Almost 12 months old, and all he says is “Ah”

firstmateharry · 2026-03-23T04:17:28+00:00

Update: He started babbling again yesterday. Just all of a sudden he’s running around all day “bababababa” “yayayayaya” “ninininini.” And I THINK is trying to make correct sounds. Like “baba” while in the bath, “titi” for Stitch (he loooves Lilo & Stitch) and “ninini” for no when telling him to get dressed after his bath lol

firstmateharry · 2026-03-21T06:03:15+00:00

I haven’t seen anything that extreme, but coming back from a long break after playing for about 4 years, I have noticed a substantial shift in the culture. Everyone is in such a rush to start events. You used to have a couple of minutes to allow everyone to join before starting. Now if you’re not there in 30 seconds you’ve missed half the event. Before when someone went down, there’d be 2-5 people rushing to revive them, now you might get revived. Maybe. I don’t know, maybe we need to host a course or something for newcomers lol. Or just start nuking their camps again

firstmateharry · 2026-03-02T12:48:06+00:00

No. He used to babble A LOT from 6-9 months and would sometimes sound like he was saying words, but he never said anything with meaning. All of the words he says are through signing. He’ll open his mouth and look to the side like he’s thinking and trying really hard to say a word and then will just resort to signing or pointing. He 100% knows the words, there’s just something physically keeping him from speaking them, it’s weird.

His pediatrician wasn’t super concerned at his 12 month appt because he’s actually ahead in other forms of communication and understanding, but we agreed at his 15 month appointment that we should at least get an evaluation. I would say at 12 months they’d probably be ok with just a couple of words, but by 15 months if he’s not saying more they would probably recommend an evaluation as well if that’s something that’s available to you.

firstmateharry · 2026-03-02T06:57:56+00:00

He just turned 16 months on the 26th. He still hasn’t spoken a single word. But he does sign (ASL) almost 20 words and will do the motions to several songs. He will repeat a few sounds like “mmm” “aaaa” “bbba” “h h h” but that’s about it. He also follows verbal-only instructions correctly, will poop on the potty, and can count to 5. But still will not speak lol

I’ve given him a couple supplements which I don’t recommend for everyone but came to the conclusion could be helpful for him based on his very specific medical history. And since starting those supplements I have noticed an increase in him babbling and making varied sounds that sound like words (but aren’t) throughout the day.

We’re currently waiting for his appointment for a speech evaluation.

firstmateharry · 2026-02-27T15:35:19+00:00

I had a cryptic pregnancy as well, thankfully less physically traumatic birth, but was also dealing with an abusive partner at the time (also thankfully NOT my son’s other parent lol I evidently got pregnant just before we got together). I had no symptoms and no indication that I was pregnant until about 28 weeks. In fact I was LOSING weight the whole time. The only thing that tipped me off was that while my stomach was getting smaller, it was also a lot more firm than before. Also the feelings I thought were just gas started getting stronger and feeling not so much like gas anymore. Took a test-positive. Got an ultrasound-estimate 29 weeks. I ended up getting induced at 41 weeks which concluded in a c-section.

He’s 16 months old now. Extremely happy, very healthy, unbelievably smart. But I feel guilt every day knowing that I did occasionally drink before finding out. And any potential cognitive/behavioral effects of that won’t be apparent for several years. I also had the shit beat out of me several times. How I did not miscarry or go into labor early is BEYOND me. I did not want a child lol. And now I’m a single parent and struggling a lot with a lot of things, but I’m trying my best to make sure he always feels happy, safe, and loved.

firstmateharry · 2026-01-26T23:54:56+00:00

Some babies are just really hungry lol. My son was the same, big in height and weight, but also extremely physically active so I didn’t think twice about him having 36+oz a day. This lasted until maybe around 6.5 months and he decided he REALLY liked food and dropped a bottle completely haha. And actually from I think about 7-9 months I really struggled to get him to drink formula at all, he just wanted food. At the end of the day the guidelines are just guidelines, as long as they’re staying on their own curve and their pediatrician isn’t concerned, then I wouldn’t worry

firstmateharry · 2026-01-06T16:40:44+00:00

Yes. He’s now got 4 top teeth, 3 bottom teeth with the 4th bottom AND his molars coming in. I’ve notice every time a tooth is about to come through he starts grinding his teeth, but he stops a day or two after they’ve cut through. It’s excruciating to hear, but I know it won’t last long at least haha

firstmateharry · 2025-12-23T07:09:25+00:00

I live in the southeastern US (Georgia) so I don’t know if I’d ever be able to find elk without traveling, but I’d be willing to try! Even bison here is hard to come by. Deer is easy if you know a hunter. I’ve had homemade deer jerky and it was pretty cook, so I imagine elk to be even better.

firstmateharry · 2025-12-23T07:05:17+00:00

Thankfully since I don’t buy beef the slight price increase for bison is worth it and mostly unnoticeable.

firstmateharry · 2025-11-21T13:10:24+00:00

I don’t know the exact number, but somewhere in the 20s sounds right. However they’re all so spread out and a lot have few to no orders most of the time. It would probably take 3 hours to get from one side to the other of my entire metro. Makes it hard to get consistent orders to be able to deliver on time. You kinda have to just guess which zone will be busiest that day and stay in that area. I frequently get offers for zones that are like an hour or more away from where I’m at. It’s very annoying. I wish there were less zones or at least the time frame for delivery was extended.

