Straight A's (posted 3/20)

95%. 90%. 90%. 

As in percentile for head, height and weight.  Sam got these "straight As" at his two-year-old check up.  Doc G. wrote on our take-home sheet "Big Boy".  He said we can go from whole milk to 2% milk.  Ya think?

He asked me if Sam was talking and I said he was.  He tried to get him to talk but Sam would only glare at him and bury his head in my shoulder.  Dr. G. continued his exam and later tried to get Sam to talk again - asked him his name and how old he was.  Sam wasn't having any of it and gave him the cold-shoulder again.  Doc asked me - "Are you SURE he's talking?" - not in a joking way, but with genuine concern.  HA!! 

Not to worry

Dr. G.  This kid talks.  Clearly.  In sentences.  ALL DAY LONG.  He just doesn't want to talk to the guy who jabs shots in his thigh, shines lights in his eyes and cleans out his ears with a long metal spoon!  Can you blame him? :)

Not only will Sam not talk to the doctor, he starts crying the minute they call us back to our exam room.  He screams when the nurse puts the measuring tape around his head and when I set him on the scale to be weighed.  It's major drama - so unnecessary, and so loud.  I know they're always glad to see us go.  Despite the screaming I felt Sam deserved a treat after we left the doctor's office so we stopped by the mall playground on our way home.  I took this picture before we left the doctor, knowing I'd taken one the year before, after his one-year-old check up.  Same carseat, too - look how much taller he is now.  Notice his red, tear-stained face, too.  Poor guy.

Happy Straight A's Sam!

Check Up



Sam's a growing boy! He had his 12 month check-up last week and is doing great. He screamed, arched his back, kicked his feet and dug his fingers into my shoulders anytime the doctor or nurses so much as looked at him, but other than that everything is as it should be. He's in the 50th percentile for height and weight and the 90/95th for head (surprise, surprise).

Doc said he doesn't care that he's not walking yet - doesn't even care if he waits till he's 15, 16, 17, months, and really neither do we. There are times when I wish he could walk so we could do things like play at the park, but I know the other side of what walking will bring, so I can definitely wait. Dr. G. is more concerned with a baby's speech development at this age, which is funny because anytime we meet someone, their first question is, "Is he walking yet?".  Although he says a few words, Sam's not the chattiest person you'll ever meet, of course, neither are his mom and dad. He and I talk and read and sing from morning till night, so he's learning about language for sure.

I have to start brushing his teeth (we're at three teeth now, with three more poking through as we speak), so a baby toothbrush and special fluoride-less toothpaste (now called "cleanser") is on my list. Goodness!  I'm curious to see how that goes...

He can start drinking cow's milk now, which he's really starting to like.  At first the only way he'd drink it was if I added apple juice to it (I know, gross), but I just kept decreasing the juice until it was all milk and now he gulps it down with no problem.  Here he is drinking his first glass!

We also changed the car seat around so it's facing front. Sam had to be over 20 pounds and over 12 months and we're finally there! He LOVES facing forward and I'm glad he can see where we're going now. The only down-side is that the car seat is at a different angle now, so when he falls asleep his little head slumps forward. Here he is a few minutes after leaving the doctors office (don't worry, I was parked). All that screaming wore him out.  Look at those cheeks!

Puffs, the Magic Finger Food



Look what these chubby little fingers are up to. Doc started Sam on finger foods Monday (he had his 9-month check-up). He suggested Gerber Graduates' Puffs, rather than Cheerios, to start with because they are a little bit easier to gum. He was right. I tried one (yuck) and they pretty much dissolve in your mouth. But Sam loves them, so we'll stick with these for a while. Plus, the tube they come in makes a cool sound when you shake it, keeping aforementioned fingers busy while Mommy finishes grocery shopping.





Really, Mom?


Sam started real baby food yesterday. He's been trying different cereals for the past week or so - rice (which he'd been eating), and two new grains, oatmeal and barley. I think they may have been a little taxing on his tummy, so I checked on one of our trusty baby websites for some ideas to...get things moving, so to speak. Last Friday I held a one-woman baby-food-making marathon in our kitchen. Of the five veggies I pureed that day, peas were the only type mentioned as a possible solution to Sam's diaper difficulties.

Yes, peas.
Smooshy, mooshy peas were the poor kid's first taste of real food.
Sorry buddy.

I got my cameras ready and, to mark this momentous occasion, fastened a very special bib to Samuel. It's on loan from a friend. If I remember correctly it was the only bib of the many that her mother had sewn for her children that she was able to save before evacuating New Orleans four years ago. We'd been saving it for this special moment.

I think these pictures of our little guy say it all...



Oh! But look! There's that smile. He's forgiven me already.

Did the peas do the trick you ask? No. Since peas can't do much good when they're just smooshed up on your bib, Sam still had some tummy trouble this morning. I called the nurse and she suggested pureed prunes. We added some to his oatmeal at lunch today and his tummyache was gone by dinner.

And guess what?

He LOVED them!