Jake's 7 year check up

This is so overdue it's not even funny (considering he turned 7 in JANUARY) but for the sake of hoping to keep all of this type of information in one place, I'm just going to go ahead and add it in here.

Weight: 46 lbs (21st percentile)
Height: 47 inches (29th percentile)

I was surprised to see where he fell in terms of height, because he always looks tall to me, even though compared to his peers he's about average or even a bit shorter than some.  He definitely has some long legs like his daddy, so maybe that's why he always seems tall to me.  And the fact that I swear, he outgrows pants every few months! 

Everything else at the visit was great, he was right on track developmentally.  Poor kid has been plagued with a number of stomach bugs this winter (3? 4?  I'm not sure, I've lost count along the way) so I'm hoping that the newly arrived spring weather will bring some better health for him! 

One thing I don't have to worry about (at least not right now) is whether this kid is active enough.  Sure, over the winter, we hibernated a lot and relied a whole lot more on the Wii and movie nights than we normally would...but now that spring weather has rolled in, Jake begs to play outside after school everyday.  And this week, we will move into him being more active with the start of baseball season.  Let the games (and intense rushing around after work/school) begin!! :)

 

Jake's 6 year old check up, other updates

Jake had his big yearly check up a few weeks ago, and everything was right on track!

Height: 44.75 inches (36th percentile)
Weight: 41 lbs (20th percentile)

Tall and thin seems to be his consistent body type for the past few years...though if he doesn't watch out, our little bruiser, Liam is going to catch up to him soon! :)  The doctor said everything looked great, and he was pleased with his development.  We discussed a bit of nutrition stuff, since Jake is a very typical 6 year old who would survive on chicken nuggets if given the chance.  But since we don't really give him that chance, he often times will turn up his nose to a meal that he scarfed down the week before (??  I don't understand it either)  The doctor assured me that this is all completely normal, and as long as I'm offering healthy choices and (within reason) giving him options that he can fill up on (fruit, veggies, etc) then it's fine.  He said kids this age are known for eating huge portions one day, and hardly anything the next...or eating a huge lunch, then just picking at dinner.  He said he is completely ok with his growth, which has been consistent, so there's no need to press the issue.  PHEW! 

Last week, I had the chance to go into Jake's class for what they call "Fantastic Friday"; basically, it's a chance for parents to come in and either showcase a talent that they may have, or just do a project or read a book to the kids.  Since my talents consist of analyzing celebrity gossip and discussing reality shows in depth, I was stumped and felt like I wanted to do a bit more than go in and read a random book.  A friend of mine suggested a simple magic trick (thanks, Meghan!) so I found this super easy one on the Real Simple site and the kids loved it!  I also checked out some story books about magic from the library, and printed out some magic hat/wand coloring pages.  we were set for the afternoon!  It was so much fun to see Jake in his little world, with all of his little friends.  I'm so glad that the school does that, it was really a fun afternoon.  I decided to surprise him after that since he lets out of school much earlier than I normally pick up Liam, and we went bowling! 

I would like to showcase the fact that he beat me fair and square in the second game.  With bumpers.

Game #1

Game #2.  My skills fell apart.

I leave you with a cute pic of my little Lego builder, showing off some of his finished projects recently:

Jake's 5 year stats & checkup

Jake had his 5 year well visit shortly after his birthday, and all was well (bonus for him-no shots this time!) 

Height: 42.25 inches (35th percentile)
Weight: 39 pounds (37th percentile)

I think this is the first time ever that his weight has been a higher percentile than his height!  There for awhile, his weight was always near that percentile but his height was up in the 60-70th percentiles.  Maybe his growth will even out now, and his pants won't become flood water pants within just a few short months :)

Everything at the appointment looked great, he's right on track physically and developmentally.  We were able to get all of the forms he needs for kindergarten registration (GULP).  That process actually starts today; I have to call in this afternoon to get an appointment to then register him in person in April.  My eyes fill up with tears nearly every time I pass a school bus with little kids on it, so this process should go well. 

I leave you with a picture of my handsome little buddy!

