v. 1.5

Curly had his 18 month check-up today and was a very good boy…kept quietly busy during the wait times and only cried for about 30 seconds after his flu shot, which was the only shot he needed today (he goes back in Dec for his second flu shot since he’s never had one before). The doctor thinks he is doing fine developmentally, even though we were concerned about a few things (he doesn’t point, he only recently learned to wave, and he doesn’t have many words). It’s so hard not to compare your child to other children of the same age and so we do, and some of those other children seem much more advanced and we get worried. However, the doctor was not concerned since he is great with receptive language and can do almost everything else that a typical 18 month old child can do. So we’ll all just wait and see.

He is 23 lbs 8 oz (20-25th%) and 32 inches (40-45th%). His growth has very obviously slowed down…funny to think that he used to be in the 75th and higher percentiles when he was a baby. The doctor was only mildly concerned about his lack of weight gain (he was 23 lbs at 16 months) because he has a hearty appetite and eats a variety. Our plan is to totally stuff him on the cruise in time for his next appt. 😉

I filled out a development questionnaire on this blog when he was 13 months, so I thought I’d do it again now that he’s a year and a half. This might bore others, but I think it’ll be a good reference one day.

Food

1. Describe what and how your child eats: He eats almost everything except green veggies (although sometimes they say he eats them at daycare) and only has picky moments now and then. He uses his hands to eat and right now lacks the coordination needed to use a spoon/fork, but can get the food into his mouth if we pre-load the utensil for him (and occasionally asks us to keep doing so). He will sometimes try himself with the spoon but it’s very messy/clumsy.
2. Loves: cheese, fruit, bread, pasta, crackers, yogurt smoothies. Meat/poultry is sometimes a win, sometimes a fail.
3. Hates: green veggies, spicy food, tomatoes

Sleep

1. Does your child have any sleep problems? No, as long as he has darkness and quiet, he’s good (so he doesn’t nap too well at daycare). Oh, and sometimes he sleep talks. Loudly.
2. Describe your child’s typical sleep / wake pattern (including naps): Usually sleeps from 7pm to 7am with one long nap from 12pm – 3pm. At daycare, he only sleeps around an hour.

Activity and Motor Development

1. Describe your child’s gross and fine motor skills (how he moves around, grabs things, etc.). He walks everywhere, and although he can run (clumsily), he chooses not to because he’s cautious. He loves climbing and can handle small slides by himself. He loves stacking things, putting things inside boxes and out again; he can throw a ball. He lacks the patience needed for shape-sorting and puzzles. Sometimes he gets a piece or two in, but as soon as something doesn’t fit, he loses interest or gets mad. He likes putting hats on his head. He likes sitting with books and turning the pages.

Social Skills and Environment

1. What can your child do for himself? He’s great at playing independently. He can let us know when he’s hungry or thirsty, wants more or is done by signing. He can open and close doors. Feeds himself. Puts things away.
2. Can your child follow simple directions? Yes, he understands No/No Touch, Gentle, Let’s go outside, Let’s eat Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner, Put it on the table, Clean up, Give me a hug/kiss, Gimme Five, Bath time, etc.
3. How does your child react to family outings and visitors? Loves new places, very interested in people but can be a little shy with people he doesn’t know. When he’s shy, he clings to one of his moms.
4. If your child is in daycare/school, how does your child handle it? He loves going to daycare and has a lot of fun. He eats well but sometimes has trouble napping. Likes his teachers and the other children.

Coping

1. Describe how your child copes with discomfort, frustration, or other distress: If he’s not overtired/hungry/in pain, he usually whines or yells and quickly gives up. If he is any of those previous things, he begins to have a tantrum, which may or may not escalate. The worst tantrums may last up to 10 minutes…usually they’re only a couple minutes long. He’s getting better at calming himself down. And  he definitely relies on thumb-sucking.

Language and Communication

1. Describe your child’s language abilities: He pretty much only says one word at a time. He hasn’t gained many words since he was 13 months old, but his receptive language is very good. He regularly says some version of banana, apple, go, up, uh oh, cheese, dog, buckle, ball, mama, done. Now and then he’ll try to repeat what we say.
2. How else does he communicate his wishes? He regularly uses signs for eat, drink, more, and all done. He will bring things to us or motion for us to take things from him. Or he’ll whine/yell.

Toys and Play

1. List your child’s favorite toys and describe how he plays with them: He loves stacking cups and stacking rainbow rings on a pole, playing with boxes, “reading” board books, throwing balls, playing with refrigerator magnets, shaking things that make noise, pushing buttons on remote controls or his toy cell phone.
2. Does your child have a lovey? Nope, he prefers sucking his thumb to soothe himself.
3. Does your child play with other children? Mostly he plays on his own, but he does interact with other children and he’s started to include his moms in his play (asking us to throw a ball or read him a book)

Feelings and Moods

1. Describe your child’s range of feelings (comfort, discomfort, pleasure, joy, anger, affection, fear, hostility, depression / sadness) and how he expresses them: Overall he is happy and has a good sense of humor, but he has a wide range of emotions and he is not quiet about them. He will wail if he is upset, clap and shriek when he’s excited, hug us or lean on us when he’s shy, run away when he’s scared, etc.
2. What is likely to upset your child? Taking something away from him, physically blocking him from going somewhere, being taken out of the bath sometimes, not being understood.
3. What makes him feel better? Giving him what he wants (ha!), picking him up/hugging him.

Other

1. How many teeth? 14. He just got his two lower canines and has all his 1 year molars.
2. In what ways, if any, does your child behave aggressively toward you, his siblings, his playmates, or others? He’s not very aggressive. Occasionally he’ll hit, but it’s not typical and we immediately correct it.
3. Does your child have a strong preference for one parent? Not really a strong preference, but we’ve noticed that lately he *may* prefer mommy (Strawberry) over Ima (Nutella). Ouch.