John Update

Note:  There are pictures in this post, but they are not showing up.  Scott is making me get off the computer now because it's bed time, so hopefully I will discover the problem tomorrow.

Note 2x: This is Scott. LB granted me access to her blog so I could add pictures for her.  I thought while I was here I could use this opportunity to shamelessly link to my blog because LB has way more readers than me. You should read my blog too because it is amazingly hilarious. Also, I am very humble. Click here, please. I am also polite.

Note 3x: I love John, too. (This is still Scott.)

I realized that John's twelve month well baby visit passed by, and I never blogged about it.  (Which I like to do for my own records).

At 13 months, John weighs 19 lbs 1 oz, putting him in the 9th percentile for weight.  And he is 28 1/4 inches tall, putting him in the 11th percentile for height.  But his head wins, being in the 21st percentile.  So, it's official, we have small children.  The thing is, to look at John, he doesn't seem small to me.  He's solid.  Ada has always been so lanky, so it made sense that she was only in the 1st percentile, but John is a chunk of a toddler.  We'll see how it all plays out.  Bless their hearts.  That's what they get with a 5 foot tall mother.

Other than his eye, John is a healthy boy.  His tear duct is still clogged, so we do have to go see the pediatric optometrist to get that taken care of.  I am hoping that procedure won't be a huge deal.  I joked with my mom that for my children to be healthy, we sure do have to go to a lot of specialists;)  But...we are headed to the eye doctor this week, and John's eye will soon be clear and not runny.  (Take note all you female babies out there who have been a bit turned off by John's goopy eye.  We are getting that cleared up.) 

(never mind the dirty clothes in the middle of the kitchen floor.  Despite the appearance of this picture, my laundry is still under control.  The pajamas on the kitchen floor are a result of a rush to get the kids dressed and out the door for church.  All dirty and clean laundry is now in its proper location).

Things to note about John at 13 months (closing in on 14 months).

--he is officially weaned.  He breastfed for the last time last Sunday when I got home from my weekend in Birmingham.  We are now officially done.  I can't believe it, and it continues to be bittersweet for me.

--he is finally sleeping all night.  He cried for 1.5 hours the night that I was in Birmingham, and nothing Scott did would console him.  The good news is, it broke his habit of waking up at night, and he now sleeps all night.  If he does wake up, he only cries for a few minutes and then puts himself back to sleep.  It only took 13 months.

--He is a very, very physical and strong baby.  I constantly feel like I am in a wrestling match with him--getting him bathed, getting his diaper changed, getting him dressed.  Physically, he wears me out. 

--He is very stubborn and continues to have a temper (and to breath hold, which ends in his passing out).  His anger comes out in various ways--a stiff body and arched back, so that I can't hold him, hitting something--anything--very hard, and sometimes throwing something down with a lot of force. 

--Part of his stubbornness is coming out in his eating habits.  We have a show down every meal.  The only things he really eats are yogurt and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  I am trying to feed him whatever the family is eating, including all fruits and veggies, and it is a battle of the wills.  Usually I give in because I am so frustrated and ready for dinner to be over.  I am not entirely sure how to handle this.

--He drinks almond milk out of a sippy cup multiple times in the day.

--He has very happy and fun moments.  He LOVES Ada.  Loves her, and squeals and laughs with her all the time.  He is beginning to warm up to people other than the immediate family, which is good to see.  He still strongly prefers me over anyone else.

--He doesn't say many words at all but lots of syllables.  The one word that he says over and over is Ada, but he says it about everything.  He constantly points to things and says Ada, so I don't know if he associates the word with the person, or it's just what he says.  He never says mama. 

--He loves his blankie, and when he is tired he likes to suck on it.  (kind of gross I know)

--His world mostly consists of Scott, Ada, and me, but he does stay in the nursery at church, and we often go to story time at the library.  Of course, he goes wherever I go, so the grocery store and such.

--His favorite activity is to put one thing inside of another, and I often find random objects in laundry baskets or drawers. 

--He is such a cuddle bug.  He would be content to sit in my lap with his blanket all. day. long.  My precious boy.

I am so thankful for my John-John.  I have a feeling that we have many challenges ahead based on what we have seen of his temper so far, but my prayer is that I would recognize all of his good and strong qualities and focus on those rather than the bad.  There is so much good that can come from a strong will, and I pray that John would come to know the Lord at a young age, and that God would sanctify John and take that strong will and mold it according to God's purposes for His glory!!  I pray nightly that early on John would love the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind, that God would protect John from idols, and that John's chief goal in life would be to Glorify God in all that he does.  I also pray for his wife.  That God would be preparing a little girl to one day be a suitable helper for John. I pray that she would come to know the Lord at an early age, and that she would embrace her role as a woman--as the encourager, the helper.  I pray that she would be a strong woman, who also loves the Lord with all of her heart, soul, and mind, and that together they would desire to pass that love on to the next generation and the next and the next and so on.

What a huge responsibility and privilege it is to be a parent.  How desperate Scott and I are for God's wisdom and discernment and direction.  We are so thankful for God's promise that He will daily provide what we need to raise these children to know and love Him and His Word.