2 Year Stats

I was in Florida the day of Jackson's two year well child visit, so Drew had the honors this time.  Wouldn't you know, no shots necessary so Daddy got off easy!

As usual, all is remarkably well with our little man.  In fact, Dr. Blum said that as far as he was concerned Jackson's premature arrival is officially (and always has been) a non-issue.  No complications and no developmental delays so from this point on it might as well be wiped off the record. 

The stats:

• Weight:  31 lbs. 6 oz, 86th percentile
• Heigh:  35 inches, 69th percentile

The only real instructions were to switch to skim or 2% milk (from whole) and keep doing what we're doing.

Can't beat that!

Eighteen Month Stats

This week Jackson had his eighteen month checkup.  I know.  It's hard to believe the little monkey is already eighteen months.  One and a half years old.  Where does the time go?

Once again, his appointment was quite routine.  The stats:

• Weight: 29 lbs. 10 oz-88th percentile
• Height: 32.6 in.-59th percentile
• Head: 48 cm-55th percentile

We were reminded to stay clear of soda, juice and candy/sweets (we have avoided all three thus far) and to be diligent with sunscreen and bug spray.

He met or exceeded all of his milestones.  Kicks a ball?  Check.  Throws over-hand?  Check.  Walks?  Uh, try runs.  Points to objects?  Check.  Has a 10-15 word vocabulary?  He has more words than we can count and adds to the list daily.  Names body parts?  Yep.  Off the top of my head, he knows eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hands, feet, belly button and hair.  Helps dress himself?  Sure does.  Follows instruction?  Yep.  In fact, he's quite a helper.  He's very good at picking up toys and bringing us various objects upon request.

His favorite thing to do is play outside.  It doesn't matter what he's doing out there (playing in dirt or mulch, watering plants, chasing balls, going for walks, playing at the park) he is happiest when outside.  When inside, his Mega Bloks are the current favorite toy.  We play with them several times a day.  There isn't much that will keep his attention for more than just a couple of minutes at a time, but balls, cars and puzzles are other favorites.  He also loves playing in the bath.

He's a pretty good eater with pasta, cheese, Cheez-Its and milk at the top of his list.  He's a little finicky about fresh fruit so canned peaches and pears, applesauce and mandarin oranges have become staples.

Our bedtime routine has been consistent since he was just a few months old.  We read stories, sing songs (now he sings along to the first few lines of the ABC's) and snuggle.  Often it is my favorite part of the day.  Because in those last few minutes, when he's all snuggled in and on the verge of being sound asleep, I don't see an eighteen month old in my arms.  I get a glimpse of my baby boy.

And the next morning he's a toddler again!

Fifteen Month Stats

Jackson had his 15 month check-up today.  It was all quite routine.  The stats:

• Weight:  27 lbs - 84th percentile
• Height:  31.1 inches - 47th percentile
• Head:  Wasn't noted on his form, I recall the 40-something percentile

Nothing else particularly noteworthy.  However, since I neglected to post a Wordless Wednesday picture today I will leave you with some pictures I took on my iphone in the doctor's office while we waited...and waited...and waited.

Your Fourteen Month Old

I just received my weekly e-mail from Baby Center.  I've been getting them since I first learned I was pregnant.  Just a quick little newsletter on what to expect from your pregnancy/infant/baby/toddler/child each week.  Today's was titled "Your Fourteen Month Old - Week 1".

I have a Fourteen Month Old.

It occurs to me that it's been awhile since I've documented Jackson's latest party tricks accomplishments.  Suddenly, almost out of nowhere, we have an inquisitive, adventurous and smart little boy on our hands!

