15 Month Checkup...

We passed! And here's one for the record books- Joshua didn't have any "marks" or injuries to be written in his chart this morning, so that was a step in the right direction.

Here were the stats from the appointment:

22 lb 5 oz (27th percentile)

31.75" long (75th percentile)

47.8 cm head circumference (70th percentile)

The doctors seem really happy with his growth and said he had improved in the weight category since his 12 month visit, so they were pleased with that progress.

When I posted this last evening, Joshua was "helping"....and it was no help. I would type one thing and he would add a few letters. It was taking forever and I was getting frustrated, so I took that to mean that it was time to play with Joshua instead of type on the computer. Joshua appreciated that I saw things his way.

Joshua is evidently getting quite a memory about the doctor's office. As soon as he saw the nurse and she called his name, he had both arms wrapped around my neck like a boa constrictor and he was trying to CLIMB me. Donna, our favorite nurse at Lewisburg Pediatrics, said that this is pretty typical at the 15 month appointment. They're starting to remember that they usually leave there with bandaids on their legs and a snotty nose from the crying. And she said that unfortunately, it doesn't get much better until after the 2 year appointment.

Joshua showed off his tricks pretty well for Dr. Nissley- he walked and ran, he demonstrated in Russian, he pointed to colors and shapes like a champ in his quiet book. He was impressed with his knowledge and understanding of being able to match shapes and colors so early.

We had three shots to contend with yesterday. I had talked with some of you about my hesitation about the MMR vaccine and the rumors of a link to autism in little boys. Jason and I had a nice talk about it on Monday evening and he said that while he wasn't concerned, we should see what the doctor recommends. Both of us thought that there really wasn't any hard and fast science to the rumors--- and we both had concerns about listening to a former Playboy playmate about her hypotheses on the issue. So I talked to the doctor about it yesterday morning. He explained that the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to support the vaccine between 12-15 months and has found no substantial link between the vaccine itself and autism. It actually seems to be more of a coincidence that the symptoms of autistic tendencies show up in kids around this age, so people have blamed the shot. He said that, although he doesn't see Joshua day in and day out like we do, in his dealings with Joshua he hasn't seen a single thing that leads him to believe that autism is even on the radar for him. So we went ahead with the shot. In my mind, I thought about the fact that if God intends for Joshua to be autistic (or anything else for that matter) getting a vaccine or not getting one isn't going to change anything. Once I wrapped my head around that and let go of it, I was more at ease with the choice. I'm sure Joshua would have preferred NOT to have been stuck the third time yesterday, but that's the way it goes. Sorry little buddy.

The pictures above were from yesterday morning after the appointment. We were "loving" Joshua's bear and monkey---- a lot.

Sorry for the delayed update, but I wanted to get the details in here for you.

We'll talk to you soon!