile for weight for her age. Remembering the talk of breastfed babies growing at a much different rate, I decided to look for a chart online for exclusivley breastfed babies. According to that chart here, she is right at the 15th percentile, which makes me feel much better. Lest you all think I'm one of those crazy moms that intends to breastfeed her shild until she's 8, please know that she does eat pretty much what we eat, just on a smaller scale obviously. We were doing really well with the weaning process until she got sick this last week. She did not want to eat or drink anything, so rather than let her lose weight or get really dehydrated I gave in and nursed her a lot more than usual. Now I feel like we are back at square one with the weaning. The good news is the more research they are doing about breastfeeding in the second year of life, the more they are recommending it. Here is some great info about extended breastfeeding. I know I went off a quite a tangent there about breastfeeding, but I hate that doing something so great for our babies is looked upon so poorly.
Anyway, Megan is doing great. Our parent educator from Parent's as Teachers came on Friday and said Megan is right on track with all her development. She is walking like a pro and loves chasing her brother and sister around. She is not talking a ton, but she is picking up words here and there. She still gets our attention by pointing and grunting, so I think she doesn't really have a need for words. The sign language is still working some, but she has stubborn days when she doesn't even want to use that to communicate. Her comprehension is amazing though. She understands pretty much everything we say to her, and can even respond to simple requests, like "Bring that mommy", or "Can you find your cup?". She is also learning animal sounds. You should hear her "MOO", freaking adorable!
Time with our kids seems to go by faster everyday, and I love watching them grow up together. Despite the fighting over toys they really love and care about each other and it's an amazing thing to watch as a mom.

In other family news, my sister-in-law is going to be having their second baby in just under two weeks, unless she goes into labor sooner. I'm thinking she's hoping for sooner in ways. Big jerk has only gained 2 pounds her entire pregnancy, but don't worry, the baby is perfectly healthy and is growing as he should be. I can't wait to meet our new nephew. Sean's sister and her husband and their baby came into town Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I totally forgot to post about that with Easter and then Megan being sick. Their daughter is adorable and the kids loved seeing her. They are fascinated by babies. Megan did not like mommy holding another baby at all though. Proof that she is not ready for our family to grow anymore right now. Emma and Nathan actually said they want us to have another baby. No, I don't have an anouncement to make, but we have been talking it over with Emma and Nathan. Since they are old enough to understand what having another baby means, I felt we should ask their opinion. Now that you're all caught up on the monotony that is our life I promise to try to do better in keeping up with this. I will also try to add more pictures to my posts since I know that's what people really love.