life with a new baby
Posts tagged milestones
He’s not so little anymore
Aug 31st
So Nathan had his 18-month well-check today, and he’s doing great! He’s growing so fast. He’s in the 70th percentile for his height and the 80th for his weight. I remember this time last year, how we were struggling with his weight-gain issues because I wasn’t producing enough milk, and then once we started supplimenting with formula to help him gain weight, we had to deal with the allergy he developed to the cow’s milk protein found in all infant formulas (with the exception of soy and hypoallergenic formulas). Nathan was so little and so thin that I wondered if he would ever gain enough weight. And now look. He’s such a big guy!
So the only thing he’s really behind on is talking. By now, he should be using at least 4-10 words regularly. He doesn’t. He’s said numerous words… like cat, dump truck, car, what’s that, truck, dog, book, six, seven, ten (and a few other numbers)… but he’s only said them a handful of times and then he just stops saying them. He doesn’t use any word regularly. The pediatrician says it’s very common with stubborn kids, which was established when Nathan was nine months old and stubbornly holding in his poop, making himself constipated.
I also didn’t talk much when I was his age. My mom said that I said my first sentence when I was 19-months old, and she was completely shocked because it came out of the clear blue. She said she had a habit of tripping on the stairs, and as she was going down them, I said “Be careful, Mommy.” Then, I didn’t say anything else until I was about two-years old, and when I did, it was as if the flood gates had been opened.
But to be on the safe side, if his vocabulary hasn’t increased in a month or two, his pediatrician would like to refer him to a speech therapist to have him evaluated.
So, other than that, the little man is doing great! He’s happy, healthy, and totally Nathan.
Wearing new shoes is harder than it looks!
Aug 15th
We know how Nathan feels about wearing new shoes. So check out this video of him wearing his latest new pair. While outside. On gravel. And a slope. I think this just may be funnier than the last time!
Six and Seh
Jul 12th
I’ve been trying to teach Nathan his numbers. He has a set of 10 stackable blocks, and each is labeled with numbers and animals. And the kid absolutely loves when I stack his blocks. So every hour or so, I stack his blocks while pointing to the numbers and saying them outloud.
Nathan, in his excitement, starts waving his little arms and bouncing up and down. And he will even try to repeat after me. His favorite numbers are 6 and 7. As soon as I put number 5 up, he bounces up and down, looking very much like a hungry little leprachaun, and says “Six! Six!” As soon as I stack block number 6, he says “Seh! Seh!” for number seven.
Of course to Nathan, the remaining blocks should ALL be 6’s and 7’s, but he’ll understand eventually.
As I sit here typing, I heard him knock the block tower down that I just built. And now I hear him thumping across the room, his bare little feet plodding heavily on the floor as he says “Six! Seh! Six! Seh!”
Have I mentioned I love this age?
Finally! He complies!
Jul 8th
Nathan has finally started helping me get him dressed!
I was getting him ready for bed, and normally when I’m putting his shirt on, I have to hold the armholes open, reach through with my fingers, grab his flailing hand, and drag his arm through the armhole while Nathan protests loudly and strains against me.
I don’t know why. I’ve only been dressing him EVERY SINGLE DAY OF HIS ENTIRE 16-MONTH LIFE. The way he acts, you’d think I was trying to make him eat cow-tongue or something equally protest worthy.
But tonight, he put his hand through the armhole without my help! On his own! And I didn’t have to sternly furrow my eyebrows or use The Voice. (If you’re a parent or ever around children, YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT).
That boy does not like to get dressed, so him putting his arm through the armhole on his own volition was huge. As in, climbing Mount Everest huge. Getting a toddler to do what you want them to do is psychological warfare, so when they finally comply and it’s peaceful, there’s this huge rush of relief knowing the enormous amount of energy you’ve expended teaching your toddler how to behave is paying off. Normally, changing his shirts means lots of protesting, writhing, hand flailing, whining, and even a petulant “humph” or two as he angrily crosses his arms over his Buddha Belly in an attempt to prevent compliance. Changing his clothes can be quite the workout… for both of us.
I hope this compliance lasts because I love not having shirt changes morph into The Toddler’s Apocalypse. Because, to a toddler, anything that is not the way he wants it IS THE END OF THE WORLD.
Mastering the skillz of walking
Jun 21st
As you can see in the video, Nathan is quickly mastering his walking skillz and is walking all over the place now. You can see him eating some animal crackers I laid out for him, and then he walks over to one of his toys. Watch how quickly this kid crawls back to the camera, though. He crawls crazy fast. Soon, I’m going to try to get a good video of just how fast it is… you’ll be astounded. It’s almost freakish. I mean, I’m an adult and I can’t even crawl that fast.
I had a fan blowing in the background, so excuse the monotonous hum on what sounds like a small engine.
Exersaucer, I will miss you
Jun 14th
This is probably one of the last times I’ll have Nathan in his exersaucer, which is yet another bittersweet time for me. He’s been playing in it since he was about five months old, and it has been like a life savor so many times. Whenever Nathan was grumpy, the exersaucer would cheer him up. Whenever I needed a shower, I could just plop him into the exersaucer and he would be content. He loved spinning around in the seat, exploring all the toys, and studying all the colors and textures. But now? Now, my little boy is growing up and is almost too big for it anymore. He can still enjoy it for a bit longer, but he’s starting to get too tall for it.
I can’t believe I got attached to it myself. There are so many memories… I look at it, and I think of all the times Nathan played in it. I remember him being so little that even when the exersaucer was on the shortest setting, his toes barely touched the ground. At first, I could only have him in the exersaucer when I was sitting right beside him because he would just flop forward and backward. But it gave him great exercise, and he was soon strong enough to play without me hovering.
Ah, it’s always a bit sad when your child finally outgrows something that he used for so long!
There’s nothing like the smell of a campfire
Jun 7th
Paul and I took Nathan on his first camping trip this weekend! The little man really enjoyed himself the first day and the morning of the second day, but by the time he woke up for his nap, he was totally ready to go. It was a nice experience for him, though, because he loves being outside and in nature. The smell of the campfires, the sounds of frogs, the brightness of the stars, and the feel of the breeze on his cheeks really intrigued him, and he even slept through the entire night. We didn’t take any pictures because we were there less than 24 hours, and after all the unpacking, unloading, and setting up the tent, neither of us really had the time. We ended up arriving later than we anticipated because, as anyone with kids knows, it takes TWICE as long to get things together anytime you go somewhere!
He’s also starting to use walking as his preferred method of mobility. He still likes to crawl every so often so he can slam his little hands and knees down on the ground with resounding thuds, but he has been walking a ton this weekend. And he’s started saying “What’s that?” Well, it actually sounds more like “Wfffsss sat?” which makes it even more cute. Especially when he blows spit bubbles when trying to say it.
These moments are so neat. My once 100% dependant baby is gaining his independence and soon will be eagerly voicing his opinions, wants, and needs. And hopefully, I will be able to somewhat keep my sanity through all of the temper tantrums, I-don’t-wannas, and feet stomping. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to be like and who he’s going to become as he ages.
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