Air and Space Museum

Recently we have been trying to expose Dominic to new things.  A few weeks ago and friend and I took Dominic and her daughter to the Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C..  I think he really enjoyed the animals and was running around like a maniac.  

This past weekend we took him to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum.  We knew this would be a big hit because he LOVES airplanes.  He watches them fly over our house every day and gets excited each time.  Here are a few pictures of him at the museum.

15 Months....where has the time gone?

We took Dominic to his 15 month appointment yesterday.  Afterward, it dawned on me that I haven't been recording his milestones.  So here I am.....for you and for myself.....getting it all down.

He is healthy and growing beautifully.  He is 23.8 lbs and 32 inches long.  This puts him in about the 50th percentile in weight and the 90th for height.....I think we are going to have a tall one on our hands. 

His motor skills are on track, but the doctor was a little concerned that he hadn't started talking.  Let me back up....she actually asked me a series of questions that made me feel like an awful mom. 

1. Is he talking?   ummmmm not yet

2. Is he pointing things out to you?  no

3. Can he scribble with a crayon?  Don't know...no one mentioned that I should let him try that.  (Although, we tried when we got home and he scribbled beautifully)

4. Can he point out his body parts?  uuuhhhh no

 



As you can see, I felt like Dominic and I failed a pop quiz!!

Let me say that I am not a big fan of this particular doctor because she can be rather harsh.  She had her first child a few months after Dominic was born, so she also isn't talking from experience, only from what she read in a textbook.  Other doctors I have seen are much more "every child is different"....."no need to panic, he will get there". 

I also think it would be nice if doctors warned mothers about what they will be looking for at the next appointment.  If I knew in advance that I would need to know if he was coloring with a crayon and pointing out body parts at 15 months I would have worked with him more in these areas. 

Anyway.....back to the appointment.  The doctor's suggestion was that we take him to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist to have his hearing tested.  It could be possible that he isn't hearing at 100%, causing him to struggle with forming words.  She also gave me the number to an early intervention program for my county.  I assume that it is some sort of speech therapy that will help him if there is in fact a medical issue. 

Needless to say, I was a little freaked out after she threw all of this at me.  I was expecting Dominic to glide through this appointment with flying colors and here I am contemplating speech therapy for my 1 year old.

Long story short, she isn't overly concerned that he isn't talking yet......lots of children aren't talking at 15 months.  But she wants to be conservative about the situation because our next appointment won't be until 18 months.  If he still isn't talking at 18 months it will be more concerning and we may have missed the opportunity to get him the early intervention that could have helped him progress quicker.

I will wrap this little tirade up with this.....

I realize that all children develop at their own pace and shouldn't be compared to other children.  I am also thankful that this whole "not talking" thing is our biggest problem.  There are parents out there that are dealing with far worse and I have to keep things in perspective.  However, like any parent, I want my child to be perfect :)  and I will do what I have to do to help him thrive.  We will be seeing the ENT doctor on the 24th and I will have an update by then.....unless he starts spitting words out this week ;)