Archer Kumfer: December 2013

Archer turned one on December 1st! What a difference a year makes! Archer now weighs over 15 1/2 pounds. Overall, his health is spectacular (thanks to everyone being cautious about their health when visiting), and he is showing great developmental improvements while trying to catch up to other 1 year olds. He quickly progressed from rolling over, to crawling, to pulling himself up, all in the last few weeks. Keeping up with him and preventing him from tumbling and banging his head on anything and everything is a difficult task. He enjoys trying to catch the cat, pulling up on Mom and Dad, and checking out the environment around him. He especially likes inspecting nightlights and electrical cords. The Christmas tree is up in the house, and surprisingly he does not pay much attention to it. Dad is trying to teach Archer how to just "touch" things instead of tugging and pulling, like the cat's hair. He has learned to grasp two different objects with both hands and bang them together. One of his latest favorite games is crawling to the edge of the couch and taking a nosedive into Dad's arms. He also enjoys clapping hands with Mom as she sings songs to him.

Archer was surrounded by close family on his first birthday. He was in a good mood for the entire day (a long morning nap helped him make it through the party). Dad carved and decorated a car cake, which Archer dug into with his hands. He ate some pieces that were fed to him by hand. Archer is eating more solid food, but he has yet to master the pincer grasp to bring food to his mouth. He had a lot of gifts to open, with help, and ended the day by Skyping with his grandparents while in a rambunctious mood.

Archer had his shots updated by the pediatrician and is also keeping up with his monthly RSV shots. He paid another visit to the plastic surgeon for a follow-up appointment regarding the mild ridge in his skull. The doctor said it is not worth putting him through surgery to fix something that is only cosmetic, and his skull will change over the next several years as he grows. He did say that it would be a good idea to have Archer wear a head band to keep his ears from growing outward so much; though his ears seem to have super powers that double in strength when being bound.

Archer's top two front teeth are now coming in. This has not made Archer, Mom, or Dad very happy. They are swollen and often cause Archer to wake up at night (at least this is a possible cause). He is now moving around in his crib and he often bangs his head on the sides and wakes himself up too.

Once again we would like to thank everyone who made this first birthday possible. From doctors to nurses, family, and friends. One year ago it was hard to imagine that Archer's first birthday would come with great health and happy expressions. We couldn't be more enthused about Archer's progress and we can't wait to see what future birthdays will bring.