Paul's Doctor's Appt.

I was supposed to take Paul for a 15 month check-up last month, but it turned into a 16 month check-up b/c Mommy screwed up the appt time and MISSED his appointment

Anyway, my big boy is getting bigger and bigger by the minute...
Head circum. - 46 in.
Height - 32 in. (75%)
Weight - 22 lbs. 12 oz. (25%)

He definitely does NOT get the 'tall and thin' from ME - that is definitely ALL Jeff!

He also had 3 vaccines yesterday - one of which was the chicken pox vaccine He was soooo brave - he cried really hard for about 2 min. and then he was fine. I'm so proud of him....but, I'll be worried too. The doctor said that he may break out in a rash in 2 weeks b/c of the live vaccine.

Also, we may have to have his hearing tested b/c he's not really advancing with his speech. This is difficult for me to swallow b/c he seemed to be doing great a couple months ago....he was saying Red, Elmo, Up, Down, Mom, Dad....now everything sounds more like grunts with the occasional 'yes' thrown in. I PRAY that nothing is wrong w/his hearing. Maybe he'll surprise me over the next two months, and be a little motor mouth by 18 months.

to you and Paul!

All the best to mommie and Paul, I hope he does surprise you too

Claud, I'm sure Paul's speech will improve soon, but if you'd like any info on speech evaluations, please let me know. My sister is a speech pathologist in both an elementary school and in private practice.

Jenn - thank you I might take you up on that! I am trying to be patient, but I am scared b/c it seems like he just stopped trying to pronounce things. DH says that maybe he is just overwhelmed and that is the reason for his slowdown. Most people I've spoken to say it's b/c he is male - they typically speak later than little girls.

However, if you accept his 'grunting' you can have an ENTIRE conversation with him - using hand gestures, voice inflections and even facial expressions. It's hysterical - and he DEFINITELY believes he's conversing with you! I had about a 15 min. 'negotiation' with him regarding his naptimes this evening after he finished his dessert!

Claud- I am glad Paul was so brave at this appt. Those shots hurt.
I am sure everything is okay, but it cannot hurt to have his hearing checked. I mean, it is a non-invasive test. And it is always better to know, then to guess. Keep us up to date on that.

Claud I am glad to see Paul took his shots like a man!! I am sure one day you will be questioning this all when you can't get his motor mouth to quiet down!!

Claud ... ... I hope everything is fine with Paul's hearing.
Just to tell you again .. he is so cute. I see a mixture of you and Jeff in him!

Claud, sounds like a great appt.! Brave boy does better than ME with shots!!

Just an FYI on the hearing thing. My sister AND my cousin both had this hearing thing with their sons. My nephew was exactly Paul's age. He was talking up a storm and then kind of started ...grunting is the perfect word!.... - My sister was a wreck of course, and it did turn out that he was having hearing problems, causing him to not be able to hear properly new things and their pronunciation, therefore not imitating the way he had before. In NO way was he hard of hearing - they explained it as 'muffled' at the worst. And they could have let it go for a little, but my sister was worried that has learning would be stunted. They did a really simple procedure that involved inserting little tiny tubes into his ears. After, he couldn't go underwater for a few months or something. There was no pain, and there are never any ear infections. They had a speech therapist come in and start working with him, and teach my sister and BIL their lessons to do with him so it was like a game. We all did it actually!

FINALLY...the long and short...he is 9 and TALKS UP A STORM....CLEARLY!!!! The kid has the best pronunciation I have ever heard! FAR exceeds his sisters. He is also a chess wizard and three grades above where he should be in math.

If you need more info let me know and I will ask her. Don't worry - it is very common. My cousin's baby just started with the speech person and is also already excelling!

Claud ... getting so big so quickly!! Shots are tough, I'm glad he was ok! (I know, I'm still the biggest baby when it comes to needles!)

As far as his speech ...

My BF's son was not verbalizing much at the same age ... pointing, grunting, and making ending sounds for words he was trying to communicate ('t' for light, etc.) When he reached his second b'day she set up an appointment with BOCES for an evaluation & he did not qualify for speech services. She was very concerned at this point that he would be delayed.

Well, about 6 months later, the floodgates opened & now (he was 3 in July) he's a regular chatterbox with no signs of any problems. He speaks clearly and has a huge vocabulary!! He even corrected his pronuciation of my name within a few months!

So I think as long as his hearing comes back OK (which it sounds like it will, since you are certainly able to communicate with him! ) I think he'll be fine!! In no time, he'll be chatting your ear off with stories & questions!!!

3 shots in 1 day!! Poor Paul!!! Poor Poor Mommy!!! I'd hate that!!

Patrick is 2 and his words are limited. I'm not jumping the gun. I'm sure as Christine said that one day he's just going to explode!!! He does say some words & the ones he can't he communicates enough that I can understand him. Boys take a little longer to talk. I wouldn't be to worried.

to that big boy for being so brave at the Dr.!

Daddy may have hit the nail on the head about Paul being overwhelmed. My nephew went through something similar. He was speaking very clearly before his 2nd birthday. Then at 2 his words became sort of garbeled and he partially regressed back to sounds and jestures for a while. This went on for a few months. Just as he was about to be tested it cleared up. Now at 32 months you can't get the kid to stop talking. Hang in there Mommy. Paul is fine.

Poor Paul....3 shots!!

I hope everything turns out ok with his hearing...at least you will find out now that way you can start treatment early if needed. But I'm sure he will be just fine.

for Paul!!!

I'm sure that everything will be OK...especially if he has said words in the past...usually words come at 9 months...but stringing words come at 2 years...

THANK YOU ALL for the inspiring stories of the little men in your lives! I love you all so much...you're always there w/encouragement when someone needs it!

Today, I was talking to a few Moms during a play group, and they said their sons didn't speak that early either. So, I'm not going to panic yet...plus, there was a 15 month old little boy at the play group that wasn't walking yet and Paul's been walking for 4 MONTHS!! So, every child develops their abilities at different paces....I've decided to have patience for my little boy.

Little girsl have their Mommies doing stuff for them too. I don't think it's a 'laziness' thing, b/c you've seen Paul babble and play, and he's not a lazy kid with anything he does. I believe he WANTS to talk, I just believe he's trying to figure out how to make all the sounds his head hears.

I hope he is ok.. My friend is a speech patholigist who specializes in children under the age of 2 so if you have any questiopns let me know. Everything will be fine... My nephew is almost 2 and all he can say is more ans Mamma... everything esle is mubble jumble