Month 12

This week, J had his 1-yr well visit. Our appointment was 1:30, so we got there at 1:15. We were called-in to the room at 1:45. The doctor didn't come in until 2:15. J had to sit in his diaper for about 30 min in the cold room. Luckily, I brought his hoodie and wrapped him in it. Nevertheless, this is the longest I've had to wait. By the time the check-up and shots came, J was not a happy camper (neither was I)! Urgh!

Anyways, J's growth is steady. Still big. Still tall.

Birth

Height 20.5 in (above 95th percentile)

Weight 7 lbs, 2 oz (25-50th percentile)

Head circumference ~14 in (50th percentile)

1 month

Height 21.5 in (10-25th percentile)

Weight 9 lbs, 4 oz (10-25th percentile)

Head circumference 14.75 in (10-25th percentile)

2 month

Height 22.5 in (10-25th percentile)

Weight 11 lbs, 11 oz (25-50th percentile)

Head circumference 15.375 in (10-25th percentile)

4 month

Height 27 in (90-95th percentile)

Weight 17 lbs, 1.5 oz (75-90th percentile)

Head circumference 17 in (50-75th percentile)

6 month

Height 29 in (above 95th percentile)

Weight 20 lbs (75-90th percentile)

Head circumference 17.5 in (50-75th percentile)

12 month

Height 32 in (95th percentile)

Weight 24 lbs, 6 oz (50-75th percentile)

Head circumference 18.5 in (50-75th percentile)

*** Online percentile calculator

 

At J's 9 month checkup, the doctor had suggested we call the Infants and Toddler's program in Maryland because J hadn't started crawling or using his pincer grip yet. We didn't call.

At J's 12 month checkup, J had another evaluation of his gross motor, fine motor, communication, problem solving, and social skills. 12-month-olds should score like 15-20 in each category (out of 100). Yay for J, he scored about 40-45 in each category. So, the doctor gave us no worries this time :).

Scared...but so cute!

J has this toy fire truck. Lately, it's been making loud, unpleasant noises when you "activate" it so we've left it off. I'm not sure if it's broken or just needs new batteries.

Someone must have turned it on today, because it activated while J was playing with it. He immediately crawled into my lap with a very concerned look on his face.

He must have then remembered his favorite fire-people because he promptly returned to the truck to rescue them. After J placed one safely in my hands, J went back for the second one. After both were safely in my hands, J returned to my lap. He also gave the truck a little kick for good measure.

I know he was scared, but it was the cutest, sweetest little act(s) of bravery!

Happy 1st Birthday, J!

Images and thoughts on J's 1st birthday

Theme: Lil' Sunshine

Colors: Yellow, orange & green

My sister made these cute invitations. 

We had a family get-together for 10 adults, 1 baby, and 2 dogs.

 We served homemade lemon soda.

My mom offered to, and did, squeeze about 18 lemons.

I attempted to make a sunshine cake.
Fool-proof lemon curd filling here.
Cream cheese frosting here.

We had sunflowers and a sun balloon.

There's A tying a "1" balloon out front. 

For favors, we made "kaleidocycles" from Photojojo.

I think J enjoyed cake.

Gift time - what's in the big box?

 

Other fun photos - wud-up?

Food came into two parts. First, the BBQ. Tks for sister's potato salad & SIL's guac.

Part two was a bushel of crabs from Seafood in the Buff.

 

 

Oh, the carnage!

Tks for everyone coming to share in the festivities!

 

C-sections up, VBACs down

 If you read my birth-story, you'd know that I tried to have J "naturally" for at least 7 hours of medicine-free labor. Well, I did have that one dose…but it only lasted an hour…and I don't even remember it helping that much.

My doc came in at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. and said that I'd been pushing for 3 hours and suggested I have a C-section. My response: Just get him out!

I saw this article on Babble.com today titled "C-section Birth Trends: Why the rise in C-sections and the decrease in VBACs?" Some interesting facts:

• At Yale-New Haven Hospital, 36% of births in 2009 were by C-section. In 2003, it was 26%.
• Contrary to popular belief, very few moms actually choose a cesarean without a medical reason. In the Yale study, only 8% of the increase in C-sections could be attributed to moms' choice.
• In the mid-90s, 30% of moms were having VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean). Today, that number is 5-10%.
• VBACs are uncommon because of the worry of uterine rupture, even though last year the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said that, "a VBAC is a safe and appropriate choice for most women who have had a prior cesarean delivery". (I remember hearing this on the news during my recovery at the hospital.)
• An abnormal fetal heart rate is one of the most frequent triggers for the operating room. (I HATED being hooked up to the fetal monitor. It HURT to be on my back for 15-20 min as the nurses tried to get a "good" reading.) The other popular reason is mom’s slow or stalled labor. (That was me)

The article says that "C-sections are going up for what could be called subjective reasons." In my case, I don't think I could have pushed any longer and was happy to have the C-section. Though afterwards, I certainly experienced my share of baby blues because of it (feelings of failure, etc.).

I have considered whether I'd try a VBAC for my second, but that risk of uterine rupture concerns me. Mostly, I think I'd be scared since I already know what childbirth feels like. Maybe with an epidural I'd be ok though. But what if there's no time for one? The second one does come faster. Also, it can be challenging to find a hospital that performs VBAC because of legal reasons. I'd have to find a midwife and childbirth center probably.

