12 Month Check-Up

Wow, can you believe we had our 12 month check-up? That was crazy to me! This time, Isaac walked by himself from the waiting room to the doctor's room. I had to stay right behind him, with my hands acting like blinders so he kept his focus on Larry and didn't wander into other rooms, but he did it :)

He is healthy :) Here are his numbers:

Weight: 22 lbs, 11 oz -- 49%

Height: 30.75" -- 81%

Head: 18.5" -- 69%

His growth chart is staying about the same. I can't believe how big he is getting!

I know I have mommy friends who were wondering what we would do about immunizations. Our pediatrician always asks, "What immunizations are we doing today?" and this time I said none. I told the doctor that we were going to pause his immunizations until he's two. When he's two, Larry and I will talk it over and decide what to do and at what pace. It was a very, very difficult decision for me. My philosophy on teaching runs over into my philosophy on medical care. I expect parents to leave their children with me all day and I want them to trust that my training and expertise will provide the best situation for them. As a result, I typically do not question doctors. They went to school and were trained, they know far more than I do about medical care. Plus, do I really think Isaac will get autism if he gets the next round of shots? Not really. I do not believe that just getting the immunizations will give autism- I believe there are multiple factors that come into play, including a predisposition, whether or not the child is sick when getting immunized, as well as other factors. But Isaac has been sick in the past when we did not know it right away and I do not know my family's history well enough to determine if I believe the gene is there. Also, just like my teaching philosophy, that not every child should be taught the same way, I do not believe that every child can and should be immunized the same way. Their bodies are so little and so young to handle so much in such a short period of time. The bottom line, and what made my decision for me, is the fact that I can go to sleep at night and not worry that Isaac has the measles. However, if he was immunized, I know myself well enough to know that I would constantly be watching his every move and analyzing every time he fell down, wondering if he was losing the ability to walk. Every time he didn't wave when I asked him to, I would wonder if he was losing the ability to comprehend and do what I was asking. The fact is, toddlers fall. And they don't always perform on demand. I can't live like that and I can't ask my son and husband to deal with me like that. I do believe it's important to be immunized, just not yet. So there is that :) If you ever have questions about our decision, I'd be more than happy to talk!

Now, for pictures :) Here are some recent pictures of Isaac between the time of his birthday and his birthday party

I love this picture! He is still playing with the balloons from the party. He will point up at the balloon and say, "Ba!" He gets so happy when you give it to him!
He loves his tunnel, but he really loves taking things with him into his tunnel! He has even tried taking his lawn mower through the tunnel with him :)



I mean, come on, how cute can this kid get??