MJ's 15 month update!

It's update time!

Earlier this week, MJ had his 15 month check-up. So that means it's time for another round of Bean stats. :)

As it turns out, despite the fact that he's eating everything in sight and drinking as much as a bovine baby, MJ hasn't gained as much weight as I figured. Instead, he's only put one measly pound on since his 12-month checkup. As such, he's dropped back down into String Bean status - falling from the 50th percentile in weight to just under 30th percentile.

Just where is all that food going? Well, like any good String Bean, MJ is getting long - two inches taller in three months long.

And MJ's getting the "string" part of the String Bean look down, too. Legs that were rolls of chubs just a few weeks ago are slimming down into lean, mean, running machines. He walks (or should I say marches) everywhere, all day long.

MJ can't stand to be inside all day so we spend at least an hour or two a day marching up and down our driveway, the street, and the driveways of two nearby neighbors that have give us permission to do so (Truth be told, we walk on a third driveway where permission has not been granted; but since these neighbors have made their cat an "outdoor cat" who digs up our flower beds, sleeps on my car, and whines outside my bedroom window at 3 am nightly, I figure I'll return the favor and make MJ an "outdoor toddler". But that is another blog post...).

Even when we're indoors, he is constantly toddling from room to room.

Sometimes he has an urgent look in eye, as if he's searching for something. Sometimes he has an intent expression on his face, like he's on a mission and perhaps is late for this date with destiny. Other times, he literally wanders aimlessly around the room in circles. He's walking just to be walking. Just because he can.

All that eating and all that walking has got him to this point:

Weight: 23 lbs (30th percentile)
Height: 32 1/8" (75th percentile)
Head: 18 3/4" (60th percentile)

He's continuing to grow, learn new things, and thrive.

But even though MJ is discovering new abilities practically every hour, this is the first time I haven't been able to check "yes" to all the questions on the developmental questionnaire.

"Does your baby scribble on paper with crayons or other drawing implements?"

Nope, we've never tried. Oops. I didn't know there would be a pop quiz.

"Can your baby point out any or all body parts on himself or a doll?"

Yes and no. Can he? Technically, MJ can point to his eye and his mouth. Will he is another story. I can ask him all day long where his eye or his mouth is. Chances are he's too busy, or too stubborn, to show me. Then, randomly when I'm washing dishes or reading him a story or doing something completely otherwise unrelated, MJ will point to his eye and say clearly "Ayyyyyye".

Lest I think this achievement is a mere fluke, he then points to my eye and says "Ayyyyyyee" again. I have learned to be careful on how I congratulate him on this act. Too much excitement on my part gets him excited, which is dangerous when a baby is showing you where your eye is.

I know. I learned the hard way.

Anyway, back to the developmental questionnaire.

"Does your baby have words for several objects and actions, other than names for caregivers such as Mama and Dada?"

Negative. And here's the kicker, he doesn't have names for us either. MJ has yet to say "Mama" or "Dada". He may walk around all day saying "Da-Dee, Da-Dee", but he has yet to make a solid connection with the sounds "Da-Dee" and the man that he recognizes as Daddy.

Nevertheless, despite the pediatrician's guarded concern for MJ's lack of loquaciousness, I am choosing not to worry. He communicates with me all the time, just not verbally. He babbles constantly and is adding new sounds. This week it's "Idit-quee" and "Oug-den". And, when he choses to, MJ does say "words". He can say "cheeth", which means "cheese" and "ksssss", which means "keys".

Even the pediatrician, who at the beginning of the appointment told me I should consider calling Early Intervention for an evaluation on language delay, looked thoughtfully at him after observing him for just fifteen minutes (much of which was spent with MJ trying to take her medical tools and perform the exam on her instead) and turned to me and said:

"You know, I'm supposed to tell you to call for an evaluation if he's not talking by now, but to be honest, I'm not too worried. He's unusally focused and inquisitive...I think maybe he's just too busy learning something else right now."

I couldn't have said it better myself.