Why Doctors Are Terrifying

Tuesday night we went to Robby's 15-month check-up.  Chris didn't even go because these have gotten to be old hat, and he wanted to do some cleaning.  (Yes, I'm a lucky wife.)  So, Robby and I pack up, and head over to the doctor.

Initially, everything's going as planned.  Although, apparently he's been sick way too much, because he immediately took off at a sprint for the "sick kids'" waiting room, to go snag his favorite toy.  After re-directing, and discovering the favorite toy in the "well kids'" room, anyway, we were set.

They called us back fairly quickly, and Robby continues to drop down the percentile charts.  He may end up small like his parents yet.  He weighed in at 24.4 (50%) and 31.5" (70%).  Only his head remained in the 75%.  Sorry buddy, that's my fault.

The predictable first question from the doctor was, "Do you have any concerns?"  I mentioned that the ENT had been concerned when we discussed that Robby had quit talking.  I saw a flicker of concern cross his face, and he started asking me follow up questions, finally admitting that a language drop-off is the most common signal for autism.  AND THE ENT DIDN'T SAY THIS?!?!  He had just told Chris, "You might need early intervention, call this number."  We assumed that was early intervention for SPEECH, not AUTISM.  So, momentary panic.

Our pediatrician then told me that usually they do the diagnostic test for autism at 18 months, but he could do a couple of quick things to put our mind at ease.  This involved talking to Robby, looking in his eyes and interacting, playing peek-a-boo, etc...  He concluded that we have nothing to worry about.  Of course, I was collapsed on the floor at this point.  Not really, but thanks for the heart attack.  I really hadn't anticipated this.

As my heart rate settles, the nurse came in to give him his 2 vaccine shots.  The first one went normally.  Robby flinched, but nothing  to speak of.  The second he SCREAMED, his leg immediately poofed out and turned brilliant red, and he started clawing at it, pulling band-aid after band-aid off of the site.  And, #1 not-so-reassuring thing for a nurse to say?  "I've never seen this happen before!"  Ultimately, the doctor came in again, looked at it, confirmed it was an allergic reaction to the MMR, and I should try and remember this for the next time he gets it at age 4 (but they'd write it in his file, too).  They gave him some benedryl, told me to watch him, and our ped was on call that night in case his breathing became labored.  OH great.

Of course, he was just fine, and I slept through the night perfectly, only to feel a lot of guilt the next morning that I hadn't been panicky all night.  But...long way of saying he's just fine.  After giving me some heart palpitations along the way.

The Lion at 15 Months

A year and 1/4.  Really?  He seems way too big.

 

I did actually try and get him to sit in the chair without anyone to help me.  AHHHH HAHAHAHA!!!!  Yeah, don't do that again.  At least now it's not so much an accidental fall off, it's a very intentional move on his part.  And he didn't fall.  It just looked like he was going to.  And then I chased him around snapping madly. 

 

Note the ever-present dog.

 

Robby continues to grow.  I know that shocks you.  I don't know exactly how tall, our appointment is on Tuesday.  But he went on Saturday because he had pink eye, and he weighs 23.8 pounds.  Which means...he continues to not gain a speck of weight.  That's just fine.  And really?  He's doing the equivalent of running marathons right now, so I'm not surprised he can't put weight on.  I am glad he was chunky to begin with, though!  His gut has just about disappeared.

 

Oddly enough, he doesn't speak much anymore.  He just stopped about a month ago.  He kept mama, dada, Bubba, Harper, and "nah" (snack), but dropped everything else.  He had to go for a hearing check last week with the ENT, Chris brought it up, and they actually got a little worried and suggested early intervention.  This seemed extreme, since he talked so much previously, so he asked Robby's daycare teacher to watch for words when he dropped him off.  Of course, that day, he pointed to his crib and told her "night, night" for the first time.  I think he's just preoccupied with other things right now.  Today, he definitely said truck and vacuum for me.  It just requires pushing him for it.

