18-month check up

I got to see the Dude today for my 18 month check up! Mama told me that I wouldn't have to get any shots, but she was sorely mistaken. Or rather, she was mistaken and I am sore. She felt really bad and apologized for giving me faulty information, and she made up for it by singing and dancing with me after I got the shot.

The Dude says that I am doing really well. I'm making impressive gains on the height chart, and my weight is nice and stable too. Here are my stats:

Weight = 24lbs 12 oz (35%)
Head Circumference = 48.6 cm (75%)
Length = 34.5" (95%)

Quite nice, if you ask me! I'm on my way to becoming a basketball player. The Dude asked me if I am taller than most of my friends (yes) and Mama mentioned that people are usually surprised at my age. I look like I'm older but I still act like an 18-month old, so sometimes people think that I'm a little, er, "slow". Although to be fair, what does "slow" mean at this age?

Mama asked about all of the fun things I've gone through in the past 3 months (roseola, hives, constant cold, rash on my legs, digestive issues) and most of them are pretty harmless. The hives were probably from a virus (like the roseola), the colds are part of being a toddler, and the leg rash is from dry skin. I have to put lotion on my legs 3-4 times a day to make sure the dry skin doesn't erupt into eczema, but other than that it's not a problem.

And the digestive issues? The Dude thinks I might need to take some lactobacillus acidophilus (that's a mouthful!) with my food to see if it will help balance the digestive enzymes in my belly. Mama takes it because she's lactose intolerant, and I might have the same problem. Mama's already been giving me lots of yogurt and less milk and that seems to have been helping a bit, so hopefully adding some lacto...blah blah blah will solve the issue.

I was very patient when the Dude checked out all of my vitals. I even sat calmly while he looked into my ears! Mama was so proud. And he checked to make sure that my legs are well-toned and I have good balance and flexibility, which means I'm not showing any signs of cerebral palsy (being a preemie and having such a low Apgar puts me at risk for CP, and I've just started walking on my tip-toes, which can be another sign of CP or other developmental delays). This is also when they check for signs of autism, and I passed with flying colors.

So now I don't see the Dude again until I'm 2 years old! That seems like such a long time. But apparently Mama will see him before, because my little brother or sister will get to hang out with him. Maybe I can go with them so that I can play with the mirror, pull the paper off the examination table, and set the thermostat to 95 degrees like I did today.

Here's my latest growth chart! You can see that my weight is increasing steadily, and my height is taking off like crazy.

Happy 18 months to me!

I'm a whole year and a half old! Can you believe it? It's amazing how much I've grown and changed in the last couple months, let alone the last 18 months. Now that I'm a full-fledged toddler, I have lots of ideas about what I like and how I want to do things. Here are a few things about me:

• I've perfected the toddler tantrum, with a few self-preservation modifications as necessary. My original tantrum was the classic "throw body on ground and scream" but I had to change it when I realized that it hurt my head to throw myself on the ground so often. So now I hunch up my shoulders so that Mama knows I'm not happy, then I stomp off to a softer place (usually Cowboy's rug) and throw myself on that.
  
• I've always been very independent and I continue to be self-sufficient. I'm happy to play by myself or wander off to explore on my own. I don't like to be held for too long because I'm a very busy boy and there are things for me to do.
  
• I stand up for myself when I need to (even against the mean 6-year old who slid into me on the slide), and there are very few things that frighten me. Except for flying fish beanbags. I do NOT like flying fish beanbags.
• Even though I am relatively fearless, I am still very cautious when I try something new. I like to watch and figure things out first, and I am careful about stepping onto a new surface or going up or down things like curbs or uneven pavement.
• I love to go down slides, although it's best when Mama or Daddy is at the bottom to catch me. That means that slides are usually a two-parent activity, because one person has to go to the top with me and the other person has to wait at the bottom to catch me.
  
• I love to climb. I climb on the furniture, I climb up the ladders to get to the slide at the playground, and I climb up the stairs to my room.
  