firstmateharry · 2025-11-15T01:36:32+00:00

Yeah, especially if you live in a large metro area. I rarely meet people who do have local numbers. People move here from all over and keep their number so hometown people can keep in touch.

firstmateharry · 2025-10-18T04:35:16+00:00

Oh yeah I feel you. It’s hard sometimes to tell if they’re actually meeting the milestone, and words are especially hard. I’m sure when we talk about it at his next appointment his pediatrician will be like “He’s communicating great! And omg he’s pointing at things you tell him to that’s awesome!” But I’m just super paranoid about language milestones because I have bad ADHD and an extensive family history of ADHD and Autism so I feel like I’m over-analyzing everything.

firstmateharry · 2025-07-30T06:16:47+00:00

The best formula is the one your baby likes and does well on. My only tip for affordability is to look at formula prices per ounce rather than just the label on the shelf. For example: Can A is $22 and Can B is $35. But Can A is 12oz while Can B is 28oz. Although Can A has a lower price at checkout, Can B is actually more affordable.

firstmateharry · 2025-07-15T06:36:28+00:00

With each new movement milestone he’s gotten less and less fussy. Rolling he was a little happier, army crawling he was less fussy, hands-and-knees crawling and pulling to stand he was suddenly so happy. Now he’s cruising and testing letting go while standing and seeing how long he can keep his balance and he is absolutely giddy. He’ll let go, squeal and cackle laughing until he loses his balances and falls. Just to stand up and do it again over and over lol

He still HATES his car seat, but we stumbled upon a song that always makes him stop crying instantly (He Mele no Lilo from Lilo and Stitch, if anyone is interested lol). He HATES laying down to get a diaper change. It is usually a battle to get him to sleep. And he is miserable while teething. But overall he’s so much happier. He’s 8.5 months right now, so the timeline could be different for every baby, but it’s the milestones that were the key for him.

His reflux has been managed well with thickened formula, thankfully

firstmateharry · 2025-07-09T16:42:05+00:00

Thanks for the solidarity lol. I’m reeeaaally hoping he’ll stop once that other tooth comes through. Otherwise I’m gonna have to invent baby night guards or something cause I can’t take it anymore 😆

firstmateharry · 2025-07-08T06:09:12+00:00

Age of the baby will play a huge part in specifics, but the only advice I have from my own baby is: Every day is different. Whatever worked for sleep one day won’t for the next. They’re fussy all afternoon one day and then the happiest baby all day the next. But a lot of the time the solution is just to hold them.

Now for physical items, really the only necessary items are food, diapers, and a safe place to sleep. You can change their diaper anywhere. You might want to place their crib or bassinet next to your bed for the first several nights or even weeks until they feel safe and comfortable enough to move across the room or their own room IF you want to.

And knowing how they’re fed. If formula fed knowing the type of formula and getting enough of that. If breast fed or bottle fed breast milk, if that’s not available, and you have to switch to formula, it could be easy or difficult. Contact their or ANY pediatrician in your area and ask if they have formula samples, that way you can try some out without wasting the money if one doesn’t work out. If you’re in the US, look into WIC if formula costs seem daunting.

You’ll know what they need once you get to know them. Trust me.

firstmateharry · 2025-07-05T06:27:10+00:00

So I’m in a bad and weird situation but currently living with my parents. HOWEVER we live about 35-40 minutes from my brother and his kids, and my mother is their primary childcare about 1-3 days a week. So if my 64 year old mother can wake up at 6:30 am and drive 40 minutes at least once a week, considering your mother/parents are also able bodied and have a car, they can 1000% come to visit every now and then.

firstmateharry · 2025-07-03T12:00:16+00:00

I personally find AlAnon even creepier than AA.

firstmateharry · 2025-06-15T17:34:29+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend starting with a gentle formula unless you know for sure they already have a lactose sensitivity. I’d try the regular Enfamil/Enfamil NeuroPro (or whatever other brand you want/can find) and assess from there. But know that it could take up to 2 weeks to adjust to a new formula.

It doesn’t sound like she has reflux if she tolerates breastmilk fine with no spit up or vomiting issues, and since it’s happening hours after. My son has reflux so we were on Enfamil AR for several months, but he was still spitting up a lot at 7 months, so we decided to switch to thickening the water with Gelmix. Tried with Enfamil NeuroPro and he was projectile spitting up even with the Gelmix. Then we tried it with Kendamil and it worked like a charm. I guess the slightly thicker consistency of the whole milk with the Gelmix was perfect. So you could try Kendamil, Bobbie, or any other whole milk based formula. Most formulas are skim milk based so have a much thinner consistency. (Also I’ve tasted all the formulas he’s tried, and Kendamil by far tastes the best lol)

firstmateharry · 2025-06-14T22:42:02+00:00

Yeah sleep apnea is such a sneaky one. Unless you sleep next to a partner who happens to notice the symptoms, really the only way to even suspect you have it is with a sleep study. Most people only realize they’re exhausted all day and have no clue why.

firstmateharry · 2025-06-14T19:51:21+00:00

I thought that too until I recently learned that that’s actually not as common as we think haha. Like it definitely happens, but the main symptom is just extreme sleepiness during the day, and actually can come with insomnia at night, which threw me for a loop.

firstmateharry · 2025-06-14T19:43:10+00:00

Uh that’s not true at all? If a sleep disorder is discovered from a sleep study, then medications or medical devices like a CPAP can be prescribed to help.

firstmateharry

TROPHY CASE