Markus 12 month check-up & updates

We forgot to update with Markus' 12 month stats! We took him in for the first dose of the flu shot on 11/7 (children his age need 2 shots, at least one month apart. I am making him appt. for dose #2 soon). Then on 11/21, we took him back in for his regular check-up. It had been 3 months, so we were anxious to see how much he'd grown and how his development was measuring up.

12 month stats
Height/length: 31.5 in
Weight: 31 lbs, 2 oz (!!!!!)
Head circumference: 19 3/4 in
Vaccines: chicken pox, Hep A, Prevnar

So...needless to say our little guy is not so little anymore! Markus' weight is now so far off the charts for baby boys his age that the pediatrician is concerned. We (I) did get a lecture about feeding him. We're to give him 3 meals a day sitting in his high chair or stroller (whichever I can manage with my growing belly, especially considering his hefty weight and my restrictions on heavy lifting due to advancing pregnancy), and NO SNACKS. I used to give Markus little baby puffs in varying flavors at least twice a day, or little zesty tomato flavored crunchy sticks. No more of those!

Markus is also completely off formula and drinking 2-3 bottles of whole milk a day. We had started weaning him from the formula by using a tapering strategy for a few weeks before he turned one. We started with 2 oz milk/5 oz formula, then moved to half and half, finally ending with 2 oz formula/5 oz milk, until we just gave him a full bottle of milk. He had a really easy time with it. Judging by his weight, we know he loves to eat and is not too picky!

Markus started crawling (and if there were a speed-crawling category in the Olympics, I think my son would win) at 9 months. Actually, it was less than a week after his pediatrician appointment on 8/22, at which we'd reported that he wasn't crawling. From my observations, Markus is capable of more than he's actually doing. So although I must now report that he isn't walking yet, I must qualify that by saying that he's fully capable of walking, when he deems himself good and ready to do it. He's got great balance; I've seen him stand unsupported for several seconds, crouch to pick up a toy from the floor, and stand back up. I've also seen him stand unsupported and bounce up and down, bending at the knees, for several beats of a song (Markus loves dancing to music). So I know he CAN walk. He just DOESN'T. ;)

As far as speaking, he still won't say "mama," much to my dismay. He spends 90% of his waking time with me, but he won't call me. :( But he does love to say "Dada" and says it often. His real first word is "Agua." It comes out sounding like "Ooo-wah", but I love that my child is bilingual from the start! My mother taught him how to say it, and he knows that the words "water" and "agua" mean the same thing. If I ask him in English if he'd like some water, he responds by saying "Ooh-wah." I'm hoping by the time we return to the pediatrician for his 15 month check-up on Feb. 14, he'll have mastered a few more words!

A picture in honor of Markus's being 13 months old today!