CJ has reached his one year milestone and celebrated by smashing a cupcake all over his hands. It never made it even close to his mouth, but big brother Levi was more than happy to help CJ finish it.
It's just amazing how much CJ has grown. It seems he learned to navigate the stairs and then walk almost instantaneously. Just recently he showed that he can point to mommy or daddy's nose and sometimes does it by trying to eat our nose! He surprises us daily with his imitation skills. He's constantly trying to be like his big bro, whether it's trying a somersault (putting head on the floor:); clapping; rolling over; driving a car on the floor; turning pages in a book; you name it, CJ tries it. We have realized that the boy is fearless. He slides down the stairs on his stomach with reckless abandon; tries to climb everything with no regard as to whether the bookcase will fall on him; and generally just does what he wants to do regardless of what mom and dad say. We admire his determination and independence, but admit that this is very challenging and new for us, since Levi at this age was VERY different (still even now, Levi continues to be reserved and fearful of things at times, but is a sweet little boy)
We visited our new pediatrician, Dr. Booth (recommended by friends Kristin and Tom) for CJ's one year checkup and just LOVED her! She remarked how "fantastic" CJ looked and that he is right on track developmentally.
Here's his recent stats:
Height: 30 inches - 60th%
Weight: 20 lbs. 12 oz. - 20th% (When we expressed some concern, Dr. Booth couldn't emphasize enough how GREAT CJ was! Just like Dr. Perry, she said since CJ's parents are both tall and thin, then it's perfectly normal that he is too.)
Head: 18.25 inches - 50th%
Although the past year has proven to be just about the most difficult year of mine and Mike's life, and CJ continues to be a challenging child (as far as his neediness), we are just smitten with the boy and amazed daily by his personality and development. We are still patiently awaiting the day when Levi and CJ can TRULY entertain and play with each other, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!
