Monday 25 April 2016

One year old

So yeah, I'm almost a full month late with Q's one year update.  For excuses, choose any of the following: a) both he and I have been sick pretty much non-stop since he started daycare, b) I've been back to work for three weeks and am finding the transition to being a working mom super hectic, c) due to a) and b) I've been in bed by 9 o'clock most nights and blogging has definitely not been a priority.  Whatever.  Now, on to the good stuff!

Stats:  At his one year checkup he was 20.5 pounds and 30 inches.  He's grown quite a bit height-wise, but has gained only about a pound or so since his last checkup.  The pediatrician didn't say a word about it, and I'm chalking it up to the fact that he learned to walk at 10.5 months and has literally not stopped moving since.  I gotta get a Fitbit for this kid.  I figure he logs more steps than I do most days!

Taking a brief rest in the dog bed.

Eating:  Right now I'm still breastfeeding first thing in the morning and last thing before bed.  I never had any firm plans about when I would stop, although I'm definitely not in the extended breastfeeding camp.  I'm surprised I'm still doing it at all, actually, but I've learned that when you have a kid that wakes at 5:30am and your alarm doesn't go off until 6, it's kind of handy to be able to bring him to bed and stuff a boob in his mouth for a little while before starting the day.  As for bedtime, nursing is part of our nightly routine but I'm sure I could cut it out any time.  I was out one day last week and M managed just fine without ta-tas, so this will probably be the next feeding to go.  Although I do like my cuddles at the end of the day, since it's one of the only times Q is happy to lie still in my arms and be snuggled.

Regular food wise, we're still doing well.  He's taken to cow's milk really easily and will drink either that or water with meals or snacks no problem.  Q isn't generally picky, although I've discovered that he can be unpredictable about when he'll eat something.  For instance, pasta with chicken can be amazing one night, but if we have leftovers of the same thing a night or two later it ends up being thrown on the floor to the dog.  He feeds himself pretty much everything now except for stuff that has to be eaten with a spoon (i.e. yogurt), in which case two spoons are a necessity because he's constantly grabbing for the one you're trying to feed him with.  He also really really wants to eat whatever it is the adults are eating, or he throws a mini-tantrum.  M's mom was passing around appetizers one evening before dinner at their place and Q seemed interested.  I tried to break him off a piece of my cracker but NO SIREE he was not having it.  We couldn't figure out why he was losing his mind until M's brother helpfully suggested that maybe he wanted to take his own cracker off the plate.  Which turned out to be exactly what he wanted to do.  This kid definitely has a determined streak, that's for sure!

Your phone.  GIVE IT TO MEEEEEE!

Sleeping:  Sleep is actually a ton better now that Q is in daycare.  They ended up transitioning him to one midday nap, which means I don't have to deal with fighting to put him down anymore since on weekends he's zonked enough by noon to go down without a fight.  Although as I've learned from many parents, he still sleeps better/longer for them that he's ever done for me.  This past Friday he took a three hour nap at daycare.  I can literally count on one hand the number of times he's done that for me.  Actually, no hands.  Because it's zero.  Regardless, he comes home happy and rested and then goes to bed happily at 7pm and sleeps through.  If he wakes and fusses we know there's something wrong (i.e. teething, getting sick) because he does it so rarely.  I'd still love to sleep past 5:30am sometime in the next year or so, but hey let's not be greedy.

Clothes:  He's still in mostly 6-12 month stuff at this point, although anything that has a crotch snap is starting to look a little tight.  He's probably going to be in mostly separates from this point out, since he's way bigger on top than on bottom.  He can wear 12-18 month tops but his little skinny waist and short legs mean that he's still wearing some 9 month bottoms.  So much for all those cute matching outfits people gave us!

Diapers:  Still Pampers Baby Dry size 3.  Although he's had a couple of blowout poops at daycare in the last week or two, so the next time I pick up a box I may try size 4 and see how we do.

Likes: Bathtime, every possible kind of fruit, playing with all kinds of things that aren't toys (remotes, phones, keys, the entire contents of the kitchen drawers and cupboards), climbing stairs, general mayhem

What?  I fit.

