Tale of the tape: 15 months

The late, great George Carlin once said, “Dogs lead a nice life. You never see a dog with a wristwatch.” Well, you can apply that to babies as well. Babies never have appointments to hurry off to. The only time I’m ever in a hurry is when I run down the hall to the front door every night when Mom comes home from work.

So, ignoring the fact that I can’t express my thoughts verbally and can often be found sitting in a diaper filled with my own urine, I’m fully aware that I’ve got a pretty great life. I don’t need to get a job. I don’t have homework. I get to take baths regularly. People wait on me hand and foot.

Make with the Cheerios, bub. Now.

Another perk of being a baby? Every three months, you’re treated like royalty – in the form of doctor checkups. When you’re an adult, you get to feel special just once a year, on your birthday. Obviously, babies are always the center of attention, but even more so every 90 days. During these appointments, doctors and nurses fall all over themselves to make sure I’m growing up nice and healthy. It’s really quite flattering.*

* Then again, the fact that each appointment ends with me getting shots and/or blood drawn does tend to dampen the mood a bit.

That was again the case yesterday, when I went in for my 15-month checkup. Things went swimmingly – Dr. Lindsay used the term “awesome” once again – and I remain drop-dead average on all of my measurements:

Birth weight: 7 pounds, 7.6 ounces

6-month weight: 17 pounds, 6 ounces.

9-month weight: 20 pounds, 3 ounces.
1-year weight: 22 pounds, 8 ounces.

15-month weight: 23 pounds, 3 ounces. (Fun fact: For the first time, I was weighed by standing on a scale instead of lying in the baby scale. What a milestone!)

Dad's having a harder time throwing me in the air these days.

It's not that surprising, though. Have you seen his arms?

Birth length: 20.25 inches.

6-month height: 26.5 inches.

9-month height: 28.5 inches.
1-year height: 29.5 inches.

15-month height: 31 inches.

Stretch!

Birth head circumference: Not available.

6-month head circumference: 43.5 centimeters.

9-month head circumference: 45.1 centimeters.
1-year head circumference: 46.4 centimeters.

15-month head circumference:  46.9 centimeters.

My head's pretty big, mmmmkay?

As has been the case for much of my entire existence, my head circumference remains well above the other two measurements in terms of how I stack up against other babies. I’m starting to understand why my birth took so long. Sorry, Mom.

Christmas: The Sequel

It has come to my attention that so far for the months of November and December, I’ve published exactly one post on this blog. And that’s not fair. You, my lovely readers, have invested so much of your time in watching me grow, and how have I repaid you? By ignoring you.

Well, that just won’t do. So today, to make amends, I’ll be publishing a recap of all of my holiday exploits. And on top of that, as a token of appreciation for all of your support over the past 14 months of my life (or all 14 months of my life, as it were), I’m going to make a pledge to you right now: I pledge that I will never again go an entire month without updating this blog. You have my word on this.*

* Unless it’s a slow month. Or I’m feeling particularly lazy. Or there’s a “Freaks and Geeks” marathon on TV.

Anyway, on to Christmas. As you might have remembered, our house was quite the winter wonderland (at least, compared to Mom and Dad's meager standards) for Christmas last year. Mom and Dad put up a tree, stockings, garlands, and all sorts of other decorations to celebrate my first Christmas. So you’d assume that, since I’m so much more aware of my surroundings this time around, they’d try to outdo themselves this year. Uh, not so much. Turns out, since I’m now completely mobile – and incredibly grabby – they elected not to put up a tree or anything this year. I guess they figured it wasn’t worth it to put up decorations that I would just break and/or chew on. They were, of course, 100 percent right.

But that’s not to say we didn’t get into the holiday spirit this year. We just took it on the road. Just like last year, Dad took me down to Alki Beach on Dec. 8 to see the Christmas Ships come sailing by. The following Friday night, we went to the Woodland Park Zoo to check out their Wildlights exhibit:

And on Dec. 18, we went with Mom’s family to Warm Beach for their “Lights of Christmas” light display. We froze our butts off, but it was totally worth it.

