18 Months

My big boy turned 18 months old today! And he's such a happy little boy too. :)

His 18 month well baby appointment went really well. Healthy as can be and only got one shot. His iron was re-checked and are back within what they consider normal levels. It was only .1 off from what they wanted it so I wasn't too concerned but it climbed 8 points so he's doing awesome! His doctor noted his weight going from 20.8 lbs (5th percentile) at his last check up to now in the 6th percentile and how he's just a long skinny (but healthy) baby. I won't know until Jocelyn's next appointment, but I'm pretty sure at this point that Andrew outweighs her already (or darn close to it!) and they're two years apart. :)

Here are his stats:

*Height: 32 1/2 inches (56th percentile)

*Weight: 22.4 lbs (6th percentile)

*Head circumference: 19 inches (63rd percentile)

Here are some things that he is currently doing:

1.  understands a lot of what we're saying (ex: we say: "lets go put on our shoes" and he runs to get his shoes)

2.  when in the car or grocery store, he takes off his right shoe

3.  likes to play peek-a-boo

4.  sings and dances to music

5.  loves outside and could play out there all day if we let him!

6.  likes the neighbor's kitty and says "kitty kitty" if he sees it outside

7.  seems to be dominant with the left hand. prefers to eat and "color" with it

8.  still sleeps about 11-12 hours a night & one 2-3 hour nap a day

9.  likes to find clocks anywhere we are (at Costco going down an isle and spotted a clock and he said pointed to it and said "clock!" Really loud! :))

10. gets really excited when Thomas the Train comes on. When he hears the beginning of the song, he starts shaking with excitement and going "ooooohhhhhhhh!"

11. loves loves loves water! whether it's in the bath, drinking it or washing his hands - he LOVES it!

12. likes to throw his used diapers in the garbage for us after we change him. Or in one case, into the shower when Jocelyn was getting cleaned up. Silly kid!

13. climbing on chairs, tables, up the stove and refrigerator and on the open dishwasher

14. saying peez and tank you, key key for blankie, ba-ball for basketball, choo-choo for train, says wee when on the swing or slide, up for jump.

15. giving kisses (sometimes on my leg or arm) and trying to blow kisses too

16. very wiggly and busy!

17. loves to see the sky - especially right before bed to see the sunset

18. plays well with his sisters

19. copying words and expresses from us, like wow and see ya

20. loves to make us laugh

21. points for toys or other things that he wants around the house

22. likes to be in the bathroom with me when I'm putting on my make-up or doing my hair

23. snuggles and loves to read!

Andrew's 15 Month Well-Baby

{15 Months! He's such a fun baby! And he's cute too! :)}

{My sleeping angel after his well baby visit}

My baby is growing so fast! Andrew had his 15 month well baby visit this morning. Can't say it was an exceptionally great appointment - they switched doctors on us without consulting. Not very professional or courteous in my opinion. This particular doctor had some crazy sense of parenting "tips" and left me irritated at the end of his visit (and thankfully I voiced that we would NOT be seeing that provider again)!

Aside from that, all went well! (Besides finding out that he has a DOUBLE ear infection from his current cold. Poor baby! I had no idea!) He was ALL over the baby scale - wiggling and crying for me to pick him up and reaching for me, so they had to guess about how much he weighed and they came up with 20.8 pounds. But seriously, I'm a small person so the odds are that my children aren't going to be huge! So his weight puts him in the 5th percentile - down 5% since his 12 month well baby.

BUT he's grown a TON in the past few months, now measuring 30.75 inches putting him in the 50th percentile in height - up from his last appointment which was 29 inches (24%). Last month he learned to walk and has him very busy around here and burning calories more than crawling. Which is probably why he's focused a lot of his recent growth in height and not in weight. Regardless of their percentages, he's a healthy boy. And sometimes I wonder what they base their information on when calculating the percentages. Some babies have got to be huge - no offense. Both John and I can't imagine a lot of babies being a lot bigger than Andrew's weight and height). His head still measures the same: 18 1/2 cm.

