General Hayes Update

This is a general update on all things "Hayes." Since stopping the weekly pictures, I haven't described his latest growth and development stats. So, this is going to be long and probably quite boring!

At his one-year doctor visit (April 1st) and his pre-op physical (April 15th), Hayes weighed in at a whopping 21 pounds, 8 ounces, which puts him in the 26th percentile. He is now 30 inches tall, which puts him in the 50th percentile. He is eating like crazy---his daycare teachers are constantly amazed by how much he eats and how often he acts like he's starving---yet he is still keeping his frame nice and trim (AKA slightly skinny). We all think it's because he is so active.

Hayes likes to walk, run (sort of), climb, etc. He loves being outside and playing with balls--his current favorite activity (does this mean he'll be into sports?). He is at the stage where he likes to do the same thing over and over again to see if the result will be the same each and every time. For example, he drops toys and diapers (and basically anything he can get his hands on) over the edge of his changing table. Then he peers over the edge to see where his latest prize has fallen (amazing, it hit the floor just like the other millions of things he threw over the edge). Hayes also likes to stack stuff and nest smaller things into bigger containers.

Hayes says a few words, or tries to sound them out, at least (some of which only Kyle and I and the grandparents can recognize): "ball, done, kitty, purple, red, hello, no, bye-bye", and his current favorite, "whoa."

He signs a few things as well, like "all done," "no," and "more." I'm also trying to get him to learn please, thank you, and help. (I want him to be raised as a polite, little Southern Gentleman, even if he was born in Kansas and will be raised in Connecticut...)

As for the other big one-year old milestones: we turned Hayes' car seat around to be forward-facing, he is drinking whole milk, and he is now officially off the bottle.

We are ever surprised at how much Hayes is learning from the world around him. I guess I still consider him a baby a lot of the time and then am shocked when he shows off something new he's picked up. For example, I almost fell over and hit the floor with laughter the first time Hayes wagged his little pointer finger at me and said, "no, no" after I told him not to touch the bathtub faucet. It was just so comical with the finger wag--it made me wonder if I do that or if he learned it from daycare. Another funny sight is Hayes holding the toy phone (or any other object, for that matter) to his ear like he is talking on the phone. He definitely must have learned that one from daycare...

Hayes also is showing a developing personality. He has a little bit of a temper---if you take something away from him that he really wants, like the real telephone, he gets pretty pissed. He yells and cries and sometimes will even lay on the ground and pound his feet into the floor. The noise level and length of tantrum is in direct correlation to how tired he is. On the other hand, Hayes is very loving, stopping mid-play to come for a cuddle. He loves to rub his head on your chest or lap and get a good snuggle. Maybe it's his little way of apologizing for the tantrum he threw an hour before...

The last part of the update is that Hayes is scheduled for surgery on Friday, May 1st. It is a minor, outpatient surgery but will be done under general anesthesia. Please keep us in your thoughts next week!

Last weekend, we had a picnic at a local park. Hayes played and played in the first really beautiful weather of the spring!

Hayes played with some big boys at the park last weekend---they were so patient with him and actually sat down and rolled the ball back and forth with a one-year old. We were so impressed!

Here are a couple videos for your viewing pleasure: (you can see what I mean when I say "he's so active!")