Saturday, February 27, 2010

15 months.

Er, well, 15 and 1/2. I'm kind of a blog slacker these days, it appears. Theo had his 15 month check up last week and he's doing great! He's kind of a peanut (though he has roly poly thighs) and is in the 15th% for weight and the 27th% for height. Dr. R was very pleased with his growth and our report of how he eats, so we aren't worried. We talked about the next steps on his vaccine schedule and he didn't get any this time. We talked about possibly starting the DTaP, but while she was discussing the side effects and as my research was running through my brain, my breathing got heavy, my heart was pounding and I may have started to break out in hives. So, she said she would not give it to him today because I was obviously uncomfortable and she wasn't going to do anything I wasn't totally ok with. Have I mentioned how much I love our ped? So, I think we are going to wait until 2 when then blood brain barrier is closed to start it. The side effects for that one are neurological, so after our risk/benefit analysis, we decided to wait. The only other one we chatted about was Prevnar, but she told us that there is a new strain out there NOT covered by the current Prevnar, rendering the current vaccine useless. A new one was just approved yesterday, but it's not available yet. We'll revisit when it is. So, no shots for the big guy!

Here are some highlights for Theo's little life at 15 months:

- Finally seems to have caught on to sign language. Can sign "please", "more" and "all done." You know, the important ones.
- Says "dog", which sounds like "duh."
- Can identify a few things in his favorite books.
- Is a rockstar at the shape sorter.
- Can do two puzzles, the wooden kind with the knobs.
- LOVES to read. Will bring you book after book and sign "please."
- Has still not been given cow's milk.
- Is still not allowed to see TV. (Mean moms!)
- Can follow directions.
- Is in love with his pets.
- Goes to sleep beautifully, but thinks 5am (or earlier!) is a fabulous time to wake up.
- Is undergoing more Sleep Lady work to learn to nap in his crib for more than 40 minutes.
- Loves to be outside.
- Eats things I am sure Susan didn't even try until she met me: enchiladas, mexican lasagna, shrimp curry, meatloaf, homemade mac and cheese, veggie dogs, etc. The boy will eat just about anything.
- Will be an engineer one day. He is fascinated with how things work.
- Is still breastfeeding.

And, about that last one. I have a feeling this will be ending soon. A few weeks ago, I noticed he had no interest in the morning or afternoon nursing. He'd latch for a second, all the while looking around and then unlatch and squirm to get off my lap and onto something much more interesting. We are down to nursing only before bed or in the event of a major tragedy (hitting his head or being told we don't want him to reprogram the dishwasher). The baby who used to nurse every 1.5-2 hours around the clock, is now down to once a day.

I have mixed feelings. My goal before I ever had kids was six months. Then I got pregnant, did research and decided my goal was a year. Then he was born and we started off on the long road of breastfeeding hell and my goal was just to make it through the next feeding. Then I decided I'd love to make it to 2, but would let him take the lead after a year. And, I have. I feel good about following his cues with nursing and letting him set the pace. When it ends, I will be sad. I have a lump in my throat now just typing this. On the other hand, it will be nice not to have to be here every single night at 7 because I have to put him to bed (not that I will probably be anywhere else, but options are nice). It will be nice to have my body back. I will have a twinge of failure if we don't make it to 2, but I can't MAKE him go any longer than he wants. I'm available until he's two, but if he decides he's done before then, so be it. A year was the finish line - the last 3 months have been a victory lap. I do hope for a few more. I even whispered to him tonight as he was more distractible than usual, "please don't end it yet, buddy. Mama's not ready." He smiled.

So, that's his update. Growing, laughing, loving and we are enjoying every second!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Tolerance.

So, he may be completely annoying, but I am pretty sure we have the most tolerant cat on the planet. I wish you could have sound effects with these photos, as Theo has taken to letting off a primal scream before he tackles Otis to the ground with a big smile.


Hey there, Otis. Come here.
Lay down!
How's about a little knee drop action for ya?
No Mama, I am being gentle.
How you like me now?
Ok, ok, I'll let you up.
I love you, Otis.
Hey, come back! I gotta tell you something.
I guess we'll have to keep him (Otis, that is).

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Thursday, February 4, 2010

He's in!

Our little guy has been accepted to preschool for the fall! We are so excited! The lottery was supposed to be yesterday, but because of the "snow" it was postponed. The director was kind enough to email me so that I didn't have to go up to the school to see the list.

So, in September, Theo will be attending St. Andrew's Preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9-12. Wahoo!

And, yes, it is a church based program. We thought long and hard about this decision, as we are not a religious family and do not want Theo indoctrinated into any sort of religion. And, obviously, families like ours aren't always warmly welcomed in overly religious settings (and that is putting it very nicely). We met with the director and staff and asked very direct questions and were pleased with their responses. Theo's education is very important to us and this program is VERY highly regarded. But. Our primary concern is his well-being and we won't send him to preschool at any cost. After meeting with them and talking it over, we decided to apply and try it out. It seems as though most of their focus is on playing and learning, not religion, so hopefully that will be ok. And, we are ok with Theo learning about Christianity from a historical perspective, we just want to wait until much later to expose him to very much, when he can make his own choice. And yeah, he'll be two years old, so I doubt he will come home a preschool prophet. :) Hopefully the other families will receive us well - we will be the very first same sex family. Hey, I always enjoy being a trailblazer.

Thanks for all the finger crossing, it worked!