18 Month Check Up

We had a great appointment today with Dr. Wiles and Nurse Janet. We are so thankful to be under their care... we respect them very much.

Lucas's stats are 24 lbs and 11oz, which is 35% among other boys his age. His length is 32 in, which is 45% and his head circumference is 18 and 3/4, which is 50%. I think this is the first time that his head size is ranked higher than his weight and height. They said he's following along the same curve, so all is well.

We had a few questions for Dr. Wiles:

1) Food/Nursing: He said that since Lucas's weight is on the same curve that the only thing we need to be concerned with is if he is getting enough iron. I bet he's not since he doesn't eat meat, cheese, eggs, or iron fortified oatmeal. We will work on that. He'll get his iron levels tested in 6 months.

2) Sharing: Dr. Wiles said that 18 month olds are not supposed to share, so Lucas is normal. He said that by 2yrs old they will care what others think of them. He said they may realize that others don't approve now but just don't really care. We can tell that Lucas is developing in this area because if we scold him, or even just offer guidance, he will usually show us that he's unhappy with this by acting embarrassed or throwing something on the floor.

3) Pushing: Dr. Wiles said that 18 month olds are supposed to be testing their environment, so pushing is completely normal. He said we just need to make sure that Lucas doesn't like the outcome. He suggested time out, but also suggest something more straightforward. He said if Lucas pushes someone then we should tell Lucas that that isn't right and then turn our back to him and give the "victim" our attention. He said Lucas will realize quickly that he doesn't like another child getting his parent's attention over him.

4) Frustration: The other day Lucas was building a tower with Leggos. When it got too tall and fell over Lucas got SO mad. He threw the remaining blocks on the floor, and when that didn't make him feel better, he picked up the entire bucket of blocks, spun around with it, and let it fly. I was watching the whole time and it was hilarious. Dr. Wiles asked us if he could self soothe and after hearing that story he agreed that Lucas knew how to self soothe. We told him that Lucas is going to be the kid throwing his bat in the dugout when he strikes out, just like his mom and dad did when they were little. Dr. Wiles said that you can't run from genes. It was funny... had to be there.

5) Nursing at night and the effect it has on his teeth: They say you shouldn't let a toddler carry a juice cup around all day, or sleep with a bottle at night, because it will rot their teeth. I asked Dr. Wiles if we need to worry about Lucas's teeth because he nurses at night. He said, very nonchalantly, "Yes, it's a concern.". He said it's also a risk that he nurses so frequently during the day... said it's the next worst thing after carrying around a juice box. I asked him if we needed to take Lucas to the dentist every few months to monitor his teeth. He said, "Well, if Lucas were doing something that would risk him breaking his leg, would you continue to take him to the orthopedic?" Haha. He always has a way of making a point.

I don't think we'll alter anything as of now. I still think the benefit of nursing on demand outweighs the risk of tooth decay.

Overall he said Lucas was developing excellently and seemed very happy. Lucas was very friendly during the exam, giving high fives several times, pointing to all of the frogs on the walls, and pushing around a truck as he made vroom-vroom noises. After Dr. Wiles examined him he showed him the sign for "more". He cried very pitifully after his shot, but then gave Nurse Janet a high five and selected a Shrek sticker on the way out.