Dislikes: Sitting still, being stopped from doing something that will inevitably result in injury (like standing on the seat of his push toy)

Milestones:  Q has been on the move pretty much non-stop since he started walking.  Before I went back to work, I felt like 87% of my day was spent trying to stop him from accidentally killing himself, and the other 13% went to essentials like feeding and changing him.  He's an incredibly physical kid, and people regularly express surprise at how well he's charging around for his age.  On the flip side, I feel like his communication skills are lagging a little.  He still doesn't have any words (not even mama or dada), and trying to engage him in activities like reading or singing songs is pretty much an exercise in futility, as he'd much rather be emptying the spice rack or pushing the dining room chairs all over the house.  For a short while I scared myself thinking that he was showing signs of autism (since he regularly does things like ignore me when I call to him and he prefers playing with household items over soft toys or stuffed animals), but thankfully Isabelle talked some sense into me.  He's definitely communicating in other ways, such as lifting his arms to he picked up and waving bye-bye, and he understands a ton.  For instance, one day he took off his own sock and when I told him to put it back on, he just kind of draped it over the top of his foot and looked at me like, "What?  This is the best I can do."  He also loves to roar when you ask him what sound a dinosaur makes, which is so cute I can't even stand it.  His pediatrician would like to hear him babbling more, but honestly we talk to him all the time so I don't know that there's much more we can do at this point.  I'm keeping an eye on things, but he's so social and interactive I keep telling myself I have no reason to worry.  He warms up to people pretty quickly and loves being out and about where he can give big grins to everyone (just ask Gypsy Mama, who got a few snuggles when we met up for lunch a couple of weeks ago).

Illnesses:  After having made it all the way to 11 months with Q never having a fever, he made up for it by catching every bug known to man after he started daycare.  He's been sent home from there at least three times in the past 6 weeks (including on my very first day of work) with fevers, and we've made two emergency room visits for inconsolable crying which of course always seems to happen on the weekend.  The worst part is that Q actually ended up missing his own birthday party because he was getting sick again.  It wasn't going to be a huge affair, but my parents were coming for a visit so we were having some family and a couple of close friends over for an early dinner and cake.  A friend of mine who has done some cake decorating classes offered to make him a smash cake, and I made a big crockpot of chili and had games planned for the three other kids who were going to be there.  

Look at this piece of art!

Instead, M and I ended up taking turns trying to soothe Q (who had refused to nap that afternoon and went into full meltdown mode by the time people started arriving) and my mom and MIL basically made sure everyone got fed and were entertained for an hour before they went home.  It was an unmitigated disaster!  We ended up in the ER later that night with a feverish baby, while the beautiful unsmashed cake went into the freezer and the gifts went unopened.  The following weekend we had just the grandparents over for round two, so Q finally got to smash his cake and open his gifts.  It sucked at the time but I guess it'll make a good story to tell at some point down the road!

Tastes just as good a week later.

Looking forward to: Finding our new normal.  It's been challenging trying to balance everything now that I've returned to work.  The two hours between 5 and 7pm are filled with so much stuff (commuting, day care pickup, dog walking, dinner prep, cleanup, playtime, bathtime, bed) that we're still figuring out how to manage it all.  The crockpot (which I used a lot before anyway) is becoming even more of a staple, and certain favorite meals are going to have to be put to the side or saved for weekends only because anything that takes longer than a half hour to put together just isn't going to happen on a weeknight anymore.  I honestly don't know how single moms or people with more than one kid manage to do it all!

20 comments:

  1. Q sounds like he is doing fantastic! That's too bad about his birthday party, poor guy (and poor you), but at least he got to celebrate later with grandparents. The first party is mostly for the adults anyway. What a beautiful cake. AJ is the opposite of Q in that she talked early and quickly developed vocabulary and a love of books, but she took a long time to get interested in moving around. She has only gotten excited about walking the past month or so (and she's 18 months on Friday). I think it all just proves that babies are unique and they focus on what matters to them. I'm glad Isabelle could reassure you though! The hectic evenings can be hard; after a while you learn some hacks. In our case, one parent focuses on baby while the other focuses on dinner. If we are really organized we have planned our meals and/or have something prepped but we are not always that organized. Most evenings we can put AJ in her high chair with a snack and/or some tupperware and her baby lego and then that lets both of us multitask for a while. Teamwork is everything! Keep us up to date on your progress when you have a chance.

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  2. Happy birthday, Q! He is so adorable! No wonder he doesn't have time to chat--he's so busy! I have no doubt he'll be talking your ear off in no time. I'm sorry the birthday party didn't go as planned, but that cake was just as gorgeous (and tasty, I'm sure) a week later. And yay sleep! I've been looking for work here, just part time, and I'm already dreading that kind of change to our routine. Sounds like you guys are adjusting, and I'm sure you'll find your new rhythm.

