12 1/2 Month Check-up

Today (Feb. 1, 2011) I noticed that this post (started back in Dec. of 2010) was not published.  I guess I didn't finish it back then, but there's no reason to leave it unpublished... so here's the really late post.  (Actually, it may have been posted and then changed and therefore saved as a draft, but I'm not sure what happened...so if you've already read this, sorry!)

So Canon has been growing up so fast, and he's always seemed to be so good and healthy to me.  My pediatrician in Boston never seemed to give me any impression for the opposite, but the doctor here did.  Although she didn't seem terribly worried about it, she said that he was down to the 5th percentile in weight (only 19 lb 4 oz).  That in and of itself is not a big deal, but with him being in the 75th percentile in height (over 30" tall) and head circumference consistently going down in the charts for weight, she wanted me to change his diet and come back in a month to weigh him again.  She told me that I should offer him snacks all day long and increase his calorie count during meal times.  Canon never seems to show that he's hungry, so that's probably why I never really gave him many snacks before... although he usually would accept them if I did offer them. The doctor did mention that children like in his situation rarely show signs of hunger.

She also said that Canon ought to be further along in language development, such as being able to obey simple commands like "Bring me the ball."  When she asked about that, I told her that I think he might understand sometimes, but he seems to either not care that I'm making the request or not realize that when I tell him to do it that it means he's supposed to actually do it.  Either way, I had a couple things that I needed to work on before our next doctor's visit (which is on Dec. 21st).

Now, I'm not sure how much I like this doctor because I believe that if I offer him snacks all day long he won't be hungry enough to want to eat at mealtimes.  Honestly, I think I'm right.  Ever since I've been so much more concerned with calories and fattening up the little guy, I've been getting so frustrated with his diet.  It feels like I can't get him eat much of anything now.  I was so excited when I was able to use the last jar of baby food and last bottle of formula.  Yes, whole milk and real food!!  Yeah, well that wasn't long lasting.  I've gone back to baby food because I don't have problems getting him to eat that stuff.   Oh well, at least I know that he's getting his protein and veggies and that whole milk goes down nicely.  Although, he loves his snacks, the baby food ends up being his main source of nutrition... again.  *sigh*

I'm looking forward to this doctor's visit though because he seems to be gaining weight now, and he's starting to understand things better.  He'll also get his second shot for the flu vaccine.  So, if there's nothing else, I'll know he at least has one positive thing going for him concerning the doctor's opinions.  (He's still adorable, so that ought to count for something, right!)

Things I don't want to forget about this stage in his life:

1. He's walking around like crazy now, but most of the time his waddle reminds me cuter version of Frankenstein with his arms sticking out.  
2. He's now trying to climb up on things, like onto the couch (but it's too high) and onto boxes or into his toy basket.  He even tries to climb the safety gate, but it's only vertical bars past 4 inches off the floor, so it doesn't do much good.
3. He's pretty good at climbing up the stairs now, but he usually will get distracted part-way up, so it either takes a long time or I wind up picking him up to finish the flight of steep stairs.
4. Canon is learning about going down the stairs.  I still can't let him go down a single step by himself because they're so steep and dangerous, but he tries to.  The problem is that he won't make up his mind on which way to go down- bouncing on the bum or turned around backwards and going feet first.  All too often he stands up and reaches for the railing, which is obviously too high to be an help to him going down.  
5. He certainly loves to rough-house...nothing too painful.  Hanging upside down, "wrestling", jostling him around, pretending to drop him, and even bonking heads are some of his favorite things to do.  
6. He's become more hesitant about it, but Canon gives "kisses" which is totally adorable.  
7. One of my favorite things is to see him throw his arms out, get a huge open smile on his face, and watch him "run" excitedly towards me to give me a hug.  It just melts my heart!
8. Canon is such a sociable character.  He loves to smile at strangers who give him attention.  It almost seems like he watches someone, waiting for them to look at him to grin.  He LOVES getting attention.  He pretty much will go to any stranger as long as they seem friendly (which can be kinda scary).  I don't think he gets much stranger anxiety, and he doesn't seem to care if we're gone.  I don't know that he misses us... at least if there are some cool kids or toys to play with and explore.