Weight

This post is eligible for the February Birthday Comment Contest.

Elliott went in for his 12 month well-baby checkup on Feb 11th. The doctor seemed happy with his development, however Elliott weighed in at only 18lbs 6.5oz. This puts him at below the 5th percentile for his age and means that he has only gained 4.5 ounces since December 22nd, his last weight follow up. I was expecting him to weigh closer to 19.5 lbs given his change from November to December. We went over what we are feeding him and the doctor basically feels everything's in order, we just need to do more. We are going to make an effort to get in more snacks and more fat and protein. We feel that his activity level is what is burning all his calories. I mean, the kid is moving all day long. In fact, if we let him, he would play non-stop all day. We will be taking him back in a month, again, to see how he's doing. However, like last time, the doctor isn't all that worried, he just wants to monitor things.

I have been told I weighed in low as a baby as well, so neither Brad or I are super concerned, but it is annoying. We feel like we are feeding him to his appetite and honestly its hard to get in more food during the day, but we are making an effort. The good thing is that he really likes to eat. We are in the process of introducing cheese and yogurt, so hopefully he will decide he likes them (right now the jury's still out). They will be a great source of fat and protein, plus what doesn't taste good with cheese?

P.S. this also means, he has to stay facing backward in this car seat a bit longer, since the law requires him to be 1 year AND 20 pounds in order to sit forward. Oh well, at least he doesn't know what he's missing ;)