Today was Jack's one year well baby checkup. He had lost over a pound, and now weighs "only" 21 and a half pounds (26th percentile) and grew a little longer, now measuring 30 inches long (42nd percentile). His head circumference is still the 84th percentile. I was concerned that he only says a few words (Mama, Dada, truck, uh oh, bye bye, etc) but the doctor said they look for kids to have three words by 15 months, so his 12 month vocabulary is not as small as I thought.
Best of all, she didn't give me any flack for moving to a delayed vaccination schedule, which was a huge relief. All in all, it was a very nice visit!
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My son said very little until he was two. We had just made an appointment for him to see a speach therapist when the flood gates opened and he just started talking! My daughter, on the other hand, has always been quite forward in her talking. Apparently boys are often slower to talk than girls. My point being, from someone who's been there, not to worry too much about what he should and shouldn't be doing at each stage. Each child has their own timetable.
He looks really adorable in that picture by the way.
Ok, so I've just re-read my last comment and realised that it made me sound like I was trying to set myself up as some kind of parenting expert. That wasn't my intention! My oldest is only 3 1/2 years old! I just remember how worried I was about my son's speech (he didn't even say 'mummy' till he was two) and he's such a chatterbox now. Sorry if my last comment sounded arrogant or condescending in any way.
I love how he is so intent in his study of whatever natural object he found in the garden. A budding biologist??? And he definitely looks cute in the cute romper! Glad the appointment went so well! Gigi
Paula, you didn't sound condescending or arrogant, don't worry! Thank you for your reassurance about the vocabulary. I had heard that boys often delayed speech longer than girls, I just didn't know what to measure as "normal" if that makes sense!
Mom, you should have seen Jack tonight when he found an ant! He was so excited about it!
Charlotte was that way too - she only had a few words at 12 months. She is now talking up a storm. I did (and still do) worry a ton about her talking. It is just apart of being a mother. You cannot help it.
Why delay the vaccination schedule? I wanted to for both of our girls since they were preemies. Made sense to hold off a bit to let them catch up to other kids, but our doctor told me that they should stay on the same schedule since they have been exposed to the same stuff other kids their age. I wish I knew the best answer.
Blair, I have a number of reasons for moving to a different vax schedule. I'm sure for most kids the regular schedule is fine, but we have lots of autoimmune diseases in the immediate family, and I don't feel comfortable expecting our kids' systems to deal with so many shots all at once. I think in our case it's more prudent to get one at a time and spread them out over a longer period of time. The CDC schedule was developed because lots of parents don't bring their kids in for regular checkups after 18 months, especially poor people.
We're going to skip or delay a few of the shots for things that we're not at particular risk for. For example, we won't get the Hep B shot for our newborn, since Hep B is something that affects intravenous drug users, prostitutes, and people who are around the blood of drug users and prostitutes etc. We may get that one when they are in high school in case they want to work at a homeless shelter or be doctors, but since we don't expect them to engage in risky behavior or practice medicine at birth, we'll delay that one. There are a few others we'll delay until they are 4 or 5 and have a stronger immune system.
I think it's an issue you have to research and examine in light of your own medical history and circumstances. "The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears (he's a pediatrician, son of the more famous Dr. Sears, and has researched vaccines for 20 years as his main field) was very helpful in discussing the risks associated with various diseases, the differences between different brands of vaccines, and the reasons you might want to get certain shots early and certain shots are ok to delay. It's a pro-vaccination book, but presents all the research that has been done in the US and UK/Europe on shots. Very informative.
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