Update on Vital Statistics:

As Kim is away for work this week, I got to take Harry in for his latest checkup and flu shot.

As expected, he took it all like a champ (however I'm still surprised he's speaking to me after the shot), and he's certainly in good health.

Age: 18 Months (and 2 days)

Height: 30 1/2 inches (5th percentile)

Weight: 26 lbs. 9 oz (between 50th and 75th percentile)

There was a bit of brief concern when the Doctor was checking the weight recorded by the nurse... she had indicated 30 lbs. 9.5 oz (4.5 lbs more?!?!?), but a quick re-weigh cleared all of that up.

As compared to "Normal Development"

• Runs stiffly, walks up stairs, seats self in chair; points to body parts, scribbles with crayons
• Takes off shoes hats mittens
• Has occasioanl temper tantrums; says "no" even if he doesn't mean it
• Wants to do things for himself and make decisions for himself
• Learns by exploring, looking, tasting, smelling, listening
• Says at least 10 words
• Should be totally weaned from bottle to cup
• Feeds self and may start using a spoon

Well let's see...

• Harry certainly runs... you should see him doing laps at Little Gym, with a big rubber ball in his mouth... all while distinctly giggling! Stairs & chairs present little challenge to him lately... for me it's another story. Body parts are going well, and crayons have been going for quite some time now (so far, he's very good at staying ON the paper).
• Harry's been very good at assisting during the dress-up and disrobing parts of the day, however not always in the correct order.
• I couldd go for an occasional tantrum... and trust me, he means it every time he says no.
• I think if it were up to him, he'd have already decided not only which car he's going to drive when he turns 16, but also where he'll be going to college, working for his first job, and for how much. Harry's always been very observant of his surroundings (ref. day 1 picture 1), however he's also getting much better at limiting unwarranted tasting.
• 10 words... depends how well you're paying attention and if you're able to get the entire context. Over the phone, as he's big on, it's tough to tell, but when he's in his comfort zone, he won't shut up.
• Bottle? They must mean other than a Dasani or Evian... Harry hasn't had that kind of bottle since before his birthday last April.
• Harry's spoon-feeding has become remarkably more efficient in the last few weeks. He can actually get about 75-80% of the yogurt down with not nearly as much left behind on the bib or his chair.

So save for Harry's inevitable height defficiency, he's at the very least, right on track. But as Kim mentioned and you may have seen from the pictures, Harry can hold his own with the big kids, especially in the Moonbounce. To the point that the other parents were concerned that their kids were beating ours up... the kooky giggle was there the whole time though, and I assured them that if there was a problem, we'd all know it... TRUST ME.