One Year Old!!!

Well, it's (almost) here! In about 13 hours it will be Matthew's 1st birthday. It actually already seems like he's one, since he had his party on Saturday. I've included some pictures of the messy festivities! He went to the pediatrician for his 12 month well baby visit. Weight: 21lbs. 12oz. (35th percentile) Height: 31.5in. (92nd percentile). His weight has dropped percentile wise, but they didn't say anything about it. I figure he's just working off so much more of what he eats being so active! Poor kid had to get 3 shots and a blood draw. And of course, they couldn't do it out of his finger. Right out of his arm like a "big boy." He didn't take it very well, but he only screamed until he was done. Anyway, here is what the (last!) newsletter says:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 52 weeks (Approximately 12.1 months) old now.
At twelve months old, babies usually range from 27.75 inches long and 18 pounds (10th percentile) to 30.5 inches long and 23.75 pounds (90th percentile).You know your baby has become a toddler when his or her favorite things to say are "No!" or "Me do it!" or "Mine!" Your toddler is trying to become independent and is busy forming his or her own identity. Offering your baby choices whenever possible will help him or her feel independent. If he or she can't have his or her way, offer alternatives that he or she can choose instead.A fun activity for your baby right now might be to scribble with crayons on a big sheet of paper; or try Color Wonders - markers that only show up on the special paper that comes with them. They could save your furniture and carpet from a rainbow of stains in the months to come. Your baby will still enjoy cuddling with you, despite his or her big-kid independence. He or she still needs reassurance that you will always be there to meet his or her needs and that you'll always love him or her. Enjoy this special bonding time with your baby while you still can. Your little baby is growing up so fast.

No huge new developments since last week. He got a lot of new toys at his birthday party that he's enjoying playing with. He's really starting to babble - sounds like he's speaking some made-up language :o) Other than that, same-old, same-old. Except for, starting tomorrow, he won't be an "infant" anymore. Welcome to the toddler years!!

Look at him Go!

Well, Matthew is walking better and better all the time now. He can get all the way across the apartment without falling or holding onto anything. Not every time he tries, but a few of them :o) He's learning other new things, too, such as pointing to the balloon in "Goodnight Moon" and saying something that sounds like "bwoo," and knocking on the book when we get to the "he can sound like a hand on a door, knock knock!" part of "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" He eats Gerber Graduates for dinner now, but he is still on "baby food" for lunch. Probably after his first birthday we'll move him to purely Graduates and table food. Then onto just table food shortly thereafter. He's also been drinking less and less formula out of his bottles (his choice, surprisingly enough) and more whole milk out of his sippy cup. It's like all of a sudden he's decided that he is a very big boy! Here is what the newsletter says this week. Only one more newsletter to go! I won't know what to do with myself:

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 51 weeks (Approximately 11.9 months) old now.
Matthew is probably becoming increasingly possessive about things that belong to him. Welcome to the "mine" stage! As Matthew becomes more self-aware, proclaiming ownership becomes his way of asserting his identity. To make it easier for Matthew to share his toys when a friend comes to play, help him decide what he wants to share and what needs to be put away. It will be a while before Matthew understands the concept of sharing, but setting boundaries will help him learn that there are things he may choose to share with playmates and other things he may decide to keep all for himself. The items that aren't to be shared should be put away and not brought out until after the playmate has left.Having Matthew's playmates bring some of their own toys to a play date may encourage Matthew to learn to share. Be sure to praise him for allowing another child to play with his toy. And if you do need to break up a fight over a toy, respond calmly, affirm any positive behavior in the situation, and if necessary, put the toy away and distract both of them with another activity. Shaking his head and saying "NO!" constantly is normal for Matthew at this age. But he may just be practicing using the word and asserting his opinion. In fact, even if you ask him "Do you want a cookie?" the answer may be no, even as he reaches to take it. Matthew is learning how to handle more than one thing - or at least trying to. He may be discovering that if he tucks an object under his arm, he still has two hands with which to pick up two more objects. Encourage his reasoning and motor skills by offering him all sorts of tempting items and watch how he figures out how to manage them all!

A quick comment - Matthew does not say "no" yet, nor shake his head. Which is somewhat surprising, being that he hears no and sees shaking heads quite often! But I'm sure it's coming. I don't know yet if hearing "no" will be better than the current ways he has of telling us that he doesn't want/like something! :o)

Week 50!!!!!!

He walks!! Without going into all of the details, he took 10 steps yesterday all by himself. Then he steadied himself on the recliner, turned around and did it again :o) Oh the pride. And the heartache. Such a big boy!

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 50 weeks (Approximately 11.7 months) old now.

Now that your baby is eating solid foods, it's important that you know how many calories he or she needs each day to grow strong and healthy without over-feeding him or her. A one-year-old child needs approximately 1200 to 1300 calories each day, or about 40 calories for each inch of his or her height. There are so many empty calorie foods on the market today and childhood obesity is rampant in the United States, so it's important to establish a healthy diet early. If your baby develops a "food jag" where he or she only wants to eat a certain food, don't worry. These ruts are normal and usually short-lived. Continue to offer him or her small portions of a variety of foods and praise him or her for trying any new ones. Your baby may keep you guessing from one minute to the next whether he or she will let you pick him or her up, or squirm away from you in a burst of independence. As these things usually work, he or she will only become clingy and needy when you are trying to get stuff done around the house and unable to pay attention to him or her. But the second you stop working and decide to play with him or her, he or she will be too busy with his or her own games. If your baby is demanding your attention while you are cooking or cleaning, try to involve him or her in your activity as much as you can, and as much as it is safe. If you can't involve your baby, at least talk to him or her and tell him or her everything you are doing to make your baby feel part of your world. Many babies can say a handful of words by now; but if your baby isn't talking much, or at all yet, don't worry. Remember, Einstein didn't begin speaking until he was 3 years old. Your baby will talk when he or she is ready. However, if you notice other developmental delays, check with your pediatrician.

