13 Months 10.12.11

Wow, what a month!

Tillman has certainly been busy this month.  I texted Nick last night "T is dragging my curling iron all over the room and is busy playing!! It is funny how busy he is doing nothing!" Nick responded "like you say, he has his work to do too."  Tillman is more independent this month.  He will play by himself and keep himself busy.  Of course, he still needs to be watched (like a hawk) because he tends to get in things...well EVERYTHING!  His favorite toys are electrical cords, computers, trash cans, and the bathtub faucet (just to name a few)!

Tillman is at the phase of life of he is either on or off!  There is no in between these days.  He plays and goes 90 miles an hour, and then bam....he's asleep.  Tillman has adjusted to the new daycare room (rough month with that), and now takes a 1 to 2 hour nap during the day (no longer sleeps on the car ride home).  His bed time is still 7pm, and he generally wakes between 6-6:30am.  He's been a really good sleeper, and for that, we are very thankful!

This month brought lots of chatter.  He his constantly "talking."  Lots of new sounds and squealing have been heard this month, as before it was just "momma", "dada", and "bye bye". He's really dropped those words (except dada) and had just been rambling. 

With all that "talky" comes lots of "walky."  He is certainly a walky talky!  We've been playing outside a lot in the nice weather.  He enjoys walking outside and getting his hand dirty!  If there is dirt, Tillman will find it.   I think a sandbox is needed at our house.  He also enjoys his play set.  The slide and the steering wheel are his favorite!
Tillman has also had his fair share of doctor visits this month...4 visits!  He's had fever, stomach virus (and all the yuck that comes with that), rash/fever, and pink eye.  He even has to go back on Friday to get his second half of the flu shot. 

Tillman's 13 month stats
Weight: 9.5 kilograms (at the MUSC Children's After Hours Care...everything is in kilos)
Diaper size: 3-Little Movers during the day and size 4 at night
Clothing size: 12-18 month, but it varies by brand
Shoe size: 4.5-had him measured this month, and found his shoes were too small!
Food: Drinking whole milk and eating more table food. Drinking from a sippy cup and gets bottle at night and early morning.
Naps: In the new classroom, he's taking a 2 hour nap.
Sounds: Chatter box...loves to talk!
Playing: Walking, playing outside, not enjoying stroller rides as much, as he wants to get down, dirt, and enjoys exploring big boy toys (computers, daddy's road bike, power cords, etc)

12 months 9.12.11

Getting his finger pricked for the lead and iron test.
Didn't even cry and was a good bleeder!

Our toddler visited Dr. Clifford for his one year check up.  He got a "clean bill of health;" his iron was a little low. We were glad to hear that he had clear ears (finally).  Dr. Clifford said that we could try to get him off of Zyrtec and see how he tolerates it.  I think we're going to wait until we feel like the allergy season is done before we do that though.

We discussed some of our concerns with daycare with the doctor.  TV has always been a huge dislike for us. He moved to a new class this week in daycare.  This room has a TV.  Although very small and way up in the air, it is on some parts of the day, and we feel it is used as a (potitially) babysitter. When Nick went to pick up Tillman, the "substitute" teacher had the kids sitting at the table, she was reading a magazine, and the kids were watching the TV (no toys in front of them or anything). Of course that didn't go over well to see this, but Dr. Clifford reassured us that Tillman didn't strike him as one of those kids that is going to be captivated by the TV.  He said some children he worries about, but by the way Tillman was expressing himself in the exam room (absolutely bouncing off the walls!), he wasn't concerned. Although, it doesn't excuse the situation at the daycare, Dr. Clifford did make us feel better about our situation.

This is only a still shot of
Tillman, the busy body!
(singing, dancing, wiggling, giggling...)

The transition to this new room has been rough on us all-Tillman, the new teachers/class, Nick and me!  We were told on a Thursday that he'd move the following Monday to a new class.  They don't transition slowly (like let him meet the teachers, spend an afternoon in that class, etc)...just cold turkey!  We asked him how we as parents could help with this transition.  My natural reaction is to drop him off as late as possible and pick him up as soon as possible, but that isn't practical!  Dr. Clifford suggested us dropping him off quick! Nick thought he would get a chance this morning to try it out, but Tillman was asleep in his car seat, so I'm anxious to find out how he responded when he woke.  I'm probably going to call the daycare soon to get a report (no, I can't wait until pick up time!)!