For Christmas itself, we were again on the road, spending Dec. 22-24 with Dad’s family in Kennewick, and Christmas Day and the day after with Mom’s family in Redmond. (Mom and Dad have worked out a nice system where we spend Christmas Day with one family one year, and then the other family the next year.) We had a wonderful time, although it was nice to spend the night in our own beds after several nights in guest beds/cribs. That said, foreign cribs can be fun: Here’s a video from Kennewick of Grandpa coming up with a new way to tire me out before bedtime:

There were plenty of other memorable moments from Christmas 2012. Here are some photos from our celebrations.

First, from Kennewick:

I'm quickly learning that it wouldn't be Christmas if Dad doesn't pick out some new pairs of Christmas pajamas for me.

Another Rose family holiday tradition: Lots and lots of eating. This I can get behind.

To answer your question -- yes, opening presents while wearing a pink tutu is just as fun as it looks.

I got into the gift-giving action by giving Grammy and Grandpa a book of all my blog posts from my first year. It's safe to say that it was a hit.

Now, on to Christmas Day in Redmond...

It's Christmas morning, and I'm in a state of wondrous shock at the sight of those presents. In case you were wondering, that's the second pair of Christmas pajamas that Dad bought me this year. He has a problem.

Judging by my expression, I'm apparently unimpressed by the notion of getting fruit for Christmas. You don't win friends with salad.

Looking tough on the Plasma Car that Ya-Ya and Grumps gave me.

I was even nice enough to give my cousin Brooklyn a lift.

Mom and Dad gave my cousin Jackson this astronaut helmet. By the end of the day, I think everybody had tried it on at least once...

...including Brooklyn...

...Ya-Ya...

...Auntie Sarah...

...and Uncle Ben.

Mom and Dad gave me this glockenspiel. I guess they figured, since I bang on enough objects around the house, they may as well cultivate some sort of musical ability.

Uncle Ben teaches me a few notes.

Dad got this awesome poncho, which will be perfect to wear during those late-season WSU blowout losses.

It's even big enough for both him and Mom!

I'm working on writing the Great American Novel entirely on a Magna Doodle.

Everybody pig pile on Mom!

Merry Christmas to all!

So yes, there's definitely something to be said for spending your Christmas on the road. And speaking of being on the road, we never went anywhere throughout December without Dad blaring Christmas music in the car. Thank goodness Christmas is over, because I’m not sure I could’ve taken one more verse of “Feliz Navidad.”

Happy Holidays, everybody! I'll see you in the New Year.

The Walking Redhead

Yes, the rumors are true. I’ve taken the next step (literally and figuratively) on the evolutionary chart. A few weeks ago, I started walking for the first time, and I’m now pretty darn close to perfecting it.

Here’s a quick behind-the-scenes look at my development from quadruped into full-fledged biped.

It started, or course, with me learning to crawl, when I suddenly realized how much more fun life is when you can go anywhere and get your hands into everything:

Next thing you know, I was learning to stand by propping myself up against a wall, chair or other surface:

From there, it progressed with me being able to take baby steps (ah, so that’s where that phrase comes from), as long as somebody was holding me upright:

In early November, I started taking my first steps, although it was never more than a couple at a time, and it usually ended with me falling face-first into something painful.

But now? Well, see for yourself:

If the only thing missing in your life is video of a 13-month-old girl stumbling around like a drunken zombie with no pants on, using a toilet paper roll as a megaphone, then falling and taking a bite out of said toilet paper roll, then, well, you’re welcome.

Based on the final few steps in that video, it’s obvious that I haven’t quite mastered it, but I’m well on my way.

So that’s it, right? I’ve rolled over, I’ve moved to solid foods, I’ve crawled, I’ve transitioned completely from formula to milk, and God knows what other developmental check-offs there are. And now I’m walking upright. There’s nothing left for me to accomplish, right? What’s that? Now I have to start talking? Cripes, you people are so demanding.

Happy Halloween!

Why yes, I do come from a family of nerds. Why do you ask?

Mom and Dad went back and forth a lot in figuring out what to dress me as for Halloween. Dad wanted me to be Jabba the Hutt. Mom wanted me to be Princess Leia in the gold bikini. Turns out neither was feasible (or particularly flattering), so they ended up compromising. I think it was the right decision. Besides, it allowed Mom and me to dress up in complementary costumes.