pediatric update

jack continues to have good news from his "well baby" check-ups. today was no exception when we went to see "doctor dana."

jack now weighs 24.2 pounds
jack is 33 inches tall
jack's head is 47 cm around

you may remember from his previous check-up that this represents a gain of 0.7 pounds, 1/2 an inch, and 0 cm in his melonhead. this means that he remains on his growth curve at 75th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight.

if our appointment had only been at 7:15a instead of 8:15a i think jack would have broken the 25 pound mark, but at approximately 7:20a he lost a significant amount of weight. i would go into further detail, but you'll remember, dear reader, that those types of details are verboten, per daddy.

she was very pleased with his language development for 18 months and he regaled her with favorites such as "no" and "no" and "no" -- mainly when she was trying to listen to his heart. oh, and "buh-bye" figured in there a few times too when she was trying to look in his ears. that's our witty conversationalist!

she encouraged us to explore fish oil supplements for his diet to increase the amount of dha and omega 3's he gets in addition to the flaxseed meal that mommy constantly sprinkles on his food. we could just eat more fish, but ... nah.

when mommy inquired, per the aap, when this practice screens for autism she said, "we've been doing it all along." based on his language, his communication with us, her visualization of him ... "he screens negative," she deadpanned. in fact, almost all the indicators for autism spectrum disorders are opposite from the way jack operates. great news!

and she encouraged us, despite questions from others, to keep jack's car seat rear-facing up to its limits and as long as he will let us. jack's seat goes up to 33 pounds and 49" reversed, so that will be a long time coming, but dr. dana warned us that it could be only a few more months, given his ornery streak ... oh yeah, forgot about that *minor* detail!

and ... the official diagnosis for the rough skin on jack's back and arms? a combo of dry skin and a little bit of keratosis pilaris. this is apparently is an autosomal dominant genetic condition. translation? he got it from daddy. but, it's no biggie, his "case" is very mild, and it's not a sign of a food allergy, which is why mommy brought it up.

jack had to get two shots (for dpt and polio), which were probably the least favorite part of the visit. after the first one he got a snoopy "sticker" band-aid, which perked him up a bit, until the nurse stuck him again! at that point he started waving at her and very earnestly but adamantly saying, "bye bye bye bye bye" through his tears. it was almost funny except that it was sad. but by the time he had his shoes on (no shoes was a request of an oft-kicked nurse!) he had stopped crying and was his normal self again.

all in all a great trip to the doctor. and we do it all again in three months -- but that time no shots!!


*how much* do i weigh?

that can't be right! does this diaper make my butt look big?

stop taking pictures of me, you papparaza jackal!

i feel violated ... i'm out of here!