• Just a few days before my trip to California, Jack started to respond to my narration of our daily activities.  For example, we were getting dressed and I said, "Okay Jack, let's put your shoes on now."  He then hopped off my lap, walked over to the basket where his shoes are kept and brought them back to me.  I was stunned.  Since then, we have noticed all sorts of examples.  If we ask about a specific toy, he will go get it.  If we tell him it's time to eat, he'll head toward the kitchen.  If we ask Ruby if she needs to go outside, he will walk to the back door with her.  It is fascinating to watch as he comprehends things more and more every day.
• He loves to climb.  Boxes, laundry baskets, ottomans, toys, furniture...it's all fair game.
• He is now too tall to walk under the kitchen table.  When I left for California, he could just barely fit.  When I got home 9 days later, he was bumping his head.
• He can navigate the stairs.  Supervision is still required, but 9 out of 10 times he will stop at the top of the stairs, roll to his tummy and slide down.
• He gives kisses.  Wide open mouth (sometimes with tongue) right on the lips.  While it's quite slobbery, it is my new favorite thing in the entire world.
• He mimics everything his father does.  I've noticed that Jack does his best hack a loogie clear your throat impression every time Drew does it.  He also likes to wear Drew's baseball hats.

• His favorite toys are currently the drum set and the hammer & peg.  Obviously, he likes to bang on things.  This kid is all boy.

• He likes to dance.  Earlier this week Drew taught him to stop his feet to the beat.
• He eats almost anything we eat (and lots of it!) and is drinking whole milk out of sippy cups.  He still has 1 bottle at bedtime, but that's more for my benefit than his.  We will be phasing that out soon as the pediatrician wants no more bottles by 15 months.  *Tear*

It seems he picks up something new every day. At times, I miss the days of snuggling my infant baby boy in my arms.  But each phase brings new challenges and new joys.  And I cherish every one!

One Year Stats

For the record books, Jackson's one year stats:

• Weight: 25 lbs. 10 oz. - 84th percentile
• Height: 29 1/2 in. - 39th percentile
• Head: 18.5 in - 67th percentile

Essentially, since his last visit at 9 months, he grew an inch and gained a pound. While he's still a big boy, he's come down a bit on the weight bell curve, just as we expected would happen as he becomes more mobile and active.

We will now start the transition to whole milk and wean off the bottle. The doctor would like to see him completely off the bottle (even at bedtime) before our next visit at 15 months. I don't think Jack will have a problem with that. He loves drinking out of cups. I, on the other hand, am not ready to give up the nighttime bottle/cuddle session. I guess I have 3 months to come to terms with that one!

No more baby food. We've already been doing this one, so nothing to change there. Jack is a great eater and much prefers feeding himself to being fed. At this point, the only restrictions are hard foods (candy, popcorn, etc.) and peanut butter. The only reason peanut butter is on that list is because Dr. Blum wants us to beware of allergies. He thought Jack's eyes looked a bit puffy and because of my red hair, Jack's blue eyes (all recessive genes I believe) he could be more susceptible to allergies. Therefore, we'll hold off on the nuts/peanut butter until 15 months.

Which reminds me, Dr. Peterlin has left the practice. We loved Dr. Peterlin and debated moving Jackson to a Lawrence doctor when we heard she would be leaving, but we have been so happy at the Pediatric Partners practice we decided to stay with them. They are affiliated with the best Children's Hospital in the Kansas City metro area and that alone is enough reason to stay. Today was our first appointment with Dr. Blum, the founding partner at the practice. Dr. Blum was the one who caught Jackson's jaundice when he was 2 days old so we had seen him before. He has a very different style than Dr. Peterlin, but I was comfortable with him.

Overall it was quite uneventful. Here's to another clean bill of health!

9 Month Stats

I mentioned to Cortney in an e-mail today that Jackson had his 9-month check-up. Her reply:

"OMG...9 months?! Not possible! Not freaking possible!!"

My thoughts exactly.

Here are the numbers from today's pediatrician visit:

• Weight: 24.67 lbs, 92nd percentile
• Height: 28.5 inches, 57th percentile
• Head: 18.5 inches, 89th percentile

We still have a big boy. In fact, a very big boy. But Jack's size is not of concern to Dr. Peterlin who said, "That's just where his body wants to be right now."

Beyond that it was a fairly uneventful appointment. His lingering cough appears to be round 2 of a back-to-back cold. Nothing major and to be expected for a kid in daycare. He got 2 shots - a vaccine and a flu shot.