Jake's 4 year check up

I'll be sure to do a post about Jake's party (it was a success!)  but I did want to post details about his 4 year check up today.  First up, the stats:

Weight: 33 lbs
Height :38.75 inches

Last year for his 3 year check up, he was 30 lbs and 37.5 inches.  So 3 lbs heavier and 1.25 inches taller...which is strange, because I really would have thought he had grown more than that (height-wise anyway)  It seems like he's hit at least 2 growth spurts in the past year that have caused me to have to suddenly change pants/short sizes for him because they were suddenly all like floods on him (or, in the case of shorts, suddenly looked like he had been teleported back to 1977).  but he's growing right on track, which is all that matters. 

The doctor said everything looked great physically and that he's right on track for his age developmentally.  He was very impressed with how social he was (he didn't stop talking the whole time once the doctor came in...he filled him in on school, his party, what kind of cake it was ,the presents he got, and the fact that he loves chicken nuggets).  He got 3 shots (which he was not thrilled with), but the good news is that we're DONE with vaccines (aside from the flu shot) for him until he's 11.  Finally, the end!  The shots must have taken a toll on him, he took a 3 hour nap this afternoon...I had both of the boys home with me today since it's MLK day, so score for mommy, I had a huge chunk of time to myself this afternoon since Liam took a nearly 2 hour nap in that same time period.

Speaking of Liam, we also had an appointment for him this morning to have his ears checked after the infection he had...fortunately, that had cleared up and all was well.  He received the 2nd half of his flu shot, so he's all up to date until his 9 month check up next month.

Here's Jake getting ready to ski in our backyard yesterday...yes, in our backyard.

3 year check up

Jake had his 3 year check up last night & everything is right on track. As I suspected (based on the fact that he's outgrown pants that fit in October!) he's growing like a little weed (at least height-wise):

30 lbs (35th percentile)
37.5 inches (40th percentile)

For comparison, he was the same weight at his 2.5 year check up, but was 36 inches, so he's grown an inch & a half in 6 months. At his 2 year check up, he was 27 lbs and 33 inches, so in a year, he's gained 3 pounds and grown by 4.5 inches!!

He was like a little comedy act for the nurse; she went to take his blood pressure & told him that it was going to give his arm a big hug and he said "No. That's a blood pressure. My mommy does that". It was said in a "don't lie to me lady, I know what I'm talking about!" She had him look at some pictures from across the room to test his vision & the first one was a house; when she asked him what it was, he said very matter-of-factly, "That's a barnyard dance". (if you have kids who are fans of Sandra Boynton books, you'll know what he was referring to!)

Here's a shot of him from this morning before school....this is his new "cookie face" as he calls it. He asked me for something one day & I told him no, so he did this face to try and sway my answer. I told him that his cutesy face won't work on me; I said cutesy, he heard cookie. Yep, that's my kid! So he now refers to it as his cookie face & totally tries to use it to his advantage.

2.5 year check up!

We had Jake's 2.5 year check up last night (a month late) and he finally grew! Significantly!

Weight: 30 lbs (49th percentile)
Height: 36 inches (38th percentile)

He shot up the charts (at his 2 year appointment, he was in the 30th percentile for weight and the 20th for height) and everything looked great. We were able to get the flu mist for him already, so that was nice to not have to worry about scheduling that sometime soon.

He even stood on the scale all by himself this time, which is a big accomplishment since he's been scared to death of it the past few visits. Of course, the promise of a sticker after the big weigh-in helped.

GO.

Last night, we had Jake's 2 year check up...for some reason, our kid is absolutely terrified of the scale and threw a fit when the nurse tried to put him on it. That was strike one against her. Strike 2 was when she came in the room to give him a shot (the 2nd half of his H1N1 vaccine); he didn't cry or even flinch, but he must have been annoyed by it because after she was done, he stood up, looked right at her, pointed to the door and said "Go."

Other than that, everything went well and everything looked good and right on track. The weight was a big guesstimate, as he was fully clothed with his coat on and had to get an unscientific measurement of Brian getting on the scale with him, then weighing just Brian and figuring out the difference.

27 lbs (30th percentile)
33 inches tall (20th percentile)

18 month check-up

The latest stats are in:

Weight: 24.5 lbs (30th percentile)
Height: 32 1/4 inches (40th percentile)

Everything looked great, right on track and only 1 shot this time, so that was a bonus.