Before we left the doctors, he received 3 lovely shots and orders for routine blood work to check CBC and iron. I think I'll let him rest and start to feel better before I do that. Probably something that can wait until next week! But the good news is: HE'S HEALTHY AND GROWING! :)

Now....onto the fun part: losing the pacifier and bottle! I'm excited to get this done with. He's thankfully not hugely attatched to either one, but I have a strange feeling that the pacifier, which I only give to him at naps/night, is going to be the hardest one to lose. I've been offering him a cup of milk at meals for some time now but he'll only drink like one ounce from it the entire day. One thing at a time, right?

My strategy in order is to: 1) cut out the before bedtime bottle, 2) cut out the 2 bottles during the day and only offering a cup of milk instead, 3) chuck the pacifiers. Forget the bottle and pacifier fairies that some people use. This boy could honestly care less - let alone he won't understand what a bottle and pacifier fairy is anyways! :) I'm guessing in the next month or so, he'll be free from these things and life will be so much easier without them!

Andrew's 12 Month Well Baby

Andrew had his 12 month well baby visit! Still a growing and healthy boy.

Here are his stats:

Height: 29 inches (24th percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs 10.5 oz (10th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 1/2" (68th percentile)

He hasn't gained much since his last well baby visit in September but the doctor says he's growing in length and because he finally learned to crawl a few months ago, he's thinned out like he should and has lost some of his baby fat. Signs he's getting to be a big boy: car seat is facing front, can start using a regular tooth brush instead of the finger cleaner and finally weaning off the formula and on to whole milk. The hand out she gave me for his visit starts out saying this: "Your baby is turning into a toddler!" For some reason, reading that scared me. My baby boy is no longer a "baby." Before we know it, he's going to be walking. And then running! He's still taking two naps a day and sleeping 10-11 hours a night.

Things he loves: babbling, taking a bath, climbing the stairs (giggling when we catch him), playing with his ball and lots of other toys - usually sticking them into his mouth, clapping, looking outside, playing peek-a-boo, going for car rides and having his blanket everywhere he goes!

Regarding his nutrition. He's still a stinker when it comes to solid food. I'm not sure if it's a gag reflux or not but sometimes he'll gag on something and it'll all come up. His last bottle even if he ate a few hours prior. It's disgusting and I look forward to the day he no longer does it. So getting him to eat pieces of food off his tray has been a struggle since 6 months or so. At this moment, he's half and half (pureed and table food). He's starting to eat things like cut up grilled cheese, black beans, cooked peas, spaghetti, Top Ramon, and cheerios. He's not a picky eater like Jocelyn, thankfully. But he's taking just about as long to transition to the table food as she did. There's got to be an end in sight to this problem. I'm confident it won't always be this way. It just feels like it right now.

So there we have it. Three shots at the end of his appointment and we left knowing he's perfectly healthy and happy! Just the way I like it! :)

Jocelyn's 3 Year Well Visit

Stats:

Weight: 23 lbs. 7 oz.

Height: 34 inches

(Taken back in late September 2009)

At Jocelyn's 3 year check up, they plotted her stats and then informed me that her growth is still OFF the charts. (under!) But - they are still consistent to where her growth has always been. She's very much a healthy toddler - just petite like her mama. I've been weighing on this decision for some time now but as things have gotten progressively worse at the doctor's office (let's just say unprofessional), I've decided to shop for a new pediatrician. Someone who doesn't obsess with Jocelyn's weight EVERY month and knows you can't change a child's genetic make-up! The good news is, as I checked her stats from her 2 year well visit just a year ago, that she's grown 3 lbs and 1 1/4 inches. But it's still time to go break open the chocolate milk powder to encourage more daily milk intake. (Thank goodness she at least LOVES cheese!) I'm thinking that her drinking maybe 6 ounces a day just isn't cutting it! I'll be back to update once we have news from their new pediatrician.