 

He definitely understands everything.  If he's in the mood (IF), he will perform just about any task you ask.  He amazed my friend that babysat for him last week, when I handed him a Kleenex, he wiped his nose, walked over to the cabinet, opened it, threw it in the garbage, and walked away.  She said, "He has some of my kindergarteners beat!"  Go lil man!  Admittedly, on the average day, he'd probably then either wipe the Kleenex against something "cleaning" or start emptying the garbage can.  Can't have it all, I suppose.

 

Above, he is pulling plugs out of the wall.  Sometimes, this even includes the entire outlet.  NOT THE COVER, THE OUTLET.  WTF!!!  Not a great new game.

 

He's getting pickier with food.  Usually he just grazes on snacks and ignores (meaning...throws on the floor for the dog) his dinner.  I need to start restricting the snacks, I suppose, but it's much easier to get dinner cooked that way!  His spoon skills are definitely improving, and he even has occasional success with a fork.  Have not tried knives, that'll probably be quite awhile.  ;)

 

The poor animals.  They are getting mauled on an hourly basis.  I continue to be amazed that Monster has scratched him ONCE in 15 months.  And I'm not even sure that one time was intentional.   And, hoo boy, does Robby deserve to get scratched.  That cat has been angelic.  The dog...a little less tolerant, but never intentionally hurts him.  Just her jumping up has gotten him thrown, or her paws pushing him away can scratch.

 

Everyday he seems less like a baby.  He now walks all the way out to the car from daycare on his own.  He runs to meet me at the gate, then leads me inside to get his bag, and then back out.  His poor teacher burst into tears today when I picked him up, because he moves up to the next class on Monday.  She had him from 3 months old, so a full year!  I felt really awful, she's been really great with him.  I meant to get a present, forgot, and now that's on the to-do list for this weekend.  At least she'll still get to see him in the mornings since he shows up early.

 

His favorite activities are destruction, being outside, climbing, and pressing buttons (on toys, not mom's...well...).  Hmm....think that's about it right now.  He loves to swim, sing, get spun by his hands, and do flips.  The most entertaining things when he gets home from daycare are going outside with the dog, drawing on the driveway with chalk, or going somewhere (pool, library, walk).  He's our "goose" and definitely keeps us laughing, on our toes, and on the go.  Love ya lil man! 

Family Resemblence at 15 months

Ok, so it's a week before 15 months.  I was playing around with some pictures, and here are side-by-sides of Chris and I and Robby at around the same age.  The picture of me is shortly before I turned 2, but it's the best I could do.  I'll let you evaluate first.

Obviously, this is Chris (read the overalls) and Robby.

And this is me (see the dress) and Robby.

Chris does not agree, but I think that Robby looks more like me.  NO THIS IS NOTHING AGAINST YOU, CHRIS.  But, I like that there's some of my features.  Particularly my eyes.  Anyway, I don't have much to say, but there ya go.  Another quick picture post.    

What is the most fun?

Robby has SO MANY OPINIONS right now.  I know I've said that since day one, but it gets more and more true by the day.  And this simultaneously means he's getting easier and harder.  So, what's "the most fun"?

1)  Mom.  And only mom.  No dad.  I want mom.  Said "NayNay".  God knows why on that one. 

2)  Strangers.  OH THIS IS SCARY.  He may be my little leech most of the time, but if a stranger looks interesting?  Bye.  My parents' friend who he NEVER MET BEFORE walked up to him and said, "Robby, do you want to go inside?"  Grabs her hand and GONE.  How do you explain stranger danger to a non-verbal 14 month old?  ARGH!

3)  Cars, trucks, bikes, and things that go "Vroom".  The one noise he will make, other than an occasional monkey, is "Vroom".  And he LOVES that we live next to a grocery store with trucks.  And LOVED the push car at my parents' house.  We did not have the room to bring it home, though. 

4)  Animals.  Whether it's his dog or cat or the dogs at the dog park or pets at the pet store, he's wild about animals.  Perhaps a little rough in his tackling of the cat, but loves them.

5)  Being a "big boy" and doing things himself.  If he gets to sit on his own, or do something on his own, it goes MUCH smoother.

 

And Harper likes food being at her level

6)  Finally, thankfully, reading!  He finally will ALMOST make it through a book.  And he does at least enjoy "reading" to himself.  Usually on a dog bed.