I know a few moms who've had C-sections for their first child. I wonder if any of them had (or wants) a VBAC...

Early morning with J

{Click on photo to enlarge}

His hair is a little crazy (yet awesome) and he's still a bit drowsy. It's so nice to start the day with him.

Preview of a crab feast

After J's birthday lunch celebration, we want to keep things easy for dinner. We noticed this shady, kinda run-down place on Frederick Rd with a yellow van out front that read "Seafood in the Buff". Do we dare try it out in hopes that we could have a crab feast on Saturday night with the family? I went to my trusty friend, Yelp, for assurance that we weren't going to get bad crabs or worse -- pay a lot for bad crabs.

The crabs come in the requisite paper bag. We like our crabs steamed plain, no seasoning.

We lay down newspaper for easy cleanup.

The first few crabs were alright. Where were the eggs?

But for the last few, we hit the jackpot.

A is below, enjoying the harvest. I was nearly giddy when I opened my last crab. 

Verdict: We ordered 1/2 dozen (6+1) large, female crabs for $8. Great quality crabs. Shells were brittle, which meant easy to crack. Meat inside good. Eggs, even yummier. Can't wait to have them again on Saturday.

Preview of a birthday

Growing up, my family never made a hooplah out of birthdays. We did the same year every year - had dinner, opened presents, and then had cake - just with family. I should try to dig up a picture for every birthday my sister and I had growing up. Wouldn't that be fun?

Anyways, many say that J's one-year is more significant for us and the family than for him. I'd say that's partly true. J's one-year is significant for me because I've learned so much about myself as a wife and mother, so much about A as a husband and father, and so much about where the three (four including Coco) of us fit into the ever-growing extended family.

J's one-year is significant for him, whether he knows it or not right now. Just a few months ago, I was reflecting on the many changes J had gone through in his first six months - eating, sleeping, motor skills, and speech. He's now got four teeth (an update from the third tooth I felt last week). He's pulling himself up to stand, cruising from furniture to furniture (or from furniture to me or A), booking it up stairs, and babbling up to three "syllables". He loves when we brush his four teeth, he loves switching on and off lights, and he LOVES eating baby puffs. Before, he'd shove a baby puff in his mouth and mash it with his gums. Now, he picks them up with his forefinger and thumb and nibbles them with his front teeth. So cute!

Anyways, we are all looking forward to having a little celebration this weekend for J's one-year.

Comparing baby photos

Was looking through some of my baby photos and I came across this one:

Me, 2 years old

And the photo reminded me so much of J's love of flipping through albums, books, and binders. He also has the same large forehead as me. My mom says that means he's smart, though she never said I was smart ;).

J, 11-1/2 months old

And then I remember we have this baby photo of A:

A, age unknown

J certainly has the same build and chubby cheeks!

J, 2 months old

Chicken pot pie

One of A's favorite meals is chicken pot pie. He usually makes his version using store-bought crust, but I find the crust too buttery for my taste (not that my recipe is any less fatty). The first time I made chicken pot pie (not the picture shown above), I used a recipe from Bisquick. Just mix together mixed vegetables, chicken, cream of chicken, and salt/pepper/etc. The crust was supposed to be made using Bisquick mix + egg + milk. Guess what? I had no Bisquick and no egg in the fridge. I googled Bisquick substitutes (no, I couldn't use pancake mix because it doesn't have fat/crisco in it). It consisted of flour, baking powder, and oil. I may have added salt and sugar too. The egg substitute consisted of water, oil, and baking powder.

Result: Crust was flaky but I overdid it on the baking powder.

Second time around, I bought some Bisquick, Heart Smart version. Result (shown above): It was less crusty and more pancake/biscuit-like, which is to be expected since that is the Bisquick product. I poured a thin layer of batter into the ramekin and baked it for 15 min while preparing the chicken mixture. I then poured the chicken mixture in and topped it with a layer of batter. I found that only a thin layer of batter is necessary, otherwise you get a huge biscuit atop your chicken mixture.

I think next time I'll use the Bisquick substitute but use a real egg.

July 4th weekend

Spent the July 4th weekend at SIL & her hubby's in NJ. Unfortunately, J's recent crankiness had us on edge the whole weekend. We suspected teething, but it could have been anything. (Lo and behold, we felt a top tooth coming through on Wednesday.) He didn't want to sit still for meals, he didn't want to nap at his usual times, and he didn't want to fall asleep right away at night. But maybe also he was too excited and didn't want to miss any of the action.

Lesson learned: I have to roll with the punches. I have to let go of control of the environment and accept that maybe J isn't himself, and he doesn't want to sleep or nap. It's ok. Things will get back to "normal" - whatever that is.

Thanks to the SIL & her hubby for preparing some high-class BBQ fare. My other SIL also prepared some yummy kabobs. Drool over the pictures below!

Did someone say steak? I think everyone was only able to eat half of one.

Check out the steam rising from that corn!

Someone loves pate...and the Yankees.
"How shall I attack this piece of meat?"
 

That was some tender brisket. 

Kabobs and yummy salads - corn, plum tomatoes & avocado - blueberries, strawberries, and mango

J in his red, white & blue

Only one missing dog this weekend

  

Video - J loves the light

J loves it when we turn on and off lights. His reaction makes us smile too :)