Coincidentally, I'd been wondering how many calories a day Matthew should be eating. Now I can pay more attention...he's been doing really well with his Gerber Graduates. Last night he ate a whole container of chicken noodle soup! A couple nights ago he ate almost a whole container of pasta shells & cheese. So he's definitely adapting to the "chunks." He also likes broccoli, which I figured he would since chicken + broccoli used to be one of his favorite Stage 2 baby foods. I just bought a bag of frozen broccoli and put a few pieces in the microwave at a time. I eat the "trunks" and he eats the "trees!" He also ate quite a few diced pears (in light syrup, of course :oP) last night. So it looks like we're on track to have him on table food in the next few weeks. My husband and I cracked open Matthew's baby book last night to see how far we'd fallen behind. Pretty far! We tried to fill in the blanks as best we could. I feel bad, because I want Matthew to be able to look at the book someday and know that we cared enough to record all of his important moments and daily habits. But at the same time, come on! We're the parents of a (almost) one year old kid! We have no time! :o)

49 Weeks Old!

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 49 weeks (Approximately 11.5 months) old now.
Is Matthew showing a preference for using his right or left hand? Some children begin to use one hand more than the other at this age. Try playing games to help build his hand-eye coordination, such as bowling with a large, foam ball and empty 2-liter plastic bottles; or basketball with a foam ball and a laundry basket. You can set up an obstacle course with medium-sized, open-ended cardboard boxes for Matthew to crawl through and a small mountain of pillows for him to climb up. Housework may also be a game he enjoys. Picking up all the toys Matthew has taken out and putting them away is a wonderful game that will definitely have you cheering. Be sure to always supervise Matthew when he's playing. Matthew may not seem very social with other children. If he seems to be a loner when you are in a play group and seems to be uninterested in what other kids are doing, then let him play by himself. He may not be ready to be social. Try not to push him. However, if you notice him looking at other kids and it seems like he wants to get involved but you think he might just be a bit shy, try taking Matthew over to the other children and sitting with him while he plays with them. Be sure not to leave him until you are confident that he feels secure in the situation. Has Matthew stopped waving "bye-bye" or some other thing you thought he had mastered? Matthew hasn't forgotten - he's just bored and has dropped it in favor of learning a new skill. ("Mom, waving "bye-bye" was SO last month!") Don't worry about it and encourage him to learn new things. The old skills will probably resurface in a month or so. However, if he seems unable to do anything that he has learned in the past and is not learning anything new, notify your pediatrician.

Matthew took a few steps a couple days ago!! He isn't consistent about it, but it's exciting to know that he is very close to walking. The only other new development is that we are trying to transition him to table food...for dinner he has 1/2 container of Gerber Graduates food (like ravioli, pasta shells & cheese or beef & potato soup) and 1/2 container of Stage 3 baby food. Plus his crackers & cheese, partial fruit cup, etc. In the next few weeks we're hoping that he gets used to the "regular" food and will just start to eat what we're eating! After he turns 1 we're also going to move him to whole milk and do away with the formula. Which will be a relief - he goes through a big container of powdered formula about once a week, at a cost of a whopping $23.99 per container! The price of a gallon of milk may seem high, but not compared to that!!

He continues to learn more and more about the world around him everyday. He likes to put toys into buckets and take them out again. He's started to realize that his blocks (which are different shapes) can fit through the corresponding holes in the lid of his bucket. He can put his little toy basketball through the hoop whenever he feels like it. And he is openly defiant - hates the word "no." :o) It's sad that his "babyhood" is very quickly coming to an end, but impending toddlerhood is exciting. Love, love, love that kid so much :o)

I Did It!

This post is right on time! Yay! :o) Matthew is 48 weeks old today - turned 11 months yesterday. Geesh.

Your baby boy, Matthew, is 48 weeks(Approximately 11.2 months) old now.

At eleven months old, babies usually range from 27.25 inches long and 17.5 pounds (10th percentile) to 30.25 inches long and 23 pounds (90th percentile). Can you believe how quickly this year has passed and that in four short weeks your baby will be one year old? You may notice your baby beginning to organize objects by their colors, shapes and sizes as he or she learns to recognize patters and similarities. He or she may even start trying to stack blocks; however, it may take a while longer for him or her to succeed in balancing one on top of another. Mirrors are still a mystery, and he or she may try to grab objects he or she sees in one. Your baby's appetite will go through many changes and about this time his or her appetite might drop, even while his or her interest in food increases. A baby usually triples his or her birth weight by his or her first birthday, but only gains a few pounds between his or her first and second. Don't worry about your baby not eating enough, he or she will eat all he or she needs, and will learn to stop when he or she is full. Your baby is now able to stand without holding on and may be walking all by themselves. He or she will be very unsteady on his or her feet at first and will stumble and fall frequently. While standing, your baby probably keeps his or her legs spread far apart to aid his or her balance. You may also notice that his or her feet are nearly flat and that his or her toes point in a bit as he or she steps. This is absolutely normal at this age and he or she will gradually turn his or her toes straight as he or she learns to walk better.

Not much new news...the pictures are from this past weekend at my parents' house. My youngest brother was Confirmed. Matthew loves being outside! Makes me wish that we had a house with a yard. Someday...