Walking with the Cooks: Happy 15 months!

Whew! Can it have already been three months since Sarah turned one? Her little personality is really starting to develop and we are even starting to see her exert her power of choice, for better or worse. While her little will does mean there are great teaching moments and usually discipline, it also means we are getting to know her in an all new way. She is a real person!

Weight: 22lbs 13oz (50th percentile)
Height: 30.75in (60th percentile)
Head: 18.75in (90th percentile)
Diaper: size 4
Clothes: 18 months and growing, shoe size 4

Likes: music and dancing, making laps around the kitchen table, toys that make noise (we actually enjoy them too!), snuggles (for the first time in her life), asking for more, playing with big kids.

Dislikes: being told she can't type on the computer, doctors touching (or maybe even merely making eye contact with) her, and the paper on the seat at the doctor's office.

Schedule: We are much more able to play her day by ear at this point. She usually still wakes up around 7:30, but depending on what time we put her down this can vary. During the day she continues to eat 3 meals of milk and food and finishes the day with a final drink of milk before bed. We are in a nap transition, so some days she gets two naps, sometimes just one. It is also quite contingent on when we are out for our weekly meetings. Certainly not the cut and dry schedule of her first year!

Eating time: Sarah continues to be a great eater. We have learned that in the morning she likes her milk warm while her toes are cold. At least one meal a day she eats a ton. During lunch today she ate a whole grilled cheese sandwich, a small bowl of applesauce, and english peas for as long as her little fingers could sign for more. It was a lot of food! She is still eating most of her normal things with pretty much any of our table foods that we are willing to share. While she isn't too picky, sometimes she likes variety and will say she is finished with one dish, then ask for more with the hopes of scoring something new. Clever :)

Talking: Sarah is saying something all the time, it just isn't normally anything we English speakers understand. Her latest word/sound is "hi." She says is all the time, sometimes even in context, and especially likes when we will whisper it back and forth with her. Other than that she isn't saying much. "Mama" and "Dada" are in her vocabulary, but I don't think she knows they are us. She has also be working on "dog" and says the same thing every time, but it doesn't sound like dog. The doctor said that she isn't technically behind at this point, but if she doesn't make some progress by the next visit they would recommend early intervention. Thankfully, she sees and hears just fine from what we can tell, so the doctor was optimistic that Sarah will be talking soon.

Walking: This is a feat we are also conquering. She has been cruising the furniture for months, as well as walking with support on both hands. In the past couple of weeks she has gotten brave enough to walk holding only one of our hands (though she prefers to have a something, like a toy, to hold in her other hand). This still puts her a little behind the curve, but since she is making progress and has strong standing legs, the doctor said there shouldn't be anything to worry over and she should definitely be walking by her 18 month visit. And hopefully in the next month!

Teething: No new teeth lately. The doctor did point out that most 15 monthers have 4-6 more teeth at this age.

Croup: We were 8 days from not seeing the doctor between visits! Alas, Sarah acquired a nasty case of croup that sent us to the doctor early Columbus day morning. We now are proud owners of a humidifier and a full bag of tricks for opening a virally closed airway. They also gave us a prescription for steroids. Interestingly, at this visit she weighed 23lbs 1oz, with clothes on.

At today's appointment: This morning Sarah received her flu vaccine, along with MMR and chicken pox. We are keeping an eye out for a somewhat normal reaction to the chicken pox vaccine. This is also the visit that used to be linked to autism, but we were confident about going ahead with the vaccine. All in all, this visit gave us a lot to talk about with the doctor and she had some great advice as Sarah matures. At her direction, we are going to start using a fork and spoon and maybe get her something to push around.

Next appointment: Her 18 month well baby visit is scheduled for Tuesday, January 17th.