NOVEMBER 2004
Well, I can’t believe that my baby is one year old already!
We planned on having a small get-together to mark the day. We decided to have it at my Mum & Dad’s to make it easier for some family to attend, plus we have got the small matter of the cracked floor in our kitchen which cannot be repaired until after the winter as it will involve digging up the whole floor!
The party ended up being bigger than we thought… we had told people where we would be and told them that they were welcome to call - we didn’t want people to feel obliged to come, especially as it was midweek and many people would have been at work. To our surprise though, loads of people turned up. Twenty-five people ended up celebrating Callum’s birthday. Our grateful thanks go to everyone who called to see us and also to everyone who sent cards and presents - once again Callum was truly spoiled.
We took Callum to the clinic on his birthday to get him weighed and measured. He weighed in at 20lbs 7oz, his length was 76cm, and his head circumference was 47.2cm. So, in his first year he has gained 11lbs 2oz in weight, and his head circumference increased by 9.2cm. The increase in Callum’s length is a little more difficult to assess as they rarely measure length at birth now, however, we had a go at measuring him ourselves when he was a few weeks old and decided that he must have measured somewhere between 51-55cm, so we can safely say that his length has increased by at least 20cm.
According to the clinic charts, Callum is now about average on his length, slightly under average on his head circumference, and a fair amount under average on his weight. These are only guidelines though, so we are not worried… after all, we know why he fell behind on his weight. Speaking of which, Callum saw the paediatrician this month, they have decided to just monitor him for the time being - seeing as he hasn’t had tonsillitis since August, they are not wanting to rush into taking his tonsils out; I’m quite relieved about this really.
Callum has really mastered walking now… he loves going for a stroll. He has also worked hard on improving his climbing skills! He gets everywhere!
Callum’s new sleeping routine was interrupted by all the activities in early November, but with two birthday parties and two firework parties all in the space of five days, we expected it to go awry. He doesn’t seem to be settling as early, and wakes up a little more frequently - but at least he is still going to sleep himself in his cot rather than being nursed to sleep.
Callum wasn’t fazed by all the fireworks going off around bonfire night - he pretty much took it all in his stride, often signing “light” when large display fireworks lit up the sky. Bless him.
As for talking, Callum can ‘chunter’ for Britain!! His favourite spoken word is still “a dat” (that), “dog” is a close second; his favourite signed word remains as “light“. He does speak and sign other words, but these are used more than anything else.
On the last day of the month Callum cut another tooth… his seventh. It looks like number eight won’t be far behind!
We are really looking forward to trimming the house up for Christmas - we know it’s going to be a nightmare when he decides to wreck the tree, but we are quite excited about seeing his reaction to the decorations, especially the lights!
Well, lots to do at this time of year, so I had better go.
Seasons Greetings to one and all!
‘Til next time,
Amanda xXx
