Eighteen Month Checkup

Height: 33" (54%)
Weight: 27 lbs, 4 oz (75%)
Head: 19.5" (75%)

All in all, a pretty proportional kiddo.

The bad news is that his last ear infection either didn't heal, or it healed and came back in both ears. Poor Will has to go on another round of antibiotics. This is ear infection #4. The nurse practitioner said (before she saw his ears) that 5 infections within a year or an infection that lingers through a few rounds of antibiotics usually warrants the referral to the ENT. Ugh.

Everything else looked good. He's walking/running like he should, talking ahead of schedule, pretty coordinated for his age. He got three shots (two boosters + flu). He also got his finger pricked for the hemoglobin test. That, of course, hurt and made him mad. His little hands were cold, so she had to milk his finger a bit, so that made it worse. He didn't really melt down, though, until she put the bandaid on his finger. For some reason, he really doesn't like bandaids. I held him down for his other three shots and then pulled his bandaid off. That calmed him down a bit, until he saw his finger bleed. I guess all the screaming got his blood pumping because that darn finger just kept going and going. I applied pressure. Will screamed. I wiped it with a Kleenex. Will screamed. I ran it under a cold tap. Will screamed even more. He clutched at me and at Boyd, getting us all a little bloody. Finally, after what seemed like five minutes but was probably 90 seconds, his finger stopped bleeding and we were able to get him dressed and out the door.

Will stayed with Grandad this afternoon while I went to school, donated blood, and taught one class for the day. He had a rough go of it over there, too. He napped MAYBE 20 minutes in the car on the way home from the doctor's office, and he wouldn't go down for Grandad. Dad said that for a good 25 minutes, Will stood at the kitchen cabinet, screamed, reached for his paci and Boyd, took a breath, handed his paci and Boyd back to my dad, screamed again. Apparently, it was very methodical.

Of course, I have pictures scheduled for Will tomorrow afternoon. Let's hope he's in better spirits then.