NINE months

"Hmm. I wonder who could have just turned nine months on the 19th. Anyone have any guesses?"

"Hold on. I think I may know!"

"But this carpet looks real interesting at the moment so this may take a bit longer..."

"Oh, it's on the tip of my tongue!"

"Oh! That's RIGHT! It's ME! I turned nine months old!!!" Love, Andrew

The past nine months have been crazy busy but so much fun at the same time. I always say it but Andrew is a really good baby. Always happy, plays well on his own when needed (ie: mom making dinner, etc.), good playmate with his sisters, rarely fussy or cranky, Mama AND Daddy's boy, sleeps through the night (11-12 hours/night), generally curious, self explorer, has fun outside (playground & walks) - really, the list could go on. And it does. In his baby book. So I'll spare you all the other details. :)

He had his nine month well baby visit today. Such a trooper through the 2 shots he received - one being for the flu. He's a very healthy nine month old and is right where he should be with his development. Here are his stats: 18 lbs 12 oz (25th percentile - a little down with the percentage from his 6 month well baby but he's doing fine), 27 1/2 inches (25th percentile) and 46cm - head (75th percentile). Andrew still shows no signs of wanting to crawl. BUT he has been pulling himself up a little bit when he grabs onto our legs and arms while we're sitting near him. So he's becoming a bit more mobile as the days go on. He also loves to clap objects together and get our attention by doing so. He rambles a lot, making more sounds with d and g and a. I'm sure m is in the near future! (ie: mama!) Hey, I can only hope. :) Loves to laugh and make us laugh. Scoots in the bath and loves to splash the water. Plays peek-a-boo with his blanket. Sits really well independently and even stretches way over to the side or down to his feet to reach objects and then resumes to sit. Picks up finger foods from highchair between thumb and finger. For the most part, still only eats #2 baby foods but has branched off and has started to eat cooked peas, noodles and beans. Shy with others he doesn't see everyday. Looking like the two bottom teeth won't be alone too much longer. Some on the top look like they may emerge soon (HELLO top teeth!) - he's also drooling and chewing on everything.

The other day, we were playing blocks together and I noticed how he's looking more like a toddler and less like a baby and that made me kinda sad. I'm happy though that he's growing so well but sad that the baby stage is fading. I love it when they're so small and cuddly and have that cute toothless grin. :) But I know the next stage he goes through will be fun also so I'm really looking forward to more of his milestones and learning more about his cute personality as it blossoms.

Happy Nine Months Andrew! :)

6 Months

{Happy 6 months Andrew! We love you!!}

17.6 lbs (50%)

25.5 inches (10-25%)

It's official! My baby boy is 6 months old as of June 19th! And he's looking the part too. I just want to snuggle him and tell him to stop growing for a little while but like that's possible! John on the other hand is looking forward to him growing up so they can do father-son things like watching basketball games and pal around together. I'm really starting to see the big boy in him already and not the baby boy I've been so used to seeing since he was born. For a second or two, I was sad to see him getting so big but then I too focused on all the things I get to experience with him as he grows and gets bigger and it brought me so much happiness. Andrew is truly a blessing to me - as each of my children are. But something about having a boy makes it a different kind of special. I love him more and more with each new day and I'm thankful to be his mama!

Here's what he's been up to:

* still loves to smile!

* rolls over like a pro (started rolling at 5 months)

* scoots on his tummy and back

* starting to sit with support

* has also started showing a bit of stranger anxiety (if I'm holding him with him sitting outward and all he sees are people he doesn't know, he starts to cry until he sees me or his dad or sisters.)

* loves storytime at the library

* enjoys whipped cream on occasion (shhhh!)

* giggles and babbles (has started saying things like "coo". Other sounds too just can't remember what they are at the current moment.)

* enjoys music and being read to

* loves stroller and car rides

* enjoys the wind (who doesn't in warm Virginia summers!)