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  3. Happy birthday Q! You sound a lot like SB, I'm sure you two would have fun together exploring the world, and in particular the kitchen cabinets!
    Sorry about all the illnesses. Jan-Feb was awful for us, too. I keep telling myself it strengthens their immune system. After 6 months I now have the feeling I have some parts of this working mom thing figured out... (until something goes wrong)
    SB still nurses happily at 18 months, with no signs of stopping. I wasn't exactly planning that... we'll see where it goes. But that cake looks awesome! I'm sure she'd take that instead of milk, too ;)

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  4. Happy belated birthday Q!! And to all of you too! I'm sorry he got sick on his birthday and had to miss his party. That does suck all around. But it will make for a good story (She-Beat had ear surgery to remove a cholesteotoma on her 2nd birthday....so stories all around).

    It is challenging to adjust to the new normal. We're still adjusting too, so be kind to yourself as you find balance and celebrate the small victories. Like napping (OMG, hooray!!!!!), Q making friends (he will) and knowing that you'll all have the immune system of the gods for a lifetime (please remind me of this too).

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  5. Oh my gosh. TWINS. Literally EVERYTHING! He suddenly became picky with food. What he loves one night goes to the dog the next. He naps SO much better at daycare than at home. He is also behind in speech and communication...even sign language which they do a lot at daycare. He just doesn't have time to sit still. No need for books or songs, there is too much dangerous stuff to explore! And though Garrison did make it to his birthday party, he puked ALLLLL over me that night. Twins!

    Happy birthday to your little man. What a wonderful, amazing year. Hoping the warmer temps will help with the sickness and you can find a new normal soon!

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  6. Happy birthday to Q! Good thing is he doesn't know when his real birthday is so I'm sure the cake was fun to him a week later :)

    I can hear myself in this post for sure!! I always tell my hubby I have no idea how single parents do it. Also that couple of hours in the evening is a tough one, there just isn't enough time in the day it seems. I wait all week for Saturday!

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  7. Going back to work is such a huge adjustment! I am impressed that you manage to walk the dog in addition to everything else that has to get done between 5-7. Our poor dogs have definitely missed out on more than a few walks. When they do go, usually Andino will take them while I do the bedtime routine with Paloma.

    Sorry to hear Q was sick for his bday party, but looks like he still enjoyed his cake!

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  8. My crazy Toddler boy is exactly the same. He is SO busy and always has been. He has no time or patience for anything that requires him to be still. He would so much rather be upending my entire house than literally anything else in the world, including eating a proper meal. If we get him to the table he eats standing on a chair because he just doesn't have time to sit, apparently. If it wasn't for the dogs I would just leave a plate of food out for him haha

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  9. I have the same concerns over the breastfeeding transitions. During the week, I'm really only feeding in the morning and evening, so the next step is to continue that schedule on the weekends. I'm happy to give up the evening feeding, as before I went back to work Hubby would give her the daily bottle and would put her to bed, which would give me some precious alone time. For the most part she wakes up around 6, but some mornings it's 5;30 and it's nice to just bring her back to bed to nurse and I might get in a little extra shut eye. Better yet, somethings she falls back asleep. That's going to be the hardest for me to give up. I tried giving her a bottle while we were in my bed, but she figured out how to loosen the collar and dumped most of it into my bed... not going to work... My slow cooker has become my new best friend. I've sometimes used it twice in one week. I've started preparing a few of our favourite recepies in batches by preparing all spices and dry ingredients in small containers. As it's so time consuming to open and close all spice containers, it's good to make up 3 or 4 at a time and then they're ready to go. I think we're going to upgrate to a new unit that has a timer.

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  10. Q is so adorable! He sounds like he is doing great. Don't worry about the talking stuff- he still has MONTHS to go before you should be worried. If he is super athletic then possibly a lot of his energy is going into that as opposed to talking.

    That looked like a gorgeous cake! Good thing he won't remember missing his birthday. Daycare does a number on kids with illnesses. I keep reminding myself that she is going to have great immunity in a few years!

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  11. Yay! I'm glad he got his first birthday cake, even though it was late ;) Oh, well, right? It will make a good story! Daycare has some crazy illnesses! And I hate how all the scary stuff happens on the weekends... or 11:00 at night. Sounds like he's doing great though!

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