Our Miss Scarlett is now 15 months old! And she's more energetic, adventurous and feisty than ever! :)
Look at all those teeth ... and all that hair!
Yesterday we had her 15 month doctor exam, and one of the doctor's first comments was about her small stature. You can find her historical growth statistics at the bottom of the page. She hasn't even gained two pounds since her 12 month visit three months ago - and she still doesn't appear on the growth charge for her weight. However, she did grow about two inches since January, which puts her in the 14th percentil for length! So that is a great improvement!
The doctor's written notes were:
Patient is underweight. I advise increasing high protein / high fat foods, including whole milk, meats, peanut butter and cheese. We will continue to monitor patient's weight closely at subsequent well-child visits (the next of which will be at 18 months)."
While we, of course, wish she'd eat more, we're not too concerned about her weight. Although the doctor used the word "skinny" to describe her, and let us know she's still labeled as "failure to thrive," I don't think she's skinny at all. Sure, she's slender ... but she's got a tummy that sticks out and her legs are getting chunkier again. There are no ribs sticking out.
But once again, the doctor noticed that Jonathan and I are "skinny people" (not too sure what his frame of reference is ... I'd hardly consider myself to be "skinny) and that Christian is a skinny child with a big head. So he seems to accept that we are smaller people who have procreated smaller people. We will continue to encourage Scarlett to eat more food. The kicker is that she really likes veggies ... and veggies aren't high in fat or protein. But dipped in ranch dressing ... there's the fat and extra calories!
Although, to put her weight into perspective: she's only gained about 3 pounds since her six month exam.
Her list of words at 12 months:
Papa
Mama
Baby
Bella
Brother
Bubble
Ball
Cheese
New words at 15 months (at her doc's visit, we were asked if she spoke at least two words):
Up / Uppa
Down
More
Wah-wah (water)
book
ring
poo-poo
hi
mmmmmmmmmmmmmm-mmmmaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh (her kiss sound)
We were asked if Scarlett is using a spoon. We haven't tried utensils, as we're too focused on getting her to actually eat something - and we don't care HOW it gets in there - ha! But after being asked that question, we decided to try a spoon tonight - and she used it just fine!! WOW! Jonathan commented that Christian - at 5 - STILL isn't too keen on using his utensils.
Scarlett's level of comprehension is amazing! If we ask her a question, she gives us a very affirmative head nod. I thought she was doing this for any ol' question and then I tested her and asked questions she either wouldn't say yes to, or wouldn't fully understand - and she did NOT nod her head.
She's very good at following directions, too. She'll sit down/stand up on request, she'll give us something we ask for ... even walk to another room to get it. For example, in our front room, she'd got wooden blocks. I asked her to get me a block, and she stood up, went to the front room and came back with a block. And she did so several times - I should probably teach her she can carry one block per hand and get twice as many blocks in one trip. :)
She'll also do things like wipe her nose or face, or brush her teeth, upon request (ha! Christian STILL doesn't like his face wiped or teeth brushed).
Within the past couple of days, she's figured out how to get up on the couch, and also onto Christian's bed. She can get down, too, but that makes me a bit nervous. The other day she fell from the first chair she figured out how to get onto - and there were lots of tears.
She's been able to get down from our bed from some time, but I always make sure to help her over the edge. Yesterday, she was asleep on our bed, and I walked into check on her to find she was hanging off the side of the bed, holding onto the comforter. She was just a few inches from the floor, so she was almost there.
And she's so dang independent! She walks off without a care in the world where her Mommy is. She did it at the mall when we were visiting with her cousins. We did Parent's Night Out at Christian's school on Friday and took Scarlett for the first time. Until recently, Christian had always been very clingy with us when we took him for Parent's Night Out. However, as soon as I put Scarlett down, she walked over to the toys and didn't know - or care - that we were leaving.
Scarlett's Growth Chart
15 Months:
Weight: 17lbs, 12.8 ounces (still not on the growth chart)
Length: 29.33 inches (14th percentile ... movin' on up the chart!)
Head: Not noted on our paperwork
Twelve
Months:
Weight: 16 lbs, 1.7 ounces (not on the percentile
chart)
Length: 27.26 inches (4th percentile)
Head: 18.25 inches (84th
percentile)
Nine
Months:
Weight: 15 lbs, 11.9 oz (5th percentile)
Length: 25.25
inches (1st percentile ... 99% of female babies Scarlett's age are longer than
she is!)
Head: 18 inches (90th percentile)
Six
Months:
Weight: 14 lbs, 7 oz (5th percentile)
Length: 24.25
inches (5th percentile)
Head: 17 1/4 inches (85th percentile!)
Four Months:
Weight: 12 lbs, 6.5 oz
Length:
23.75 inches
Head: 16.5 inches
Two Months:
Weight: 9 lbs, 15 oz
Length: 21 inches
Head: 15.5 inches
One Month:
Weight: 8 lbs, 9 oz
Length: 21.25
inches
Head: 14.75 inches
Birth: Weight:
7 lbs,
5 oz
Length: 19 inches