• I like sticks, and I especially like to carry a stick around and use it to scratch in the ground. I also like dead leaves, and sometimes I carry small rocks around.
• I mimic what I see Mama and Daddy doing. I brush my hair (or Mama's, when she lets me), I try to put on my shoes, I vacuum or sweep, I wipe up the table with the dish cloth, I wipe my face after I eat, I pet Cowboy or try to put his collar on him, I "talk" in the phone, I put on hats or sunglasses...
• I LOVE to close (slam) doors. I especially like to shut Mama and Daddy outside on the front porch. It makes me laugh. I open the door for them and then slam it shut before they have a chance to get inside. It's so much fun. And if I see an open door anywhere, I run over to close it.
• I take baths in the regular tub now, and I like to pull the plug and watch the water go down the drain. I also try to climb into the bathtub whenever I'm in the bathroom. I have a footstool to help me reach the sink to wash my hands, and I like to move that to the front of the sink (although I don't climb on it unless Mama or Daddy helps me). I flush the toilet whenever I can get to it, and I like to open the toilet cover and slam it shut, then clap my hands. Oh yeah, toilet paper is fun too.
• I'm very good at basketball. I can make baskets almost every time.
• In the kitchen, I go straight to the pantry and get the rice cooker top and steamer dish and use those to bang like cymbals.
• I still like to eat, although I'm getting a little pickier. However, I'll usually eat everything as long as Mama is patient feeding me. I like: hummus, baba ghanoush, dolma, spanikopita (I'm a fan of the Mediterranean diet), rice, some beans (not black or kidney), most fruit (not honeydew or cantaloupe), onigiri, ba-zhang, potato katsu, raisin toast with peanut butter (just a little), spinach, sweet potato, avocado, cottage cheese, plain yogurt, Grape Nuts cereal, Hiroki's quiche, wheat crackers, anything on Mama's plate. I don't like: most meat, cheddar cheese, cooked cheese, tomato sauce, broccoli, beets, cooked carrots, zucchini, anything with a funny (grainy, stringy, crumbly) texture.
• I like to share my food with Mama, although every third time I offer her a bite, I laugh and take it back so I can eat it myself. I also like to help myself from her plate. I'm quite good with my spoon and getting better with my fork, but sometimes I just hold my fork in my hand while I eat my food with the fingers of my other hand. I also switch back and forth between using my left and right hands.
• I copy the words I hear (my latest are "bucket", "shovel", "xie-xie", and "bat"), but I don't use them very often. My go-to word is "ba-ba?" which is my question and usually means I want someone to come help me, get me out of my crib or play with me. When I want something, I point to it or reach for it and grunt loudly, and I use my sign words when I'm hungry or thirsty. I do understand a lot though, and I will get something for you if you ask (blue Lego flower, Mickey Mouse, basketball, alphabet bus, etc.). I will also put my toys away if you ask me to help you clean up. Updated to add: Today I seem to have picked a word that I am saying more consistently: "Good". That might be my official first word.
  
• When I do something I'm proud of (make a basket, close the door, put away a toy) I will clap for myself.
• I have a fake laugh that I use to get a reaction from people. My real laugh takes my whole face to produce (eyes scrunch closed, mouth opens wide), but my fake laugh can be done with minimal effort and usually gets a decent reaction.
• I also have a fake cry.
• I still need lots of sleep and get bent out of sorts when my sleep schedule is messed up. I go to bed around 6:30 PM and wake up between 7 and 7:30 AM, and I go down for my nap around 11:30 AM. My nap can last anywhere from 90 minutes to 3 hours. It usually depends on whether Mama has somewhere to go -- I tend to sleep longer on the days when we have something planned.
• I like to tease Cowboy. I chase him around the house with the vacuum cleaner, or I take his bone away from him and taunt him with it. I climb on him and pull on his ears. I also show him my food before I eat it. He's very patient though and lets me do what I want.

Well, that was more than a "few" things about me. What can I say? I'm a multi-faceted boy. But right now I've got to go grab the vacuum cleaner from Daddy so I can chase Cowboy.

Making tracks

I just pooped on the floor, stepped in it, and tracked it all over the house. I learned that trick from Cowboy, even though he hasn't done it since he was a puppy. He told me about it and I thought it sounded fun.

