Busy, busy boy
Our kid is so smart. Either he now knows how to read calendars or he has a stellar internal clock. On Micah's due date, Sept. 18, he was officially, technically one year old. And, on that day, he walked across the living room. He hasn't stopped since. He is completely capable of following us wherever we go. He can walk and turn and keep walking. New this week, he doesn't need to pull up on anything; he can stand independently. All babies can do this, so it's no big deal normally. But, preemies tend to have very weak core strength because of lying about so much. We've really worked with Micah to strengthen his back and abdominal muscles and it has really paid off! At his last therapy appointment, Micah performed every task appropriately for his corrected age and a lot of tasks at his actual age, which means he's behaving and learning very normally. Additionally, Micah can no longer receive therapy in our normal therapy room. I didn't know it, but we were in the "baby room." Because of Micah's progress, we now exercise in the "toddler room." Micah practiced going up and down stairs while crawling and walking. He's such a fast learner! He needs extra encouragement to go down. Up is so much more fun.
A little not-so-good news: I'm pretty sure that Micah's reflux is back. So, I'll be calling his GI soon to discuss it. We noticed that Micah had a little cough and nasal congestion. When you've experienced as much as we have, you know the difference between reflux and a cold. This is not a cold. And, when I dose Micah with Zantac he stops coughing and eats better. Ta da. It's no big deal, really, since it's easily fixed and doesn't seem to be bothering Micah too badly. Micah is finally getting some teeth in. He now has 4 teeth on the bottom. On the top, however, he has just the two teeth. Not those two. No. He didn't get is front two teeth. He got his left front tooth and the one to the left of it. When he grins really big he looks like a hick. It's adorable for now, but we're going to want that other front tooth to come in pretty soon. The intense teething is also resulting in a decrease in food volume. Micah still wants to eat, but he'd rather munch on his crunchy snacks than eat actual baby food. His bottle intake is still very good and he'll often substitute a bottle for spoon food right now. I think it feels good to chew on the bottle when he's teething. Yes, Micah can take a sippy cup. However, for now, he only likes ice water. He won't be drinking out of a bottle when he's three. I promise. But, because he never learned to suck very well, sippy cups and straws are a little tricky and a lot of work. Micah is learning some words and is beginning to understand more of what we say. He can say Mama and Dada and says them a lot! This morning we practiced "light," and Micah said "lu, lu, lu." He's also said "boo!" when we're playing which is hilarious! Bless his sweet heart he's napping right now and has napped long enough for me to shower, unload and reload the dishwasher and blog. What a good baby!-Heather
