John's 1 year Check-up

We went to see Dr. D today and John received a good report. We have been seeing Dr. D for about a month now and are very pleased with our new pediatrician. She is helping us immensely in figuring out why our little man has constantly been sick for the past 3 months. We are pretty sure we have seasonal allergies or environmental irritants, which we may just have to deal with, but at least she isn't constantly telling me, "He just has another cold". After the 5th time of getting that report from our last pediatrician we changed docs to find that John had a really nasty sinus infection and an ear infection blooming in his right ear. It has taken two rounds of antibiotics to get those under control and I am fearful we are not done with them as the doctor did see a little fluid in his right ear today, but at least we are "healthy" for the next few days. John is also getting his first molars. His gums are so red and swollen, but he is handling it pretty well, except for the fact that he isn't napping well. But I am not complaining, so far, our nightime sleep has not been disturbed.

Anyway, onto the stats:

head circumference: 47.5 cm (78%)
weight: 22 lbs 6 oz (40%)
height: 32.5 inches (>97%)

John is not yet walking, but it seems to be close. He is hugging a lot which is the sweetest thing of all. He will hug his parents and his toys over and over, all he wants is an "ahh". The boy is starting to mimic us. Tate and I both think he said "Dog" yesterday morning, but he wouldn't repeat when we asked, but he is definitely saying "Mama" and "Dada" and we think he finally has meaning behind them. He also repeats the "ish" when I say "fish"...I think "ish" might be his favorite sound. John continues to love to read and this week actually brought me a book! His new favorite is "Five Little Ducks" which he received from Cita for Christmas. We so enjoyed the 3 warm days we had recently and spent a lot of time outside. John loves taking his walker out or going for a quick ride in his wagon. But he doesn't want to ride too long. He prefers to get out to push and "collect". By the time we came in yesterday, the boy had a nice collection of acorns and leaves he had put in his wagon. I am almost certain we have a climber on our hands. He has started pushing his toys up next to the couch so he can use them as stepping stools to get on the couch. John also uses his mom and dad for the same purpose. I am expecting to start sporting many nice bruises and black-eyes soon. The boy LOVES to be naked. If the opportunity arises and I have removed the diaper, the child makes a run for it and avoids the clothing situation altogether. It has gotten so bad, I have to pin him down to get a diaper on!! After his bath is the worst!

John had pizza for his first birthday dinner. Our friends Jason and Caroline, and Adam, Brandy, Ava and Elizabeth came over to enjoy some Tony's. He shared quite a bit with the floor, but some made it into his tummy too! He had a really good time playing with Elizabeth and Ava, in fact, he partied like a rock star on his birthday and stayed up until 8:30!