What goes buzz buzz?

Bees go buzz buzz! And where do bees live? In hives! And where can you find hives? All over my body!

Yes, another first for me. Hives. Everywhere. Apparently I'm allergic to something. I haven't had anything new to eat or touching my skin in the past several days, so we can't figure out what I'm reacting to, but at least the hives don't bother me too much.

Mama noticed a welt on my arm last night after I played at the playground (so it might be some kind of pollen or bug bite that got me) and within an hour I had hives all over my body. She gave me some Benadryl before my bath, which cleared everything right up. I didn't have trouble breathing or anything, so I went to bed and slept just fine. This morning I had them all over my body again, so I got more Benadryl and went about my day. Another dose of Benadryl after my nap, and now I'm back in bed for the night. Like I said, they don't really bother me (except when Mama or Daddy try to look at them) so we're just waiting for them to go away. Hopefully it's a one-time reaction to some mystery substance and I won't have to worry about them again!

Here's a picture of me before my bath tonight. The hives are just starting to come back again, about 3 hours after my last dose of Benadryl.

Moving on up

I was kindly informed today that it is time for me to move to the big kids class at Gymboree. What, it's not cool for me to steal toys from the babies that can't walk yet? But it's so fun and easy! And I like having all of the big equipment (like the slides and ladders) to share with Oliver. Now we're going to have to fend off bigger kids? Just when I get to be the biggest kid in class, I get moved to a class where I'll be one of the smallest? Hmm. I'm not sure if I like that.

Mama said, "Now that you're the big fish in a small pond, time to move you to a bigger pond!" Why can't I just eat up all the other fish and happily be king of my pond? Daddy said, "Get used to a lifetime of this. Once you get big, you'll move to another school or job where you'll be little again. Until you're old. And then you're just old. For the rest of your life."

Gosh, that's a cheery thought. I think I'll stick to pretending I'm a fish in a pond. Glub glub glub!

15 month check-up

I had my 15-month check up with the Dude today and I'm a healthy boy! I weigh 23lbs 4oz (25th%), my head circumference is 47 cm (50th%) and I'm 32" tall (75th%). So I'm still a tall, lean boy. And the Dude was very impressed with my growth. Mama mentioned that I've slowed down how much I eat and he said, "I HOPE so! Otherwise you're going to end up with a 60lb 2-yr old on your hands!"

I'm also right on track developmentally, even though I don't say many "real" words now. Since I understand what Mama and Daddy say, I know how to use my baby signs correctly, and I've invented my own words for things, the Dude said that I clearly understand the association between words and objects. Plus, I'm quite talkative for being a guy of so few (or no) words.

I was very good with the Dude and let him check my eyes, ears, teeth and body parts without complaining at all. He let me sit on Mama's lap during the whole check-up and his voice is so calm and soothing...it's like snuggling with my Thunder Bear, Ralphie, and Mr. Blue all at the same time.

I was in a very happy warm fuzzy place, and then Nurse Ratched came in with the evil pointy needles. She poked me three different times! I was great with the first one and pretty good with the second one, but the third poke put me over the top. I screamed and started crying, but Mama picked me up right away and sang to me. I quieted down and then started laughing when she danced with me, especially when she dipped me so I could see myself in the mirror. I guess it wasn't so bad.

Here's a view of my growth chart. After that little dip below the line at 6 months, I've been doing pretty well!

Movin' on up

Today was my last day in the "creepers and cruisers" room at our church daycare! My walking has gotten so good that the teachers said I'm ready to move up to the toddlers room! It looks so fun over there. They have a slide and all kinds of big toys. I can't wait to try it out next week! I just hope they have a Cheerios bar too. I love the Cheerios bar.

Today was also the first time I ran across the room yelling "Mama!" and ran into her arms for a hug. Normally I'm rather oblivious to when Mama and Daddy are around, especially when I'm in a room full of toys. But I felt kinda huggy today. It made Mama really happy. I think she almost cried, but she's been kind of teary lately. When she started tearing up during an episode of "Full House" she blamed it on something she calls "hormones". I'm going to use that excuse the next time I throw a tantrum.

