The Halpern Home: 18 Month Update

   Can't believe my baby is 1.5 years old... crazy! Ryder Dylan recently had his 18 month check-up and is doing great. He weighs 20 pounds (5% for weight) and is 31 inches tall (9% for height). My two biggest concerns, which I discussed in detail with Dr. Friedman, were Ryder's size (extremely small) and Ryder's mobility (still not walking). As seems to be the trend, Dr. Friedman was very laid back regarding both issues. As for Ryder's size, the doc's general attitude is that Ryder has been small from the get-go and although that certainly continues to be the case, he'll eventually grow and probably won't always be quite so pint-sized. He did suggest that I try to supplement Ryder's diet with some pediasure type drinks to increase his caloric intake, but for the most part, Dr. Friedman reassured me that I don't need to be fretting about Ryder's weight. I was a little bit weirded out at first by the fact that Ryder only gained 1 pound, 3 ounces since his one year check-up, but I'm going to stick to my policy of not being worried if Ryder's pediatrician isn't worried. As for the walking, Dr. Friedman did confirm the need for a PT evaluation, and he helped me move Ryder's appointment up. I had called for a PT referral several weeks ago, but Cook's first availability was not until mid-July. With Dr. Friedman's help, I got the appointment moved up to June 7th. I definitely didn't think I'd have an 18+ month old who couldn't walk, but I do. Thank goodness the little dude is so small or elase I have no clue how I'd ever cart him around!

   In the past few weeks, Ryder has had a major explosion in his vocabulary, and it is way fun to hear him using a bunch of new words. His current vocabulary looks something like this:

Mama/Mommy
Dada/Daddy
"Gow-Gow" (Gaudi)
Ro
Mo-Mo
Grandi (Randi)
Paw-Paw (Larry)
Sissy (Samantha)
"Geggie" (Peggie)
Ollie (parents' dog)
Susie (Ryder's fav teacher at school)
Hi/Hey
Bye
Thank You
Ball (rhymes with "owl" when he says it)
Shoe
Uh-Oh
Yay!
Poo-Poo/Poop
No
Yeah (yes)
Cracker ("Cracky")
Cookie
"Isssat" (What's That?)
Up
Help
Please
Outside ("'side")
Apple
Car
Airplane
Choo-Choo (train)
Wow
Woah
More (he usually signs for "more," but occassionally says the word itself)
Doggy ("Goggy")

   In addition to the above words, which he uses regularly, Ryder will repeat most words on command. He has also gotten really good at his animal sounds and is no longer stubborn about doing them on command. He knows the sounds for dog, cat, horse, cow, bird, tiger and pig (and probably a couple of others that I am forgetting)...

   In my opinion, Ryder is really starting to become more "toddler-ish" in the last few weeks. He is starting to throw some toddler tantrums when he doesn't get his way (which are still relatively cute and funny, but I'm sure they'll get old rather quickly). Sometimes he even drops to the floor, lays on his stomach and stiffens into the planking position with his angry/tear-streaked face sticking right down into the carpet.   Anyway, he is looking and acting more like a toddler each and every day (other than the fact that he isn't technically toddling yet...). One of the biggest changes is in his level of communications. He responds to our questions by answering "yeah" or "no" (or by shaking or nodding his head).

   Ryder was evaulated by a physical therapist on June 7th (per Dr. Friedman's referral), and he is significantly behind in his gross motor skills (no big shock there!). His fine motor skills, verbal skills, etc. are all great, but the fact that he still isn't walking at 18 months basically just means that he fails in the gross motor department (He tests at a 12 month level). That being said, the physical therapist agrees that Ryder is close to walking on his own, and she is not overly concerned with things. She did discover that his feet tend to pronate (the insides of his feet collapse inwards, if that makes sense), he favors his right leg/foot over the left and he is "loosey-goosey" (i.e his joints and muscles are ovely loose and flexible). These are all things that can be corrected with work. He may need to be fitted for some orthotic ankle braces to help realign his feet and strengthen his ankles, but the PT wants to work with him for a few weeks before deciding for sure. He did really well at the appointment, and I am feeling much better about taking some action and moving forwards.

   I don't know if I've flat out said it in the past, but Ryder is officially a picky eater. He loves something one day and refuses it the next. The one and only category of food that is 100% reliable is fruit. He will always eat fruit (copious amounts of it too). I'm glad that he is in love with such a healthy food group, but it does leave me in a position of having to desperately push protein and calorie intake. The kid isn't even tempted by sweets. Occassionally I can get him to nom on a simple cookie (like a Nilla Wafer), but he turns up his nose at ice cream, cakes, pies, etc. He's not interested and isn't even willing to taste them. If I pin him down and try to force something delicious into his mouth, he just spits it out and yells at me ("No!").

   I'm excited to report that Ryder LOVES the swimming pool. He's been in the pool a handful of times already this summer and simply adores it. I didn't know what to expect since he was roughly 7 months old the last time he tried it. I'm glad that we can use the pool as a fun escape from the awful Texas heat.

The below pictures are a random assortment from 16-18 months. Enjoy!