7)  My favorite?  Mr. Personality!  (except when that involves screaming, noodling, or temper tantrum-ing ;)  )

This Working Mom's Day

Ok, so I'm on vacation, and not actually at work.  And I don't have any pictures, but ask and ye shall receive.  Kat of Living Like the Kings did a post on what her day looks like, and here's mine.

5:30 am   Robby wakes up and wants to nurse.  If I'm lucky, he'll go back to sleep, if not, we're up for the day.  If he goes back down, I go upstairs again and pretend to sleep for 20 minutes, which never actually happens.

5:50 am   If I fell asleep (or not) Chris has a stupid snooze alarm that goes off.  Not that he gets up.  On good days, I run down, hop in the shower, day starts.  Bad days, Robby hears the alarm and wakes up, and I may not get a shower (though I MIGHT get one after Chris is ready if things go well). 

6:00 am  I go down to the kitchen, start to pour my cereal, usually right about now Robby wakes up.  So, I go up and grab him, Chris has finally heard his alarm going off, and is in the shower.  I nurse Robby, change him into clothes, and come downstairs again.

6:20 am  BREAKFAST.  I plop Robby into his highchair with a banana or nectarine or some other fruit.  He'll have cereal at daycare later.  I plop on the couch with my bowl of cereal, and we watch the news.  Or maybe some Sesame Street if he's being fussy.  After, I run around trying to get clothes on and get out the door.

6:50 am   I leave for work.  Chris takes Robby to daycare around 7:15.  I get to work at 7:00.

7-3:30pm  Work.  I come home for lunch sometime between 12 and 1 for 1/2 an hour.  I don't really see people.  Lots of computer stuff.

4 pm   Pick up Robby from daycare.

4-6:00 pm  I play with Robby, try and do some cleaning, and get dinner ready.  A lot of days we'll go to the pool.  Occasionally a walk or the library.

6:00 pm   Chris gets home and we have dinner.

6:30-7:15 pm Dog walk.  This is a highlight of both Robby & Harper's day.

7:15-7:45 pm Bath, playing in Robby's room, nursing, going to bed.  He goes to sleep somewhere between 7:45 and 8:15.

8:15 pm We start madly doing projects or cleaning.  Recently, we've been renovating the kitchen, so the house isn't as clean as we'd like.  We still sweep, vacuum, and do dishes daily, but the rest is a little chaotic.  The last piece (counter tops) are being installed Monday, so hopefully it'll get back to normal.  This past week, I've been sick and passing out on the couch by 9:30 and not doing much unless Chris specifically requests that I do.  Usually, he goes to bed around 10, and I'm a ridiculous night owl and will be mucking around doing nothing useful until 11ish.

There's my working mom craziness!   

I Felt Like a Stalker

Alright, and if she happens to read this, I'm going to feel like even more of one, but here goes.  There's a blog I read, and I swear I read it before I realized that the woman lived in my town.  I actually came across the link on someone else's blog who is not from this state, so there.  And it's not on my sidebar, so no clues.  Anyway, with all this vagueness, I have a story about how I'm an incredibly awkward loser.

Obviously, I immediately realized she was from "Philly".  Yeah, yeah, we all say that.  But then I started recognizing places.  Like, "Hey, that's our dinky town's fair."  Or, "That's a coffee shop on our ONE street with businesses."  This girl has some major followers.  And is kind of a bad-ass.  So, intimidated.

Yesterday, I go to the pool.  And, sure enough, there she is.  Hanging out with one of her friends and their kids.  And, I'm like, "Don't stare.  That's weird."  But then I realized she kept looking at me.  And I thought, "Huh, that's really odd.  I have like 15 readers."  So I went on about my splashing and chasing business.

After a little while, I started to think about, wait a minute...  Her son looks familiar.  And not in a, "I see him on her blog" familiar way.  But an "I actually know the kid" kind of way.  Only then does it hit me.  OH!  He's in swimming classes with Robby, duh!  Maybe that's why she recognizes me.  I never really pay attention to all the moms watching the classes from the sidelines.  In a class of about 8 babies, only 1 other mom is in the water, the rest are dads.  I just enjoy the class.  But I DID remember that when Chris took Robby to the class last week, he had come up with a nickname for her husband.  He thought he looked like a celebrity.  But he had commented that the wife was better looking than the celebrity's wife, and was pregnant and a brunette.  BINGO!  I had solved the mystery.

