Will is ONE (a month ago, whoops)

     I was doing alright up until getting Will's One Year post done. Thanksgiving? Check. Girls Birthday? Check. Christmas? Check. Now that Will is officially 13 months old, I will write his 12 month update. Actually, the main reason I was holding off was to wait until after his one year appointment, then life got in the way. Better late than never.
      His birthday party was low-key at the Long Lake cabin at the end of our Christmas-Duluth trip. He got lots of fun presents and he got to try his first cake! He was very skeptical at first but ended up eating a couple mouthfuls. On his actual birthday, we were back in Oakdale and we pretty much just had a catch-up on life day with combined with a mini-birthday celebration.

Presents are for climbing on

A Thomas train from Uncle Pete!

Awww, love the Elmo!

Happy Birthday, dear Will....

Hmmmm....

Actually, it's pretty good!

Haha, I wonder what he's thinking!

 
        At his one year check-up, Will weighed 22 lbs 5 oz (a hearty 70th percentile) and was 28 1/4 inches tall (only 5th percentile!) It is concerning to Dan and I that Will keeps dropping height percentiles at every single check-up, but the pediatrician assured us she isn't worried at this point. We will be watching him though. We can't compare to how the girls charts were because they started so low on the charts that they could really only go up (or stay the same). At the clinic, I also brought up the fact that Will had hives (even had a picture to verify) after tasting a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich and possibly after eggs. She ordered a blood test, and sure enough we found out days later that he is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and to a lesser extent dairy. Luckily, dairy is only causing eczema, not hives (and therefore not anaphylactic shock either) and she said we could keep him on dairy if his eczema was under control. She referred us to an allergist and prescribed epipens. (GULP!)
    The allergist didn't end up doing any further testing (such as the skin prick test) but he educated us and made sure we had an action plan in case he was entering anaphylactic shock. It is a lot of pressure to recognize the signs and I still haven't gotten in the habit to bring the epipen with us wherever we go. (Must work on that!)
     Will is doing MUCH better with solids but I will still call him a finicky eater. He is still nursing now at 13 months; once when he is half-asleep when I go to bed, in the morning, and sometimes in the middle of the day. I honestly think he won't care when we're done but I figure we should make it through sick season. He won't purposely eat veggies when they are plain. He eats them if I were to puree them and mix them with yogurt or applesauce but I'm steering away from purees now. Tonight I did sneak pureed squash in the pizza sauce. Score! His favorites are rice cakes, dark meat chicken and other soft or shredded meat, ANY fruit (he's even eating bananas now!), and he is interested in anything we are eating, whether he'll end up swallowing it or not. He is so funny- it's an automatic evacuation when he doesn't like a food. I wonder when this habit goes away...I can't remember from the girls.
       Will is not walking, but Dan and I think he could if he wanted to. He is almost reminding me of Josie when it comes to walking; very tentative. He technically had his first steps around 12 months, he just hasn't practice walking alone since then. He could push walkers/boxes/chairs/anything that works around all day but doesn't want to take the plunge to walk alone. I catch him balancing alone a lot, though. He still loves throwing balls and his latest pursuit is climbing. He will try his darnedest to climb on a couch or shelf. No fear there! Will is way too cute with the girls, too, he just loves to tackle them and snuggle up!

Will giving Sofia a hug goodnight...

Love sister Josie!

Saying goodnight to Madeline

       Will's comprehension is gaining strides and he mimics a lot of words like "sisters", "bye-bye" (which is somewhat clear), and "dog". He loves to clap even though he has known how for awhile. It's so funny, sometimes he just starts clapping when I go in his room to get him from his nap or when he sees Dan come through the door after work. Funny guy! He is so engaged right now and I can definitely tell he is on the verge of toddler-hood. (Whoa, scary!) On that topic, he is getting very vocal (as in, squawks) on his wishes and he is becoming kind of a "spazz", as we like to say.
      All in all, he is charming, funny, and still a big sweetheart. My baby... (sniff, sniff)

Trying on Dad's tie and shoes...

Have a great weekend!