Since we were in Kansas when Liam turned one, we are just now getting around to his 1 year check up. The picture above is from his weigh-in! Apologies for the fuzzy picture. He was too busy playing with his truck to pose for mom! Anyway, here's what we learned:
- Weight: 22.38 lbs... believe it or not, only the 34 %-tile, which seems crazy because this boy is a chunk compared to Elizabeth at this age who was always in the mid-range percentile!
- Height: 30'' and 43 %-tile
- Head: 18.9'' and 85 %-tile
The doctor also wasn't at all concerned that he wasn't walking yet. The important thing is that he's making progress. "We all go at our pace," she reminded me. And he is still well into the range of what is considered perfectly normal. She had me show her how he "cruises" (which he's doing great at these days), and she predicted he'd be walking in a month or two.
The doctor was also very impressed with his verbal skills. As soon as she walked in, he pointed right to the door and said "Go! Go!" LOL! We all laughed! I mentioned that he wasn't talking "as much" as older sister was at this age, but the doctor said not to compare--that boys typically develop a little slower in the verbal department, but that his verbal skills were actually ahead of the game. I also mentioned how (like Elizabeth) he goes through phases where he'll say a few words over and over again, and then suddenly just stop saying them. Again, she said this was very normal--lots of babies do the same thing; they practice until they feel confident, and then focus on something else.
Right now, Liam has been working on the following words which we hear a LOT:
+Uh-Oh +Cack-a (cracker) +Go +Hey or Hi (which he says to people, or sometimes pretending to talk on the phone, a new favorite game!)
We often hear these words:
+Dada/mama/baba +"Dis" and "Dat" (which he says while pointing to things, we think he means "this" or "that" but not sure), +Ball and Goal (we hadn't heard these in at least a month, at least not in context... but they've since returned)
And occasionally we hear:
+Go-gur (for yogurt) +Car +Tar (for Star) +"Gog" or "Gogga" or "Goggy" for Dog or Doggy +I think he's saying "Caaaa" for Cat, but still not sure +kick it or ge-it (get it) +Ahh-dooo (all done) +Cack-Cack-Cack for duck, and I think he is close to "moooing" for cow.
He signs some, but I haven't been as consistent about signing w/him as I did with Elizabeth. He has down "all-done," "more" and more recently "eat" and "water."
He really does understand SO much these days. If you ask him where his head, belly, teeth, or ear is, he'll show you... if he feels like it. And when you ask him where things are (whether they are animals or objects, etc), he'll look right at it, or crawl right to it, or occasionally point it out in a book. If you ask him to high-five, he'll do it and laugh and laugh! It's really amazing how quickly they learn and absorb everything!
As far as personality goes, he continues to be the sweetest, most tender-hearted little guy! He gets very upset over lots of little things and can just cry and cry. Very sensitive and hesitant about things. He's very laid back and loves to relax or cuddle. At the same time, he has a temper and throws little fits when he doesn't get his way. He can be pretty fussy/clingy at times and he continues to just wail and wail if he sees me leave the room. He loves to be held and is definitely spoiled by his mama!
Liam and Elizabeth have started wrestling... a LOT! They have so much fun--they climb and pounce and laugh and laugh! He even did some sort of pile-driver move on her the other day! And I have a sinking suspicion this is only the beginning... oh my!
His favorite things continue to be cars, trucks, airplanes, balls, and really anything that moves! We've started reading "Big Boy" books at night, and his favorite is "Go Dog Go!" It combines two of his favorite things--dogs and cars! I often wonder what he is thinking. He sucks his thumb the whole time while I read it, but even with his thumb in his mouth I can see him grin and light up at different places. It is precious.
Anyway, as we were leaving the appointment, the doctor said, "He's perfect!" And really, I can't put it any better! I have TWO healthy, happy kiddos! Doesn't get any better than that!
Liam, we love you and are so thankful that you are healthy and growing and learning new things each day! I'm so thankful that I'm your mommy! I love you more than words can express! And I can't wait to see what the next year will hold!