We talked about food quite a bit. It's time for "people" food. Jackson loves to feed himself Gerber puffs and Mum-Mum crackers, but I've been hesitant to give him pieces of regular food. I guess I have a bit of a choking fear. My issue, not his. I'm totally holding him back. But now we have the all clear, so finger food here we come. In fact, she said the American Society of Pediatrics has recently become more lenient in its guidelines for introducing foods and even eggs and peanut butter are okay now. (Not that I'll be slathering peanut butter on anything in the immediate future, but I suppose it's nice to know I could if I wanted to.) The only no-no is honey - something about botulism I think.

That sums up the 9-month visit. As I said, farily uneventful. But I like it that way!

Next appointment...1 year.

OMG...1 year?! Not possible! Not freaking possible!!

6 Month Stats

Today was Jackson's 6 month pediatrician appointment. It was quite uneventful. Although, Jackson may feel differently as the poor little guy got his final round of 4 shots. As usual, he was a trooper and recovered very quickly. Here are the stats:

• 19.8 pounds - 87th percentile
• 27 inches long - 68th percentile
• 17.68 inch head circumference - 79th percentile

Still a big boy.

He is right on track with all of the milestones and was given a perfectly clean bill of health.

We mostly discussed feeding. Dr. Peterlin basically confirmed that we are doing everything right. We will continue to introduce new foods every 4th day or so and work toward 3 meals a day. We can also introduce a sippy cup (water is ok now) which I'm excited to start. She reiterated that at this stage, the nourishment is still mostly from breast milk/formula. For now, the baby food is more about textures, learning how to eat and having fun.

And boy are we having fun!

4 Months Old

4 months. Part of me can't believe my baby is already 4 months old! Another part of me can hardly remember what life was like without him. Was that really only 4 months ago? One thing is for sure...he is growing and growing and growing!

We visited the pediatrician for his routine 4 month visit yesterday. The stats are:

Weight: 16 lbs. 10 oz. - 81st percentile

Height: 24.5 inches - 38th percentile

Head: 17 cm - 70th percentile

In other words...we have a big boy! (And I ought to have some killer biceps before long!)

Dr. Peterlin was thrilled with his growth. Especially since he started out so little. She said huge spurts like that are very common with 100% breastfed babies and that in the coming months he will likely plateau and then start coming down a bit as he becomes more active and mobile. For now, she thinks he should open a bakery because he is "all buns and rolls". Cute.

As far as the rest of the check-up, he is the picture of health. No lingering signs of last month's ear infection. Right on track developmentally. Good head control. 4 more vaccinations.

We talked about his sleep habits. His longest stretch (usually 4-5 hours) starts at 7 am on the way to daycare. His afternoon and evening naps are usually under an hour and he is still getting up twice overnight. Essentially, we just need to adjust his "clock" a bit. We're going to experiment with waking him up once his naps have reached 2 hours. That way, we know he is getting an appropriate number of feedings during the daytime hours. Then, if he wakes up overnight, it is not because he is hungry. We can just soothe him back to sleep rather than do a full feeding routine - which means Drew can play a more active role as well! I also learned that the "trust factor" has been fully established by this age. So...it is not harmful to let him fuss it out a bit before jumping at his every whimper. (I'm sure that will be harder for me to accept than Jackson.) We'll see how it goes.

We also talked about solid foods. He is ready to begin cereal at any time between now and 6 months - at our leisure. Dr. Peterlin said there is really no benefit to starting early - she started her son (he's 3 now) when he was 5 1/2 months old - the timing is completely up to us. Drew & I are still debating that one.

So far, his regular check-ups have all been first thing in the afternoon. I've decided, if at all possible, to keep that routine. First, there is practically zero wait time when you're the first appointment after the lunch hour - no time for them to get behind schedule! Second, it gives Jack & I a chance to spend the rest of the afternoon together. Kind of a nice tradition for the 2 of us. Yesterday, we were able to see Cortney since she's still in town. In the future, I can see us stopping for an ice cream cone as our special treat on Dr. visit day!

4 months old. It's amazing how quickly they grow.