Lux and Nick's Online Journal

18 Months and All is Well

She is almost 19 months old, but Lux just had her 18 month check up and is doing great. She finished up the last of her shots and now is done until she goes to kindergarten. After her 15 month check, which involved a great deal of screaming and crying, we were worried about how this appointment would go, but all the OB appointments which Lux has attended with Susan seem to have eased her mind somewhat when it comes to doctors' offices.

Lux got to weigh herself standing up on the big kid scale (24 1/2 pounds, clothed) which was better for her than the baby bucket scale. A squirmy measurement shows her to be 34 inches tall (or as we like to say, 2 foot 10), which is the average height of a child six months older than her. The doctor noted that the hernia she was born with has not been closing as hoped, and because of its location will probably need surgical attention. It is a common issue, and one we won't have to deal with until she is about 4 years old.

All growth and development seems to be right on schedule, or sometimes ahead. Although we know some children who are much more vocal than Lux, in the last few weeks, she has really been talking up a storm. We never know when a new word will pop out. Of course, her enunciation could use some work, but we know what she is saying 80 percent of the time. Right now she spends a whole lot of her time pointing things out and asking what they are, even if she knows the word. The synapses are really firing.

Unfortunately, Lux's favorite word seems to be no. She doesn't like to say it once, but in a long stream of no no no no no no no no no nos. It is almost like a song to her and sometimes can be pretty funny since she says it for no reason at all. But we try not to laugh.

Lux has also been sleeping really well in her toddler bed. We read her to sleep, and though she wakes a time or two during the night, usually she isn't fully awake, but merely needs a pat on the pack to reassure her back to sleep. She has been waking at 6:30, when she comes into our room for an hour or so more of sleep with us. A couple of nights recently she has had some trouble falling asleep because she is so desperate for us to tell her the names of everything around her.

On Saturdays Lux takes her swimming class, which is going well. She is a little clingy, and gets chilled by the end of the class, but there are no tears and no problem with getting her face wet or going under. The other weekend she went to her friend Juliana's 2nd birthday party which was at the (indoor) rec center pool. She did really well, and since the pool was warmer than the one she takes lessons at, she was able to play for longer and grow fairly confident. She was even able to walk around in the shallows away from Paul and splash with toys.

Lux has also been going to a playgroup recently. Mostly it is just Juliana and her new friend Samantha, but we are working on adding a few other kids from the neighborhood. Lux has gained a lot of confidence in the past month or so and plays eagerly with the other girls' toys. So far, Lux is the youngest of the group, which the older kids sometimes take advantage of, but we think it is good for Lux, who will doubtless do the same kinds of things to her brother. And we try to remember that two year olds can't be expected to share and be nice all the time.

We feel a little bad that we have forgone Music Together for this session because Lux is really developing a love of music. She sings a lot and dances too and likes her musical instruments that Juliana gave her for Christmas. She has learned to blow so she can play the recorder and whistle and can hum on the kazoo. Drums are a real favorite. Lux often goes to the stereo and asks for the music to be turned on so she can dance. And we have bought her a toy called the Musini which senses her movements and plays music while she dances around it. Once brother is here we will probably start up the Music Together classes again.

The doctors and books have been warning us that during this period toddlers become very picky eaters. It is to our delight, then, that we announce Lux seems to be bucking the trend. After nearly a year of refusing to eat sweet potatoes she ate an entire slice of sweet potato pie the other day (much to Susan's dismay since it was her pie) and this morning she asked for and ate not one, but two omelettes. This is particularly noteworthy as there was a period of several months during which Paul made her a tiny omelette every morning for breakfast and every morning she refused to touch it.

BROTHER UPDATE

The ultrasound we had went very well, and our crazy Italian perinatologist proclaimed us "cured"! Of course, he didn't do a thing to cure us, but we'll gladly give him credit for the healthy boy, if he wants it. Sadly, brother's head was already down in my pelvis, giving no opportunity for us to get a hint of what he might look like.

I reached full term this week and can expect to have the baby anytime in the next few weeks now. I am getting mixed opinions from my nurses, midwives, doctors and doulas about whether brother will be late, like Lux was, or early, as he is the second child with relatively little time between siblings. Not that it means anything, but two days ago I felt a big change, as if his head had really settled in to my pelvis. From what I understand, this often happens sometimes before delivery in a first baby, but usually doesn't happen until right before delivery for subsequent children. All it means for sure is that it feels just like you think it would feel to have a bony skull lodged in your pelvis. Walking is no longer fun. Rolling over in bed can bring tears to my eyes. In fact, comfort in general is a thing of the past. I have also been experiencing contractions, which I did not have until I went into labor with Lux. So it seems as if this delivery won't follow the exact same pattern that Lux's did.

A few days ago there were a number of things that were adding up to indicate that I might go into labor at any moment. The house was a mess. The guest room held the contents of a storage closet that we had just turned into a closet for Lux and brother and so the guest bed was not visible and the floor was covered with things we hadn't seen in years. The Jeep was full of wire, metal and shelves for a closet project we were embarking on for the master closet. Our bed didn't have the protective plastic sheet on it to prevent the mattress from being ruined should my water break. The carefully planned childcare we had for Lux during my labor fell through and we had no back up plan. I hadn't had a pedicure in 7 months. My legs weren't shaved. Paul was talking about going to West Virginia for a couple of days. It was snowing. We had no clothes and no diapers for the new baby. We were going to have to bring him home from the hospital in a pink bunting.

Luckily, we were able to scramble and remedy most of the above situations, so I think we are safe, at least until everything falls apart again. If I keep the house clean, then maybe he'll stay put until his official due date, after Valentine's Day.

posted by Susan @ 2:15 PM