Journey to Baby Jones: How big is big enough????

I took Baby M for her 12 month check-up last month and she is 30" tall and weighs 19.6 lbs. According to our doc, she is right on "her curve". Have I mentioned how much I hate those percantile charts? They are based/calculated on american children so it seems highly unlikely that you could consider them an accurate measurement of a child who is genetically smaller than an american child.

When K was 12 months old, she was 30 1/2" tall and weighed 22.50 lbs--that's approximately three pounds more than Baby M. I expressed my concern that Baby M is turning out to be quite the picky eater. She doesn't like to get her hands messy and food textures seem to be presenting a challenge. This sweet girl has the most sensitive gag reflex that I've ever seen. Anything that goes in that she doesn't like, will immediately come back out along with whatever she already had in there.

I'm feeling very challenged with our current eating situation. With that being said, I completely bucked the system--you know the one that says your baby should be off of formula and the bottle by 1 year--and will revisit the idea of removing the formula when we go for our 15 month check-up. That's the one thing that I have learned as an older and now, more experienced parent---there is no one "book" of child-rearing and as the parent, I have the option and the right to do what I feel is best for them, even if it goes against conventional methods.

I have started adding whole milk with her formula and giving her whole milk products--yogurt, cheeses, etc. but definitely don't feel like she is getting the nutrients she needs from the solid food she is consuming. We're exploring veggie options other than just giving her cut-up veggies. And did I mention that she doesn't like purees any longer? Her current list of likes includes: cheerios, veggie sticks, mac and cheese, cheese, yogurt with fruit, diced carrots, Earth's Best Pop Snax in vegetable and sweet potatos, goldfish, and a few other "dry" snacks. Notice the lack of green veggies?

My strategy for this week is to try roasting some veggies for her to try and adding some veggie purees to her yogurt. Will keep you posted on the progress or lack of.

The following pics are of Baby M trying out her "new ride". This is the cadillac of tot trikes! I don't have a complete pic of the bike, but it is a "grow with me" model. It has a removable handle so that I can "drive" it, a sunshade and removable electronic dashboard for Baby M, and a five point harness to keep her safely strapped in. As you can see, she gets pretty excited each time we get in it.