Reese's First Year Evaluation

Although Reese turned one in December, we are only now able to look back fully on the year and provide a good sense of how the newest member of Team Bowes is faring. The theme of this evaluation is going to be that Reese is petite, powerful, and independent. She has all the makings of a great Bowes family member. But she is definitely feisty, so don't let the demure picture below fool you.



We can start with the petite aspects. At her one year appointment, Reese came in at a height of 28 inches(15th percentile) and a weight of 17 lbs 4 oz.(below 5th percentile) Her head was at 46cm (62nd percentile). Based on those numbers one might imagine she looked like a bobble head doll. But she didn't. Three months later, at her 15 month check-up, it was clear that the holidays had treated her right. She shot up to 29 1/2 inches (20th percentile) and packed on almost two pounds to weight in at 19 lbs 2 oz.(5th percentile) And her head gained 1 cm in circumference. (75th percentile). One of the main reasons why we like Dr. Warner as a pediatrician is that whenever we bring in our daughters he tells us how beautiful and healthy they are. And this time around, in response to Reese's numbers, he simply said, "She's growing like a Bowes girl. She looks great!" One area in which Reese's numbers are certainly exceeding expectations are her number of teeth. At the moment she has twelve, and even a recent face-first fall onto the corner of her parent's bed frame did not lessen that number, thank goodness.

Just as important, we have not heard anything from daycare about Reese using her chompers on her classmates, or vice versa. Indeed, overall Reese has been having a very good experience at daycare. At the beginning of the year she made the big move out of the busybee classroom and into the waddlers. This transition was apparently more difficult for her parents than for her. And it has also shown us that Reese is either extremely sweet or incredibly strategic. She has quickly developed a special rapport with Mr. Fred, who happens to be one of the owners of the family run business. That relationship makes Fred's wife Pam adore Reese, and in turn their daughter Amy thinks Reese is great. Perhaps by this time next year Reese will have a system in place where she gets the best seat at lunch and first shot at the new toys. We shall see. When it all comes down to it, Reese seems to have a blast at daycare and waves goodbye with a smile on her face every morning.

Food remains an interesting adventure when Reese is involved. She moved from bottles to sippy cups with no problem, and in fact she can even drink milk through a straw out of a cup or a box. This makes going out to eat much easier for everyone involved. Speaking of going out to eat, if you ever have to take Reese somewhere, we highly recommend Chipotle. You have to see it to believe it. She turns into an eating machine and takes down a kids' meal including the spicy corn salsa that even scares away her dad. As far as the rest of her meals, like most kids her age it is touch and go. Yesterdays favorite becomes today's rejected fare. There are a couple of mainstays, including cheese, yogurt, and oatmeal. And she is quickly developing the ability to use a spoon to eat the oatmeal and yogurt. Her father has her on a tight leash though, and she only gets the spoon once the food is on it. Unfortunately we have noticed some potential food allergies, and we might have to start keeping a journal of what she eats to see what causes her facial rashes. Some testing might come into play later. Strawberries have led to hives, and in a blow to omelette lovers in the family, she might be allergic to eggs.

Reese is a very vocal little one, but she has yet to lay claim to a clear spoken word. With that being said it is obvious that she understands what we say to her. In fact, she is very good at following directions, especially when it comes to putting things back in cabinets and closing doors. She has mastered a few of the basic sign language words, like please, thank you, and more. But she has also always been a big fan of responding to pictures of animals and making animal noises. She is particularly fond of elephants. And of course, for months she has enjoyed the game of "Where's Callie?" in which we ask the question and she makes the universal gesture of "I don't know - where could she be?" It's great fun for the whole family.

What Reese may lack in language skills she more than makes up for in her physical mobility. She started walking at ten months and now you can't turn your back on her. She wants to run and she wants to climb. Leave the room for a second, and she has used the stool to climb onto the coffee table. Take a little too long in the kitchen, and she has pushed one of the little chairs next to the couch so that she can climb up there, sit down, and smile proudly at her accomplishment. And John simply shuts the upstairs bathroom door in the morning because every chance she gets she is climbing the stool so that she can hang onto the sink. All of this highlights how she earned the nickname of "Muscle". She is more than willing to push Callie to the side to gain access to whatever it is she desires. And she desires quite a bit.

Our review ends with the all encompassing category of miscellaneous activities and things that come to mind when we think of Reese. She is a hair twirler and a really good snuggler, especially if you want the person you are snuggling with to rub the back of your neck or twirl your hair. She also loves the camera, and is ready with a great big smile whenever we break it out. Over the past several months we have also begun laying the foundation for that wonderful time in the future when she gives up diapers. At least three times a week, and sometimes more if we are really alert, Reese takes care of her business while sitting on the toilet and looking at an animal picture book. It's never to early to start the process of removing diapers from our household, and every success is one less stinky diaper we had to change. Speaking of the bathroom, we should also say a thing or two about bathtime. Reese loves getting in the bathtub, which is great. But she also loves either standing up when she shouldn't or drinking the bathwater, which is never a good idea. It is possible that she takes in a couple of ounces of soapy water a night. Seriously. It's gross.

Nevertheless, Reese has been a joyful addition to our family. She is adored by her sister and can bring a smile to the faces of her parents in an instant. And Reese has not only had to take on the intense love of her sister, but also of the older kids at daycare and at church. She is a tough cookie and tolerates being lugged around by six-year-olds quite well. But she also is quick to let you know when she is done with it. In short, she's a keeper. We love her immensely and are lucky to be her parents. We can't wait to see what this year brings and are happy to recommend her promotion to year two.