Now that I'm getting so heavy, Mama lets me walk all the time instead of carrying me. I walked back to the car from church this morning, and then walked all the way down the block to our house (we had to park a block away because our street somehow became "the" place to park this morning...Mama can't wait until we get our garage rebuilt so that she can actually park near the house). I can even step over the cracks and doormat without tripping! I'm not as fast as Jammy or Oliver yet, but I'm getting there.

First haircut

1. What's going on?
2. Bye-bye baby mullet
3. Oh no, not the comb-over too!

Words?

Mama keeps waiting for me to say my first word, but now she's starting to suspect that I've already said a few and she just didn't recognize them. I tried to TELL her that she needs to work on learning my language!

In addition to my baby signs (I sign "more" and point when I want something, I sign "eat" when I'm hungry, I kind of sign "all done" -- it's closer to waving my arms in the air -- when I'm ready to go, and yesterday I started signing "milk") and my baby language ("gn" for Cowboy, "ayyy!" to say hello, along with a wide variety of screeches, yells, coos, squeaks and babbles), I also say a couple word-like sounds.

When Mama gives me something to eat that's a little too warm, I open my mouth, wave my hand in front of it, and say, "Haw haw haw!" I learned that because Mama always asks me, "Is it too hot?" I also say "mama", "mum-mum-mum" and "daaaay-dy", and Mama even caught me saying "milk" and singing "moo moo" while rocking on my cow. I sometimes say something awfully close to "cow", and I bark "arf arf arf!" when Cowboy barks.

So even though Mama may not have realized it, I've been talking for awhile. I hope that she learns more quickly from now on.

Here fishy fishy fishy

I had my first taste of sushi today, and I loved it! Mama only gave me pieces of rolls that were made with cooked fish or veggies (California, caterpillar, futomaki, etc.) and I really liked them. I especially like the rice with the seaweed! Next up: sashimi!

Two more teeth broke through today too, making a total of seven teeth. That might explain a bit of my crankiness, although the never-ending transition to one nap plays a part too. Today I took two naps of 2 hours each, trying to make up for the last several days when I only took one nap of 1.5 hours or less. Both Mama and I are anxious for things to settle down.

Now that I've figured it out...

...there's no stopping me. Watch out, world!

Wobbly toddler

I waste a fair amount of energy with my drunken sailor sideways motion, but I'm getting the hang of it nonetheless!

Bipedal preambulation

Today I decided to take my first steps! Only a couple of them at a time -- just enough to get from Mama to my Moo-Moo Cow. But I'm so proud of myself when I do it, so I laugh and clap. After all, I'm very clever, aren't I?

Mama hasn't been able to get a video yet, but she'll try to get one in the next couple of days if I agree to cooperate. In the meantime, here's a picture that Mama thinks is funny. I wasn't very happy when she went outside without me.

Let it snow

But please let it snow elsewhere. Or at the very least, if it must snow here (which Mama and Daddy seem to want), please refrain from putting me in it.

Today Mama and Daddy got me all decked out in my snowsuit and warm boots so that I could play in the snow. Apparently I didn't mind snow at all last year (baby shredder), but I must have just been too young and foolish to know better. It's kind of similar to how I didn't mind that Santa guy when I was only 5 months old. It takes maturity and experience to learn about what you like and what you don't like, after all.

Anyway, once I got on the snow, I immediately -- and loudly -- made my thoughts about the whole situation very clear. Even though I look exceedingly handsome in my snowsuit (not many people can pull off head-to-toe plaid, you know), I prefer to enjoy snow from the safety of Mama or Daddy's arms.

I yam what I yam

My latest achievements:

• I bit Oliver on the hand today. Hard. Hard enough to make him cry for at least several minutes. And then when he was crying and his mom was comforting him, I pulled on his mom's leg and looked at Oliver like, "What's going on buddy? Why are you crying?"
• In spite of biting him, I recognize and enjoy Oliver's company. When we were little, we played near each other without really paying attention to one another. Now we follow each other around and play with the same toys together. Which, incidentally, is what led to me biting his hand.
  
