One Year Check-up

Charlie spent his birthday alternately playing and napping. He’s been a little tired and congested this week. I think we’ve been infecting each other. He had runny nose last week, then I was congested all weekend, and now he has it again. And, it’s hard to help someone who can’t blow his nose! I’ve tried to teach him by example, but it’s not working. So I just use saline nose spray and suction it all out with the bulb aspirator. It’s quite a production. Also, I miss being able to call in sick. Where’s Super Nanny when you need her? I’m so thankful that I was my sickest this weekend when Mom was here to help. Having to take care of someone else makes me a lot more motivated to stay healthy—I’m definitely drinking my orange juice and taking my vitamins!

We “celebrated” again last night by going to Tokyo House, no sushi for Charlie, though. He did have some of my miso soup, rice, and teriyaki chicken. When we got back home, we were going to give him a piece of cake, but he was sleepy and getting cranky. So we took some pictures to commemorate the occasion, and then Dave gave him a bath. They then both went to bed, leaving me in peace and quiet to work.

Today, Charlie had his one year check-up. The doctor looked him over and pronounced him healthy as a horse. Charlie now weighs 26 lbs. 12oz. and is 30 in. tall. He's in the 90-95th percentile for weight and head size. He's in the 50-75th percentile for height. His hemoglobin was tested to make sure that he’s not anemic. The doctor said that many kids don’t like red meat, which is where we get a lot of our iron. Also, most kids are moving from formula, which is iron-fortified, to table food, so there’s a risk of kids not receiving enough iron. Any-who, Charlie’s levels are good, but the doctor suggested giving him vitamins and looking for iron-fortified foods. We’re also ready to move him from formula to whole milk. The doctor said that some kids don’t like whole milk and have to be phased into it. I haven’t yet met the food or drink that Charlie doesn’t like, so I’m betting that’s not a problem.

Charlie’s doctor also asked if he’s using the words "ma-ma" and "da-da." I explained that Charlie makes lots of sounds, but he doesn’t really use them in context as words. The doctor just suggested continuing to talk to him and encouraging him to talk back, and we went on to the next thing. Later, after doing the examination, Charlie starts babbling up a storm, saying “mamama” and “dadada” and doing his motorboat sound. The doctor just laughed and said “See! Your mama was telling stories! You do know some words.” So I guess I’ll have to pay closer attention to his sounds and figure out what he’s talking about all of the time!

On the development front: Charlie isn’t quite walking yet. He did take one step on his own this weekend. He still cruises around and stands for longer and longer periods of time. He waves bye-bye, sometimes even to the dogs when they go outside. He still babbles and chuckles often. We even had a back-and-forth conversation last week. I’m really not sure what was said, but it was entertaining. Charlie is also growing a little more clingy and will reach for you to hold him when he’s tired. He now pushes toys across the floor and has enjoyed walking behind the activity walker that Granny and Granddaddy got him. He likes opening and closing drawers and cabinet doors. He’ll hold the phone up to his head, kind of behind his ear, but at least he understands. He’s started throwing objects and can clear a table pretty quickly. And finally, he likes to climb over toys, boxes, and pillows and also use them as leverage to climb up onto the couch.