Year and a Half!

Parker is a year and a half today. He and Mama met his new doctor today at his 18 month wellness check up and they both liked her a lot. She was very patient with Parker and he hardly fussed at all when she checked his ears (whew!). He usually screams like he's being tortured. Parker is growing well. He is just above average for height and just below average for weight. He is still gaining weight, but not as quickly as he is growing. He grew three inches in two and a half months!

Mama mentioned to the doctor that Parker had been grabbing at his diaper and whining over the last couple of days and tossing and turning a bit at night and the doctor checked him out and found the tiniest little yeast infection on his testicles. He's been itchy down there, poor little guy! He just finished taking antibiotics for another ear infection, so the good bacteria that keep the yeast down are probably low right now.

The doctor was a little concerned that Parker isn't using as many words as he used to when he was between 11 and 12 months, but believes it is only because he doesn't have to use them since he knows a lot of sign language. She recommended that Mama and Dada try to teach him one word a week using the same method as they've been doing with the sign language, which is to not let him have what he wants until he says it and deal with any ensuing tantrums. If that doesn't work, she gave Mama a referral to a free community organization that helps with speech therapy.

The last thing to report is that the doctor wanted a run-down of his health history and Mama mentioned that he had fluid in his kidneys in utero but it had been resolving on its own. Because Mama wasn't sure if he had ever had an ultrasound after he was born to verify all the fluid was gone, Parker's doctor decided it would be best to have a renal ultrasound done just to verify that all was completely clear.

Otherwise, Parker is doing well... all he has to do now is sleep better! No more excuses after this yeast infection clears up!