In other news, we've decided to keep sending Jake into daycare once a week to keep him familiar with everything there. He hadn't been there in over a week, so I was nervous when I went to drop him off yesterday about how he would react. Fortunately, I had nothing to worry about! He recognized the school as soon as we pulled up and practically drug me into his classroom. Once we entered, he immediately ran over to his favorite teacher and gave her a huge hug. While that was happening, his partner-in-crime, Dom The Bomb, was saying "Jake! Jake's back! Hi Jake!" and the two of them had a joyous reunion that involved a man hug. I wish I had my camera!

His teachers told me that they had been devastated when they heard the news that Jake wouldn't be there everyday. They said that one day last week, they were really missing him and during snack time, his seat at the table was empty, so they pulled out his sippy cup & dishes & set a little ceremonial place setting in his honor.

Pour one out for Jake, yo.

Pouring of sippy cup is a reenactment....not our actual home or sippy cup. Photo courtesy of google image search.

15 month check up

Time is just flying by, I felt like we were just at the Dr's office for his 12 month check up! But there we were again last night for his 15 month appointment. Here are the stats:

Weight: 22 lbs, 7 oz (20th percentile)
Height: 31 inches (50th percentile)

So in 3 months, he gained just about a pound and 1 inch. The doctor that he's right on track for everything, which is always reassuring to hear. Unfortunately, we did find out that he has his first ear infection :( The doctor said it looked new, so at least we caught it in the beginning (and saved ourselves a separate trip to the office!) I felt bad that I didn't realize he even had one, but he really hasn't been out of sorts lately or running a fever or anything like that, I guess sometimes these things just sneak up on you. He's on antibiotics, so hopefully we'll get it cleared up soon.

12 month appointment

Jake had his 12 month check up earlier in the week...I could tell he was nervous for the big weigh in. Did he gain a lot from all the icing at his party earlier in the week? Was he maintaining his slim physique from all the running around he's doing?? Here are the results:

Weight: 21.5 lbs (30th percentile)
Height: 30 inches (55th percentile)

He had dropped in the whole percentile thing, which of course concerned me, but the doctor assured me that it's completely normal at this age for that to happen...they stop growing so rapidly and he's working off a bunch of calories from walking all the time. he said as long as he's eating fine (if anyone has ever seen him put away a 3 course meal, you know this isn't a problem) then there's no reason to worry about what the "average" size is. Good to hear!

He got 3 shots, blah. It was terrible because I was by myself this time & he screamed worse than ever before...he ran a fever yesterday & was pretty miserable, but seemed to be back to his happy baby self this morning, so I was grateful for that. I can't stand to see him so uncomfortable!!

Hopefully we won't be returning to the dr's office until his 15 month check up in April....

9 month appointment

Jake had his 9 month appointment last night...lucky dog got out of shots this time! (He was supposed to get the flu shot, but they ran out that morning....boo to that, now I have to haul him back in there again next week....) Here is the run down on the big weigh in:

20 lbs (45th percentile)
29 inches long!!!!!! (75th percentile)

He got another good report from the doctor, he's right on track with everything, which is always good to hear, especially after the random runny noses, fevers, etc....that we've been dealing with in the past few weeks, I was relieved to hear that everything looked fine (and I guess we can just chalk all that crappy stuff up to teething)

I also think I need to buy an examination table for my house...why, you ask? Because the kid was ecstatic to be playing with the paper that they spread out on the table. By the time the doctor came in, Jake had shredded most of the paper that had covered the table, thrown it around the table and the floor and was using the table as his own personal jumperoo, using Brian's hands to brace himself as he jumped up and down and up and down and up and down.....

When we told the dr he was being a monkey for Halloween, he said that seemed to be a very fitting costume :)

6 month check up

Jake had his 6 month check up last night, everything went well! The doctor gave him an A+ overall, we're so proud. Here were his stats:

Weight: 17 lbs, 9 oz (50th percentile)

Height: 27 inches (75th percentile)

So our suspicions were confirmed...he's a tall baby! (taking after his daddy, no doubt) He had dropped 10% for weight, but the dr wasn't concerned at all and said that he did gain weight and that's really all they look for. He screamed during the shots of course (and mommy sobbed) but once they were over, he returned to happy baby.