Ouch lady!

Dispite all efforts to combat the immunization fever (Advil before his shots and consistently after), Tillman woke up with a 102 fever.  Tiny T got to play hookie from daycare, which I'm sure he was stoked about! He actually ran the fever consistently all day long.  He received the Hib, PCV, and 1/2 of the flu shot (since he is too young for a full shot or the nasal mist). I called the doctor's office to make sure the fever was normal.  The poor child was burning up and the Advil was not helping. When 3pm rolled around and he vomited, I called back.  They didn't return my call until 7pm, and by that time we were at the MUSC Children's After Hours Care being seen.  Dr. Baker did several test and all came back negative.  He said it was solely related to the shots, but we did discover that the dosage on Advil the bottle isn't the right amount when looking at his weight.  I wasn't given him enough each time.  They gave him a dose of Motin before we left (not sure how much of it went down the hatch because he was fussy and spitting it out). 

102 Fever Boy!

After leaving there, we stopped by to visit with Greg, Nick's friend. He is very in-tuned to people's energy (I'm sure this has a title), so he offered to take a look at Tillman. Tillman was really fussy and just uncomfortable.  As soon as Greg touched Tillman, he went silent and genuinely looked "at peace." Greg said he sensed that Tillman's liver and spleen were having trouble, but that is normal when  processing/ fighting/ building immunity when given a vaccine. When we got home, Tillman was very sweaty since his fever broke.  NOW....I don't know if it was the Motin or what Greg did, but Tillman was doing much better and was fever free! 

Tillman's 12 month stats:

Weight: 21.15 lbs (25th percentile)

Height: 29.5 inches (41st percentile)

Head Circumference: 17.9 inches (24th percentile)

BMI: 17

Diaper size: 3-Little Movers

Clothing size: 12-18 month, but it varies by brand

Shoe size: 3--doesn't walk in shoes...only bare feet.

Food: Drinking whole milk and eating cutting up small piece of food (banana, mango, melons) and eating more table food.  Drinking from a sippy cup and gets bottle at night and early morning.

Naps: In the new classroom, naps are taken at 11AM...Tillman will take an hour nap.

Sounds: New word/sound is "ut oh." He's still saying DaDa, BaBa, Bye Bye, and MaMa.

Playing: WALKING!!!!!, busting off child-proof locks, crawling when he needs to get some place fast!

How can it be?

8.28.11

Thursday is the 1st day of September.  I can't believe in 13 days Tillman will be a 1 year old. The party planning has begun, the date has been set, the theme has been chosen, etc. The closer the time comes the more mixed my emotions are about our baby turning 1.  Yes, it is exciting that he is growing up, but on the same note...HE'S GROWING UP!

It was reported yesterday that he took 5 steps at daycare, and he has a nice bruise on his forehead to prove his efforts of taking steps (he smacked the coffee table while showing off while Skyping with MiMi).

Speaking of reports from daycare, the teachers never just come out and say "oh mom, he took 5 steps today." They never give reports on milestones unless I specifically ask.  It makes me wonder if they are reluctant to tell me since they may be seeing a milestone for the first time (before mom and dad). If I say, "have you guys seen him takes some steps? He was taking steps this weekend." They will gladly speak up and say "oh yeah, he walked from the refrigerator to the jumperoo after his nap today."  If I wouldn't have said a thing, would they have told me?  I know that we won't be there for everything, but I'd at least like a full (uncensored) report.

Ok...so I wouldn't be a MOM if I didn't say, I hate to miss those milestones/be there first hand with the video camera capturing everything the moment it first happens, but at the same time I'd also would hate to live in a tent, so I guess our situation won't change, and mommy and daddy will continue to work! As my maternal Grandfather used to say "children have their work to do too," and Tillman's job is to give those daycare ladies a run for their money!  After all, I'm sure by the time he hits first grade he will have a well boost immune system (we're currently on ear infection #3) and (hopefully) won't be that kid in the carpool line screaming since he's never been away from mommy/daddy. 

When Tillman goes into daycare, he knows the routine, and goes with open arms to his teachers.  In September, he will be moving to a new class, so interesting times to come with a new set of teachers and going from the oldest kiddo in the room to the youngest.

September will be a big month for sure!