Monday, May 25, 2009

1 year update

Wow - it's been over a month since my last post. Motherhood has been keeping me busy, but there are lots of fun new things that are a part of Jonas' life, so I must take time to report. Since it's so hard to get Jonas to entertain himself while I post, the info below rambles and is in no particular order. I'm lucky to spellcheck before posting!!!!

Shoes are his new plaything. He will go around the house picking up shoes and moving them. Sometimes just one; sometimes, it's the pair. It's funny enough when he has my shoes, but it's really a riot when he picks Ed's shoes. They are so big that they almost drag the floor. I can't imagine how he has the strength to carry those heavy size 12 loafers around. We went to 2 shoe stores today, and it was nirvana for him, especially the women's shoes. I'm proud to say that he picked out the sandals with the most bling - rinestones and all! Sadly, he was chewing on them.

Ed thinks that Jonas has begun to say "dad" whenever he picks him up. This is a big deal because it was one of those items on the developmental "test" that I fill out at the pediatrician's office. At the one-year well visit, the doc told me that most 12 month-olds can use the words "dada" and "mama" to refer to the parents. We are training Jonas to say "poppa" but this is much harder to pronounce.

He does this thing with his mouth - sucking on his top lip - unfortunate, since he barely has a top lip. He has the "Meyer" upper lip from his paternal grandmother's side of the family.

If I thought he was a loud child before, I've been corrected. He is NOW a loud child. When he's excited or frustrated by something, he screams a very high-pitched loud scream. When crawling under chairs or behind furniture, he will often get stuck. Watch out for those screams. He sounds enraged and fearful all at the same time. And he's just beginning to show a temper. When you take something away from him that had entranced him (but was maybe not something he should be chewing, like the old batteries I had just finished changing out of a toy), he will scream in outrage. As of now, these outbursts are short lived.

He can also scream when he wants something, like juice. We don't let him hang on to his cup while in the highchair because he will just use it to smear his food. It gets all greasy and food encrusted, and then he flings it onto the floor so that it spatters food particles on the wall and baseboards.

About eating - he's somewhat picky, but will usually try anything. Unless it's an ice cream bar or cake, he must put it in his own mouth. We've been giving him kiddie utensils, but these are still seen as toys and often end up on the floor. Some things that he's always happy to eat: olives, bread of any kind, french toast (no syrup yet), beans, cottage cheese, and anything sweet. He loves to suck on, and squeeze in his fists, tomatoes and orange slices.

His length is in the 50th percentile, but his weight is low, as is his head circumference. He's still breastfeeding, but I am trying to wean him. We have regressed with his nighttime sleeping habits - he is back in our bed. He loves to cuddle when he sleeps, and prefers to "snack" all night long. We are trying to re-orient him to sleeping in his room and crib slowly - for both naps and overnight. Everything we've heard about it getting harder as he ages is right. But I know it's still easier now than when he gets to be more independent and willful.