Going on 13 months
Time is counted according to my child's age and development, and I don't mind. I think I've let my written record of his milestones get behind lately. There's so much to do everyday, and I get so little of it done. I have yet to get my lists of priorities written so that I can stop putting everything off! Fortunately, I have hopefully another 30 minutes to write a Barrett update.
Walking and Playing
He's been walking for about 3 months now. Three months. And he's walking constantly. If he's not sleeping, eating, or reading a book with Daddy or me, Barrett is walking around with or without aim. He likes to be chased, and if I get on my hands and knees and start to stare at him or move toward him a little, he'll head for the kitchen, where he is cornered (as it is a dead end) and either tickled or mercifully allowed to pass to "run" back into the living room. Oh, and sometimes he pushes a truck or other toy around, so he's technically crawling then, but that's still burning energy. Very active! Last month he started putting things in his dump truck to transport, but he still hasn't mastered keeping the dumper down and the wheels on the ground. He got several new toys for his birthday, including a VTech helicopter, a hit-the-balls-through-the-holes-with-a-mallet-and-watch-them-roll-down-the-ramps toy, and a Sesame Street cell phone. Grandma Janet also sent him a gift card to Toys R Us, with which I bought a set of 50 wooden letter and number blocks and a set of MegaBloks. He hasn't giving much attention to any of these toys but the helicopter for longer than a few minutes. He hasn't shown interest in building much, though he did start putting one block on another last week. So far Barrett is more interested in taking things apart than putting them together in any meaningful way, including the books on his bookshelves.
Growth
At his doctor appointment the day after his birthday, he measured 31 inches and 17 lb,13 oz. So he grew about 10 inches and 10 lbs since birth. According to the WHO growth charts, he's on target for height but going down in weight percentile. He was the same weight at his 9-month appointment, and he was at 18 lb, 1 oz at 10.5 months (when we went in for what turned out to be a viral rash). I told the doctor I was concerned about his weight and asked, Do I need to feed him more? He said, "He doesn't look skinny, I mean, he doesn't look undernourished." He's just so active. I still recorded his food intake for at least a week and looked on kellymom.com to get an idea of how much he should be eating. I should still be offering him more vegetables everyday (and eating more myself!). And it's just like they say: some days he eats only a little, and other days he eats a lot.
Language
He likes to look at books and will point at pictures. He of course points out clocks and says "c'k" and immediately does his sign for airplane as soon as he sees it. He also started signing banana, one of his favorite foods. He really likes to look at the butterfly page in the I Am a Bunny book, and he will sometimes point out butterflies in other books, but he still doesn't try the sign for it. I still count and talk about colors everyday. I'm starting to use manners words, and I want to start talking about letters more. I spelled out his name with the letter blocks and put them on our fireplace mantle the other day. I want to start reading the Bible, reciting verses, and praying with him more.
Et cetera
We're going to start eating at the table as a family for dinner most of the time. I can't wait to get rid of the "extra" couch taking up space in the dining room. It's just too important to miss out on opportunity to connect and bond as a family. Not to mention it's healthier, as eating in front of the TV is linked with overeating, and it will teach him socialization and manners. And we're hosting Thanksgiving with the Fiedlers again this year. I made all the food myself last year with a 2-month-old. Surely I can pull it off again this year.
He's been sleeping 3 hours now, so I expect him to wake soon. Meanwhile, I guess I will clear off the dinner table and figure out what ot eat for dinner!
Walking and Playing
He's been walking for about 3 months now. Three months. And he's walking constantly. If he's not sleeping, eating, or reading a book with Daddy or me, Barrett is walking around with or without aim. He likes to be chased, and if I get on my hands and knees and start to stare at him or move toward him a little, he'll head for the kitchen, where he is cornered (as it is a dead end) and either tickled or mercifully allowed to pass to "run" back into the living room. Oh, and sometimes he pushes a truck or other toy around, so he's technically crawling then, but that's still burning energy. Very active! Last month he started putting things in his dump truck to transport, but he still hasn't mastered keeping the dumper down and the wheels on the ground. He got several new toys for his birthday, including a VTech helicopter, a hit-the-balls-through-the-holes-with-a-mallet-and-watch-them-roll-down-the-ramps toy, and a Sesame Street cell phone. Grandma Janet also sent him a gift card to Toys R Us, with which I bought a set of 50 wooden letter and number blocks and a set of MegaBloks. He hasn't giving much attention to any of these toys but the helicopter for longer than a few minutes. He hasn't shown interest in building much, though he did start putting one block on another last week. So far Barrett is more interested in taking things apart than putting them together in any meaningful way, including the books on his bookshelves.
Growth
At his doctor appointment the day after his birthday, he measured 31 inches and 17 lb,13 oz. So he grew about 10 inches and 10 lbs since birth. According to the WHO growth charts, he's on target for height but going down in weight percentile. He was the same weight at his 9-month appointment, and he was at 18 lb, 1 oz at 10.5 months (when we went in for what turned out to be a viral rash). I told the doctor I was concerned about his weight and asked, Do I need to feed him more? He said, "He doesn't look skinny, I mean, he doesn't look undernourished." He's just so active. I still recorded his food intake for at least a week and looked on kellymom.com to get an idea of how much he should be eating. I should still be offering him more vegetables everyday (and eating more myself!). And it's just like they say: some days he eats only a little, and other days he eats a lot.
Language
He likes to look at books and will point at pictures. He of course points out clocks and says "c'k" and immediately does his sign for airplane as soon as he sees it. He also started signing banana, one of his favorite foods. He really likes to look at the butterfly page in the I Am a Bunny book, and he will sometimes point out butterflies in other books, but he still doesn't try the sign for it. I still count and talk about colors everyday. I'm starting to use manners words, and I want to start talking about letters more. I spelled out his name with the letter blocks and put them on our fireplace mantle the other day. I want to start reading the Bible, reciting verses, and praying with him more.
Et cetera
We're going to start eating at the table as a family for dinner most of the time. I can't wait to get rid of the "extra" couch taking up space in the dining room. It's just too important to miss out on opportunity to connect and bond as a family. Not to mention it's healthier, as eating in front of the TV is linked with overeating, and it will teach him socialization and manners. And we're hosting Thanksgiving with the Fiedlers again this year. I made all the food myself last year with a 2-month-old. Surely I can pull it off again this year.
He's been sleeping 3 hours now, so I expect him to wake soon. Meanwhile, I guess I will clear off the dinner table and figure out what ot eat for dinner!