• I like to stick my tongue out.
• I'm still enjoying my food. To give you an idea of what I eat, here's today's menu: an adult-sized serving of oatmeal and blueberries plus one banana for breakfast; stew (red potatoes, parsnips, leeks and spinach) and apple-apricot sauce for lunch, and an egg stir-fry (with baby bok choy, leeks and tomatoes), rice, some taro root mantou, and carrots and pears (mixed together) for dinner. Plus two snacks and several cups of milk. Yum.
• I spend more time just standing around without holding onto anything.
• My hair is getting unruly -- long and wispy in places, shorter and wavy in others. It kind of looks like I have a combination of a comb-over/mullet/mohawk/buzzcut.
• I say "MA-MA" very clearly now, and I still practice with "DAY-DEE".
• I talk to Cowboy during meals (he waits underneath my high chair while I eat). I lean over the side of my high chair so I can see him and have long and active (albeit one-sided) conversations with him. I also consistently call him "GN".
• I don't like it when food spills on the table in front of me, so Mama has to be really fast about cleaning it up before I notice it. Sometimes I pick it up and put it back in my bowl, but I usually prefer to just sweep it onto my lap or the floor.
• I can't decide if I'm taking one or two naps per day. I'll take one nap for a day or two, then switch back to two naps. I still sleep 13 hours at night (6:30 PM - 7:30 AM).
• I throw full-body tantrums. I scream, squirm and kick my legs frantically if someone picks me up when I want to crawl. I throw myself face-first on the floor and either bite the floor or bang my head on it (good thing we have those padded floors in my playroom) when I don't get what I want. If I'm not on the floor, I throw my head back and/or try to bite whoever or whatever is near (Mama, Daddy, the table, a book, a toy, etc.). This is just a preview of what's to come.
• I like to head-butt people and things. I do it softly though, so it's different than my head-banging tantrums. Oliver likes to head-butt too, so we spend a fair amount of time touching foreheads.

The picture above shows those big chompers I used to bite my friend. Watch out, I'm armed and dangerous now!

To sip or not to sip

When it comes to trying new things, I can be really stubborn. It takes a magical combination of all the right things before I'll give in, but usually once I give in, I'm pretty accommodating. Two examples:

• Taking a bottle. Do you remember how adamant I was about refusing a bottle, back when I was just a baby? Boy, I did NOT want that bottle. While trying to convince me, Mama gave me 3 different kinds of bottles in 5 different shapes and combined them with 4 different kinds of nipples. Eventually she found the perfect combination and I gave in. I would only drink out of that particular combination (the tall skinny 10oz Dr. Brown's bottle with a Nuk nipple) for awhile, but once I was used to it, I was willing to drink out of any bottle with any nipple. So she switched me over to the wide Born Free bottles and we were both happy.
• Drinking formula. That was another, more recent, battle. When I decided to wean myself suddenly, I had no idea that all of the gazillion bags of milk Mama stocked in the freezer had gone bad! I'd cut myself off from the milk-drug cold turkey! Mama had to give me formula for the first time, and I was not very pleased with it. She tried a bunch of different ways to get me to take it, including mixing it into my applesauce, watering it down, giving it to me at various temperatures, in a bottle, sippy cup or regular cup. She tried 4 different brands before she finally found the one I warmed up to (Similac). Once I was used to drinking it, she decided to try mixing in some of the other brands, since she could only buy them in 10 gallon tubs and she didn't want to throw them away. Like before, once the novelty had worn off, I was completely accommodating and I used up every last tub of formula in my 3 weeks of formula-feeding.

My latest stubbornness is around sippy cups. After working so hard to get me to take a bottle and drink something other than the milk-drug out of it, Mama is weaning me from the bottle. Is she never happy? I'm already drinking whole milk instead of formula (that was an easy switch -- have you ever tasted formula?), and I've been drinking it in my bottle for the past couple of weeks. Instead of taking my bottle away from me completely, she first removed all of the regular bottle nipples and put in "trainer" soft spouts instead. And then she switched the soft spouts to firmer spouts. She's trying to be sneaky about her machinations, but does she really think I don't know?