Still, I didn't say anything and just left.  And we aren't going to swimming class this weekend, either, because we legitimately had other plans.  But for some reason I now feel like that's me avoiding this person I've never talked to ever.  The strange, strange world of blogging and my awkward place in it.  

The Lion at 14 Months

I only recently realized that I'm a week late on talking about 14 months.  So, we've been busy, with a whole lot of crud that I can't go into, but you'll just have to believe me and enjoy the late recap. 

Our little terror is getting bigger, faster, more opinionated, and better at getting into trouble.  Don't get me wrong, I love him to bits, and he can be hilarious, fun, and SO smart...but OH so tiring.

Physical Feats

Robby's now at least a jogger, if not a runner.  He is FAST.  We were at TJ Maxx the other day, and he was sprinting down aisles giggling at the top of his lungs.  Thank goodness for the giggling, because I kept losing him!  I literally couldn't keep up!  (Note: Penn State attire is CHEAP there.  See the 2T outfit that Chris decide he needed to model.)  He can now put puzzle pieces back in the right holes (is that physical or mental?), can use a spoon, but it's slow so he gives up, can go backwards on his bike, though he hasn't figured out forward yet, and actually is falling MORE because he is moving too fast and not being careful enough. 

Mental Feats

Talking really hasn't improved.  He does tell you that a car or truck goes "Vroom" and makes the noise while pushing his toys around, but that's about it.  He is the biggest tattle tale on his furry dog sister.  If she gets on the couch he runs over pointing at her screaming, "DOOOOOOG, AHHHHHH!"  Meaning, "Dog, off!" in English.  He knows what he wants to eat, what he wants to drink, and, on occasion, even what he wants to wear sometimes now.  It can make for a lot of temper tantrums.  EVERYTHING is a reason for a wet noodle and screaming, even if it is just that you walked 5 feet away to get his shoes before you go outside.  He knows routines VERY well, and if you start one that makes him happy (like going on the evening walk) or sad (Mommy leaving for work) he reacts long before you think he'd realize what is going on.  At daycare when I pick him up, he now insists on carrying his own bag, and walking (at least part of the way) to the car himself.  He'd walk the whole way, but what can I say, I get impatient.   

Trouble

Right now, we're starting some discipline tactics.  Mostly, we're trying to start using time outs.  They're only a minute long right now, and not working so well yet, but we're trying.  He KNOWS what they mean, but it doesn't seem to stop him.  Yesterday, we did about 5 in a row of, "If you hit mommy again, you're going to time out," followed immediately by Robby hitting me again.  Hopefully it catches on soon.  I'm taking pointers from Lauren's post here.  I can only hope he gets as good as AM at it!

Favorite Things

Right now, Robby loves vehicles.  Trucks, especially, but cars and bikes are close seconds.  He also still loves dogs.  His favorite toys are, not surprisingly, his toy cars and trucks, and his ride-on bike.  I did manage to damage him when I was pushing the bike and didn't realize he had let go.  Ok, no permanent damage, but I felt awful that he fell, got a bruise on his forehead, and cried a lot.  His favorite foods are yogurt, graham crackers, popsicles, and cereal.  Hmm...have we entered a carb/junk food phase?  We really do try and feed him healthy food.  Daycare is not helping.  Their menu is SO carb heavy.  I'm trying to decide what to do about it, actually.  He used to eat about 75% of his fruits and veggies at daycare when we sent his meals in...now...it's a problem.  He's started swim lessons and SQUEALS the entire class.  Even the teacher couldn't get over how absolutely fearless he is.  He is not the oldest, or the most advanced kid in the class, but he IS the one jumping off the edge on his own and dunking his head.  I think I'm going to have to worry about my daredevil in the future! 

All in all, I still think you're a pretty awesome kid, lil man.  You're definitely a mama's boy, even if you're as rough and tumble as they come.  I love that you come over for hugs "just because" and still check in with me...before you run off, climb something, or pull something over or out of the wall.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  Love you!