So, as predicted I started out strong with Spencer's blog and after a few months sort of pushed it aside and got busy with other things.The past 2 months have been very eventful. Spencer got his first bumps (yes, plural) on the head. The first one was due to a huge nasty fall in the bathtub. I know, bad mom letting baby stand in the tub. All you who don't have kids and are citicizing, you just wait...when you can't quite figure out how to get to baby's butt for a good washing, you'll also invite a few harmless seconds of supervised tub standing on the non-slip mat. Anyway, it was a huge, black goose-egged bruise right in the middle of his forehead, between his eyes. It took several weeks to start healing to the point where he didn't have a huge black mark. Right as it was looking better, he fell onto a deck when he tried to lean with both hands, facing forward, on the patio door that was open...oops. No door to lean on and he fell right on the same spot in the middle of his forehead. Well, maybe that spot will begin to calcify and be immune to bruising from now on. That fall wasn't as bad, but still took a couple of weeks to heal, at which time the dog knocked him off the patio step and he got a surface scratch on his head. That tiny little scratch managed to bleed all over him, me, the floor, all of our clothes, his mattress...it was a mess.
Spencer also had his first bout of stomach virus a couple of weeks ago. That was pretty awful. He was quite listless and had a fever, and didn't eat for about 3 days (we made sure he had plenty of pediatric electrolyte liquids). It broke my heart to see him like that. Not even crying, just looking so sad and listless. But we made it through that.
Right after stomach virus we had his 15-month check up. This check-up earned him a new nickname...Skinny! He lost an entire pound between his 12 and 15 month check-ups. The pediatrician was not so happy about that, and gave us strict orders to fatten him up. So, no more juice, only whole milk and a little water. Butter on everything. Peanut butter. Full-fat cottage cheese and cream cheese. The tough part for me is to prepare Spencer's food without eating it myself! My plate is full of boring, bland, plain vegetables and Spencer's is full of buttery, yummy, buttery vegetables. I had gotten so used to eating the low fat stuff that I had forgotten how good all that full fat stuff is! But I think the plan is working because he's definitely adding a little definition to my biceps these days.
Somewhere in all this he has been cutting molars. Three have come in so far, and a fourth just broke through the gums yesterday. So Spencer now has 12 teeth. Sometimes I feel like he's always teething, then I realize he's gotten 12 teeth in 16 months and he actually is always teething.
We don't have any 'Mama' or 'Dada' yet, but lots of baby talk. And he waves hello, goodbye, and he LOVES to clap! The following video is him clapping together 2 puzzle pieces...and you can see nasty bruise #1. If he accomplishes something, like stacking 2 blocks, he basically gives himself a round of applause.
He still loves his books, and we still love that he loves his books. It's amazing how much comprehension he has now. Oh, and he is no longer using bottles at all, just sippy cups.
Ok, that's enough boring stuff. Enjoy the pictures below.
Spencer and Auntie Jaz on Dancer. (Fred touched up this picture to remove the bruise.)
Spencer and Mama going for a walk in Russell, PA (we went there Mother's Day weekend for my Grandmother's 80th birthday party). If you click on these pictures and enlarge them you can see the little scratch on the left side of his head.
Helping Grandpa put together a portable crib.
Riding in a wagon with his second cousin and Gre
at Grandma's dog in Russell, PA.
