Freaky 15-month appointment.

So Owen’s 15-month checkup today freaked me out. Big time.

At the beginning of the appointment, the nurse asks a bunch of questions that get asked every time (Does he use a car seat? Do the parents smoke? Do you have smoke detectors in the house? Is the water heater set to 120 or less?) and then asks about the things he’s able to do or words he can say, etc. Among other things, she asked if he was able to help with simple household tasks (no), if he could throw a ball over his head (no), if he could walk up steps (well, sort of, I guess), if he knew body parts (no), and if he could run (no).

Hmmm. I normally have a LOT more yes answers, so I was a bit concerned, even though I thought the things she was asking about seemed a tad advanced. But I didn’t really think that much about it because I know he’s a little behind in speech and was fully expecting the doc and/or the nurse to be somewhat concerned (the doc was slightly concerned at his 12-month visit that he didn’t have any words yet and wasn’t walking) so I just figured maybe he was a little behind in other stuff as well. So the nurse made her notes in the chart and we waited for the doc.

So she came in and asked if I had any concerns. I said no. She asked a few questions like the nurse had, about words he could say or if he could follow simple instructions. I said no, he didn’t even talk yet. She asked if I wanted to get him evaluated and I said no, I wasn’t concerned yet. She looked a little worried, then suggested I not wait too long. Ooooo-kay.

Then she asked more questions like what words he knew and could he tell you what he wanted without pointing (like how did he let you know he wanted to read a book). I said “We really don’t do that stuff…” and I started to think I was not doing anything I was supposed to and why haven’t I been doing more and I started feeling worse and worse and the more she talked/asked questions I felt myself getting defensive…and then I heard her say something like “He should really know about 100 words by the time he’s two.”

Wait, two? He’s barely one! 88|

So I told her we had plenty of time, then. And she looked at me like I was nuts, so I said “He’s just 15 months old!” And she looked at me and I looked at her and she looked at the chart…where the [new and apparently inattentive] nurse had mistakenly written down that this was his TWO YEAR, THREE MONTH appointment instead of his ONE YEAR, THREE MONTH appointment. The doctor immediately realized what had happened and apologized profusely, saying she doesn’t have the best memory for patient’s ages so she relies on the nurse’s notes—but she should always know to refer to the birth date instead.

She then reassured me that he was perfectly on target for his age level, and she understood why I was getting freaked out when she was adamant about getting him tested—she thought he was an entire year older than he actually was. (That also says something about his physical size—that he could pass for a 2+ year old in front of his own pediatrician!)

She asked me about his nutrition, and I said he drinks plenty of milk and could live on yogurt, but that he still doesn’t do too well with “real” food, and is often quite picky. She reassured me that it’s natural, and that he still gets most of his nutrition from the milk, so not to fret too much about it. She agreed that giving him jarred Stage 3 baby veggies was a good thing.

Unfortunately, he had to get three vaccinations, and those are never fun. Also, the doc gave the shots as opposed to the nurse, and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe the new nurse is more of a receptionist only? Or she was busy? Whatever the case, the doc wasn’t nearly as good/quick as our usual nurse, and Owen screamed his little head off (more so than normal)—but the good little boy that he is, he was over it by the time I got him redressed and was scheduling his next appointment.

His current stats:
Height: 34″ (Above 95th percentile) — was 32″
Weight: 28# 12oz (95th percentile) — was 26# 4oz
Head: 48cm (75th percentile) — was 47cm