And don't worry...we got the most important information of all during the visit...Brian and the dr began discussing skiing and the doctor happily informed Brian that he can start taking Jake when he turns 3 (which happens to be during ski season, lucky us!) I guess I have 2.5 years to learn to suck it up being in the cold so that I can see my baby hit the slopes!!

Happy Father's Day!

We had an interesting weekend...it was Brian's first Father's Day, Jake turned 5 months old and he was sick. Again. Poor thing, we just cannot catch a break! He came down with a fever suddenly Friday night, so we took him to the doctor Saturday morning...fortunately, his lungs/throat/ears were all fine, so they said it was probably just a bad flu that we would have to just keep an eye on. (his weight at the dr was 16 lbs 8 oz!! He was 1 day shy of 5 months old) The fever shot up to 103.5 Saturday night, but thankfully that seemed to be the worst of it and he was back to his old self for the most part on Sunday, just in time for Father's Day!


Jake made a card and a magnet for daddy at school last week, which Brian loved of course (he also loved the Mario Kart for Wii that Jake & Gracie got him as well!)


We spent the rest of the day outside, which was nice...Jake enjoyed hanging out in his exersaucer on the patio in the shade! It's amazing to watch him in the exersaucer...he's figured out how to completely spin himself around in it to get to all of the toys, pull on the toys that make noise and turn the pages of the "book" that's attached to it! (and he laughs when the one toy sings to him, it's the cutest thing ever)





Later on that night, Gracie had a playdate with my friend Lisa's new dog, Geno. In her old age, Gracie couldn't hang very long, but they ran around for awhile and Gracie then slipped into a coma for the rest of the night.

4 month appointment

Can you believe my baby is 4 months old already?? Here are the stats from the pediatrician appointment last night:

15 lbs, 3 oz (60th percentile)

25 1/4 inches long (65th percentile)

He's well on his way to being a tall boy! He was in perfect health and took his shots like a champ with just a bit of screaming (once again, I think it was harder on me than him) The dr. gave us the green light to start solids anytime we'd like, but I think we're going to hold off until closer to 6 months, we're in no hurry---he has the rest of his life to make a mess out of himself at mealtimes :)

first round of shots-OUCH!

What a day! Mom got me all bundled up & took me to the doctor...I'm 10 weeks old and I weigh 12.5 pounds and I was 24 inches long! the doctor said that I'm a long, lean baby. Everything was going great at the visit, the doctor was tickling me and said that I looked perfect! well, that's what we came to hear, so time to go right? wrong! Next, a nurse came in and first she gave me this yummy stuff in my mouth that mom said was cherry flavored tylenol...mmm....I like this nurse lady! then, out of nowhere, she turned on me & poked me with 3 needles!! Traitor. I was NOT a happy camper! the weird thing was, when I calmed down, I looked over & mom was crying. um....mom, did YOU just get stuck with needles? Pull yourself together, woman!

Anyway---I slept for a long time when we got home, then ate dinner and turned into the ultimate Senor Pissy Pantalones (that's spanish for Mr. Pissy Pants)...I was just so uncomfortable, I didn't know what else to do :( but then I noticed that mom looked like she was going to cry again, so I decided to go back to sleep & give her a break. The whole thing was so stressful, I needed a drink to calm down!

6 week checkup

We've got a 10 pounder on our hands! Jake had his monthly check up today (he'll be 6 weeks on Tuesday) and he's 10 lbs, 22 inches, which puts him close to the 50th percentile for both things, so the dr was pleased to see that he's catching up in size. Other than that, it was a routine visit, everything is looking great. we go back at the end of March for the first round of immunizations (yikes!) the shots will probably upset mommy more than Jake :)



In other news, we plan on transitioning Jake from the bassinett in our room to his crib within the next 2 weeks or so (wish us luck!) I'm trying to put him down for naps in the crib during the day to get him used to being in there, but so far, the longest he's made it in there by himself is 25 minutes. we'll keep at it though....he just looks so lost in the giant crib all by himself!