The past week, she tried to completely replace my bottle with a sippy cup instead. Ummm, I don't think so. I'm perfectly willing to drink water out of a sippy cup, but milk? No. So what do you think she did? She went out and got a bunch of different types of sippy cups, offering them to me one at a time. I was determined to refuse them all, but darn it, she found one I like! It's got handles and everything! So now I'm willing to drink milk out of my blue and red Gerber sippy cup. Or out of a regular cup during mealtimes. But that's it.

Awww, who am I trying to kid? Just like with the bottles and formula, once I'm used to drinking out of my Gerber sippy cup, I'll be totally willing to drink out of all of the other ones I have. I know that's why Mama doesn't mind getting a few different kinds for me to try -- she'll have me use them all eventually. I'm so easy.

Long night

Who knew they made hospital gowns in my size? And as you can see by the second picture, in the spirit of hospital gowns everywhere, my tush is hanging out. Is tush-exposure a hospital gown style requirement? Luckily I have a very cute (even when diaper-encased) tush. You can also see my glowing red E.T. toe in the second picture. That's the sensor they used to track my pulse and oxygen levels.

So why was I donning this lovely hospital gown and E.T. toe? Well last night, we had another first: our first night spent in the ER. Luckily, it turned out to be nothing -- just a 4-hour middle-of-the-night (isn't it always?) excursion.

See, I had a fever yesterday afternoon. I was showing some signs of a cold, but nothing big until the fever. Mama gave me some infant Tylenol to help me sleep, but I still had a fever at bedtime. I couldn't get to sleep (even after more Tylenol), so after three hours of trying to comfort me, Mama finally called the triage nurse. The nurse listened to my breathing over the phone and said we should go to the ER, just in case. She said my breathing was labored and rapid, and just to be safe we should get it checked out.

So we all headed over to Children's Hospital at 10 PM. We visited with lots of people wearing masks, who poked and prodded me while taking all kinds of readings. I showed them how strong my lungs are by screaming as loudly as I could. Finally at 2 AM, the doctor pronounced me "just fine". They were worried it could be pneumonia, but it turns out it's just a cold.

I slept in until 9 AM this morning, but I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty cranky today.

Tooth or dare

I've got another tooth! This might be why I've been so cranky the past few days (in addition to the whole "one nap or two" dilemma). Another tooth popped through right next to my two bottom teeth, so now I have FIVE whole teeth! Enough to grind together loudly, which bothers Mama and Daddy for some reason.

Updating my CV

I'm finally letting Mama and Daddy know that I know more than they realize. In addition to my stellar Chinese, I also understand when they say "hands up!" and I'll usually nod my head or dance from side to side when Mama asks me to. I can point out my head and hair, and when Mama reads "Where's Baby's Bellybutton" to me, I pat my belly to show her. I often wave to people when I see them, and I'll do my Tarzan yell if Mama does it too. I like to burble and motor-boat with my lips whenever I'm bored, and I blow spit bubbles for fun. In addition to taking everything out of my toy boxes, I like to put everything back into them. Not in the right boxes of course, but you have to start somewhere. I know how to turn my garden table on (the little red button) and make my horsie neigh (pat his cheek), and I roll a ball back to Mama when we play. I turn the lights on and off for Mama when we enter or leave a room. I can stand without holding on for a little while. I give zerberts to Mama's cheek, although sometimes I trick her and bite her nose instead. Speaking of which, I have four very impressive teeth. When I eat, I use sign language to show that I want "more" (although I haven't used "all done" yet...Mama and Daddy aren't sure if that's because I'm never all done, or if I just can't remember the sign). And last night in the car when I was talking to myself, Mama said, "Are you saying 'Daddy'?" I said, "Dayyyyyy-dee" and I said it over and over. Mama and Daddy aren't sure if I was actually saying the word or just mimicking, but they were pretty excited about it anyway. I can really get a rise out of them if I say "mum-mum-mum-mum" or "dayyyyyyy-dee".

Look Ma, no hands!

When I'm distracted with something like hitting my drumsticks together or clapping my hands, I sometimes forget to hold on while I'm standing up.