Nathan had his one-year check up last week! (Yeah, like a month or so late because I had initially made the appointment for the day before his one-year birthday, but when we got to the office, they told us insurance wouldn’t cover it unless it was on his one-year birthday or later. Not even a SINGLE day earlier. Go figure.)
And, of course, I have been fretting for nothing. My kid’s perfectly normal! He’s normal! Ok, not that I ever thought he was ABnormal by any means, but I couldn’t help but worry that he didn’t start crawling until he was 11 months old.
And I’ve also been stressing about his refusal to eat any “regular food.” The little guy very vocally prefers his food pureed still, thankyouverymuch. I was so proud when I finally coaxed him into eating a cracker. I have since tricked him into eating (and LOVING) graham crackers and even animal crackers. But he’ll only eat the animal cracker if I take a bite first and tell him how unbelievably mouth-watering it is. He will not eat, or even attempt to eat, anything else.
Yet.
The boy doesn’t understand that Mommy will always be more stubborn than him.
Always.
So I have faith that eventually, I will coax and cajole him into eating more regular foods as opposed to baby foods. This kid can be mentally exhausting sometimes because it can be, at times, challenging to stay one step ahead of him.
Ok, so back to the doctor’s appointment, he’s totally fine. The doctor assured me that all babies develop at their own rate. She said that while some babies may crawl when they’re 6 months old, it is also perfectly normal for them to start crawling when Nathan did. And take walking, for instance. Some babies can start walking at 9 months whereas others start at 15 months (which is the average) but it could be as late as 18 months. All of that is normal.
And the whole food thing is normal, too. He’s been used to eating pureed foods, and some kids take a while before they’re willing to accept more textures and tastes. He won’t be eating his pureed foods forever!
Nathan has also gained weight beautifully, as you can tell in his pictures. We had so many issues with weight gain in the beginning that I almost gave up breastfeeding, but I am so glad that I didn’t. (I mostly have my husband to thank for his unconditional love and support through those hard times.) Now, Nathan is 13 months old and nursing wonderfully. He has never been sick. He has never had any ear infections. He is happy, healthy, and a bit of a chub-a-lub. We plan to wean whenever he is ready, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization.
So I’ve felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
I know, I know. I worry way too much. But I’m really working on trying to accept things the way they are and not worry so much about that which I cannot control. Nathan is healthy and happy, and that’s what counts. He is unique… he is Nathan.