* smiles at people

* still has very strong legs while we hold him up to stand

* passes objects from one hand to another

* can usually put his pacifier back in his mouth successfully

* starting to drop toys over the side and look for them

* gets mad if he can't reach or find the toys he once had in his hand

* sucks on rattles, books, toys...you name it!

* sometimes sleeps with his blanket or burp cloth over his eyes (like he's trying to shade out the sunlight-it's quite funny!)

* loves bathtime

* really enjoys the attention he gets from his sisters - and his mama and daddy too!

Andrew's 2 Months!

Has it really been 2 months already? Wow. It really is hard for me to believe. I have been enjoying my time watching my baby boy grow and smile and just be!

I took him to his 2 month well baby visit today. The call 2 months "the big smiler." I can see why. Andrew has been melting my heart and giving his sisters (and I suppose his daddy too!) so much happiness with his sweet smiles. They started his visit asking me questions about his development. Does he respond to your voice? absolutely! Does he follow you or objects when they move in front of his view? yes. Does he smile? definitely! Has he started to coo (talk)? for sure! Does he get tummy time throughout the day? yes - but not as much as he should so we'll be working on that. He hates tummy time, but that's the way it goes! He's eating 4-5 ounces every 3 to 4 hours with a 5-6 hour stretch at night that he sleeps and doesn't wake to eat. (They say that most babies start sleeping through the night at 3 months old - our two girls did so I hope he continues this tradition). Andrew sleeping more at night has relieved some of my sleep deprivation and I'm beginning to function more efficiently during the day because of this. Let's hope it continues! :) Next was the famous weight check. 13 pounds 3 oz. (75 - 90%). His height is 22 1/2 inches (25 - 50%). So he's doing really well.

The doctor then went over some of my concerns after that, one of which was about his tongue. A month prior when I was up at the hospital with him visiting lactation, they noticed that his tongue is a heart (or 'w') shape and was contributing to him not being able to nurse as well as he should have been - which was the main leading factor in us resulting in not being able to continue nursing. That was a very hard turning point for me as I had high hopes to nurse him for his first 6 -12 months. But our plans don't always work as we'd hope they would. At least I was able to give him all that I could. I have come to accept it and move on. He's doing just fine on formula and is a very healthy baby. I couldn't ask for more! But back to the tongue. His pediatrician feels it's necessary for him to see an ENT specialist to have a further look due to the fact that without it being corrected (small outpatient procedure that simply has them clip the underneath part of the tongue - sorry - don't have the medical terms for this) it could result in speech impairment. So the sooner the better. He has an appointment set up to have that checked in May.

He also had a follow up Echo cardiogram done on the 22nd of January and the reports came back fine. I never wrote about this appointment but for the record I should say that it was NOT a fun exam! While the doctor ran the echo, he had us feed him to try and keep him calm during the test. So John had his hands behind his back and head to "prop" him up (John stated this was a painful hold after awhile) and I fed him - moving the bottle when the Doctor moved the sonogram thing-a-ma-jig. He ended up eating the bottle straight through when we usually stop him half way to burp so he expelled what he had eaten EVERYWHERE (on himself, the table, the floor, the Doctor, John, and I). The Doctor then promptly said, "Okay. We're done." Nice timing buddy!! Clean up was fun let me tell you. Next time, we'll opt for his pacifier instead. When he had the first echo test done while in the NICU the day after he was born, they wanted to have him follow up in a months time to see if things were closing like they should. When he had the follow up echo test, it showed that 1 of the 2 had closed and the 2nd one was getting there and they wanted to see us again in 6 months. Until I get copies of his medical records, I have no way of really explaining this medically. They're reassured us that this is common in babies and sometimes it takes a little longer for the arteries and vessels in the heart to close.

At the end of his 2 month well baby visit, he received his not so favored shots. 3 of them at this appointment. His doctor gave us a thumbs up and sent us on our way until his 4 months well baby visit.