18-Month Check-up

Today was Bubeaner's 18-month, well-child check up.  We made it to Dr. Z's a little late for some unknown reason.  We started getting ready with plenty of time, but somehow ended up rushing.  Unfortunately, Bubeaner fell asleep on the drive to the office.  And he was not too pleased with being woken up to go inside. 

Bubeaner refused to show off his awesome walking skills for RN Sandra.  He was not even happy about stepping on the big-boy scale.  And smart boy that he is, he immediately recognized the exam room.  He stuck to Momma like glue.  No way was he letting go.  Any shots coming his way would have to make it through Momma first.  Ah, silly little boy.

He did relax once Dr. Z came in for his exam.  Bubeaner continues with his Dr. Z infatuation.  He even babbled, talked, and showed off his drawing skills.  He now weighs 27 pounds and measures 31 inches.  That places him at the 46 percentile for weight and 27 percentile for height.  The height was not a surprise considering we have to roll up all his pants.  The boy has adorable, but short, legs.  His weight was a pleasant surprise.  We are thrilled that he is now at that percentage.  It's reassuring to know he is getting plenty of nutrients.  And then there is the head circumference measurement... it's officially off the chart.  OK, it's not a big surprise since it's been in the 90 percentile for a while now.  Goodness, it was measuring at 30+ percentile on the regular chart when Bubeaner was still weighing and measuring in the preemie growth chart.  The boy just has a big noggin.  It's cute.  It's adorable.  But it's also big.  Dr. Z is not concerned....  She just needs to look at the parents to know big heads (hopefully not full of hot air) run in the family.

Dr. Z was also pleased with his verbal and gross motor skills.  Bubeaner is doing a great job for his age, not even taking into consideration his prematurity.  Way to go Bubeaner!  We also discussed the propensity for premature babies, particularly those born before 32 weeks, for developing ADHD and autism later in life.  She did confirm that there is a slightly higher incidence in premature children for these conditions.  Even with the amazing and miraculous medical advances, we have not yet been able to fully mimic the environment of the womb.  However,  Dr. Z does not see any red flags regarding these conditions at this time.  Bubeaner is meeting the developmental milestones appropriately.

Unfortunately for Bubeaner, the exam did not end there.  He did have to receive two more booster shots.  Just when he thought he was done, RN Sandra came back in with the "bad" news.  He cried.  And he was NOT please with RN Sandra.  Poor RN Sandra gets all the bad looks.  On the bright side, these are the last shots, other than the yearly flu vaccine, until he's 3 years old.  YAY!  Bubeaner may even learn to forgive RN Sandra during that time.  As a prize for being such a brave little boy, Bubeaner was given a lollipop.  Now, he is usually not allowed sweets (except when his aunts and Dad decide to break the rules), but everyone deserves a lollipop after getting shots.