Twelve Month Dr Appt

Twelve Month Dr Appt

Today was William's twelve month appointment. He weighs 21lb 8oz (53%). He was measured at 20in long (52%).  His head measured at 18.25 around (58%). Will is comfy in the "normal/average" zone with all of his measurements!

She listened to his heart & lungs and looked in his eyes & ears, which are all great. Except that Will has an ear infection in his right ear. He hasn't shown any signs... or we just passed them off as teething fussiness. He's on antibiotics for the next ten days that should clear everything right up (going back Jan. 2 to check him again). Will was not excited to show Dr. Nash his teeth, but he loved the light she had. Crazy that he didn't have any teeth at his 9mo appt, but he has six teeth full in and three more poking through now! With his red hair, fair skin, & sensitive skin gene from his mama, William has patches of baby eczema all over. Dr. Nash told us to stop using his J&J after bath lotion and use Cetaphil instead. She also wrote him a prescription to help clear up the redness. The eczema does not seem to bother him, but I'm sure the dry skin can't be comfortable.

Because Will is a year now, no foods are off limits. He can have whole milk now (organic/non-hormone is recommended). He still needs dairy, but it doesn't have to all from breastmilk/formula. It can come from yogurt, cheeses, whole milk, etc. Will is enjoying eating table food with us and is right where he needs to be developmentally.

Count 'em: FOUR shots today! He has tree vaccines and his flu shot booster. Plus (this was the saddest of it all), they had to draw blood to check his levels and check for anemia. Two nurses and Bret & I had to work together to hold him still so they could get two vials from him. In true William fashion, he was upset while it happened & but was smiles again as soon as it was over. He has such a pleasant demeanor!

According to our doctor, what we need to be working on between now & his next appointment (15 month appointment)

-cuddles, love, and snuggling :)

-reading to William each day - language development!!

-encourage talking & praise William for trying to communicate

-start talking about and naming different body parts & animal sounds

-maintain a bedtime routine & putting baby to bed when they are awake so they can self-soothe

-encourage independent play for William as well as playing with others, promote sharing & kindness

-be consistent with discipline; most of the time distraction can be a discipline took; time-out (one minute for each year of age)

Upcoming milestones to watch for:

-respond to his name and possibly understanding a few words

-pick up, shake, throw, and bang objects together

-may show preference for one hand, but will usually try both hands on and off (Bret is still hoping for a lefty)

-starting to understand the meaning of "no", try not to overuse it (use redirection instead)