One year visit

Yesterday was Emmett's one year visit to his doctor and everything seems to be progressing along nicely. I had read up and prepared myself for the immunization discussion, but it ends up that the doctor had decided to go with a slower introduction of the shots than the American Pediatricians Association recommends (according to them he should have gotten his Chicken Pox, Hepatitis A, and MMR on this visit). Our plan was to put off the MMR and HepA and say no to the chicken pox (Andrea joined a get-chicken-pox-parties mailing list as we are giving thought to intentionally getting our kid sick---we will see). I was thinking we would have E get the last of the HIB series this time and Polio next, but our pediatrician said to finish off polio and just gave us the info about the HepA and MMR for next time so we just went along with her idea. The appointment wasn't all that exciting with the major events being measurements (21lb 10oz, 29 1/2" height, 48.5 cm head circumference---50th percentilish all around) and the shot. We were a little worried as it has been about 5 months since Emmett has been jabbed, but he took the shot to the leg and didn't cry one bit (I was getting worried that he was going to start panicing as a kid in the next room was screaming at the shot-giving assistant "get away from me!" again and again loudly, but he didn't panic).

Oh, the other thing is that he needs to have a blood test as these old houses are filled with lead paint and it would be good to know if he has been finding a stash of paint chips that we don't know about. He and I may go do that, but we will have to see how the day goes.

He is still seeming to be on the verge of walking but hasn't yet (at least as far as I have seen. Andrea and her mom say they saw a one step and a two step case, but I have my doubts). He has started pointing at things he wants (e.g. putting another plate of food on the table while he is being fed the first and he will point at the second), and he started giving us things. The latter is somewhat funny because Andrea was just reading two nights ago about how he should be giving us stuff by now and he hadn't, but as has happened before, it is as if he gets a reminder when we read these things that he needs to keep up his end of the rearing bargain and perform every once-in-a-while and perform he does.

No new words, so we are still just hearing "light" continually although I really do think that he is saying "cat" when he sees malcolm and something that sounds like "that" when he points at everything else (note that cat and that aren't distinguished easily and it is only context that makes the differences clear).

The time change has been heaven for us. The week prior to daylight savings Emmett had started rising between 5 and 5:30, but since the change has been a 6:30 kid. I never have liked the time change thing very much, but getting an extra hour's sleep out of the kid has really been worth it (sure, a purist would note that we aren't getting any more sleep...just going to bed an hour earlier, but since we are all getting up an hour earlier (except Emmett) there is a difference).