A request

I’m really focusing on my audience this week and one member of my audience made a request. Okay, it was my sister. She’s dying to see Hayden. (I’m always surprised at how this blog has changed. It started off as a way for our far flung family members to see Hayden and hear about how he’s doing, and now I have to practically force myself to include him in the mix every once in a while.)

So pardon me while I indulge my sister: Here’s Hayden!

A minute and a half from a typical day (preceded by part one and part two):
And Hayden climbing into his stroller, a recently acquired skill:
I also uploaded videos of him drumming and with his beloved, a broom.

And a report from the doctor visit earlier this month: Hayden weighs 20 lbs, 12 oz. This isn’t a huge increase from his last visit… in fact, it’s less than a pound (if I’m remembering correctly; I can’t put my hands on the reports). He’s also grown about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch (when they first measured him, the measurements indicated that he’d shrunk!). So he’s gone from above average height to average height to below average height (25th percentile). At his relative “heaviest,” he was in the 25th percentile for weight, and now he’s in the 6th. However, he’s at 89% of the ideal weight for his height, so I’m not overly worried. But why is my baby shrinking?

The doctor was a little concerned that Hayden doesn’t say any words yet, even though Hayden has 4 or 5 signs. Ryan pointed out that this is a reversal of Hayden’s 12 month appointment, where I was all worried that Hayden didn’t speak and the doctor wasn’t worried. I’m satisfied with signing and babbling right now. Clearly, he can hear (he responds to lots of quiet noises—y’know, when he wants to) and the language portions of his brain are working. I think the talking will come, and I think soon.