Anyway, Waylon had his 4 month check up on Friday and he's 26 inches tall (81st) and weighs 15 lbs, 10 oz (51st). Developmentally, he's on pace or a little ahead of schedule. Again, I had no idea what babies are supposed to do when, so this was nice to hear. He's very expressive in the face, he laughs all the time (I MUST get video of this, it's the cutest thing), he's pretty good at grabbing at/playing with his toys, and he can sit up very well when propped up and for a few seconds on his own. He rolls over 3/4 of the way but can't quite figure out how to get his arm from under him. Oh well, he'll get it. Here's him chilling halfway rolled over.
The other part of the 4-month visit was vaccines. Can we talk about this for a moment? I feel like every day I see something about people no longer vaccinating their children for fear of autism/allergies/I'm not sure what else...is anyone still giving their kids vaccines? I talked to the doctor for a good 20 minutes or so about this because I was kind of on the fence. Do people still get polio? Is there any conclusive evidence that says that vaccines = autism? I really appreciated my doctor taking so much time to talk to me about my concerns. Ultimately, I decided to give Waylon the shots (reluctantly) because we are going to Mexico in a few months and I'm just not convinced there's a grand conspiracy among pediatricians to harm the children of America. But I am very curious about why people do or don't choose to vaccinate. Do share!
In other news, the new house is coming along. We have about a month to get in there and it seems like we are on pace. I can't wait to share some new photos once we are done (with a few of the rooms anyway). Right now I am so sick of scraping wallpaper I could punch someone. Wallpaper is not the look, people. Just say no. Also, who puts paint on 200 year old hardwood floors? Not stain, not varnish, paint. Ugh.
Awwww, he's so cute! And getting so big!
ReplyDeleteAh, the vaccines debate. Such a touchy subject. There is so much out there to research and then it changes all the time. I have mom friends who are strongly on both sides of the debate. I fall somewhere in the middle, as I'm both conservative and proactive when it comes to health matters, but also try to stay away from anything unnecessary and unnatural when possible. Soooo....with the twins, I was pretty naive and didn't realize I actually had a say in the matter. I just did what was required and what the pediatrician said to do. But then when the third came along seven years later, I was much smarter and much more assertive. I did get all of the required vaccines for her, however, I insisted they be spread out, rather than following the required schedule. For instance, I think it's the year one that has like four or five at once...that I didn't do. Even though it was a pain to make more appointments, I spread them out over a few months, just so that her little system wasn't hit with so much at once. Who knows if it helped, but all three are no worse for the wear. (So far, haha.)
I will tell you though, and not to scare you, that when Natalie was a year old and we were in for her 12-month shots, she had a full-on major seizure right there in the doctor's office. Seven minutes. The worst seven minutes in my life. I'm glad it happened there, but we never had any answers why. Of course, I then had to take her to some specialists after that, and they found nothing wrong. However, she was a major breath-holder and when she cried hard, she would turn blue and not inhale. It was HORRIBLE and probably the cause of all my mommy anxieties to this day. So they say that was why, and she was crying hard during the shots, but I've always wondered if the actual chemicals in the shots had something to do with it. I'll probably never know, but it did definitely cause me to change things up when it came time for Noelle because really, you just don't know.
I think that, given that you're taking him to Mexico, it's a wise decision to go ahead with the vaccines. And then of course, when he starts school, they're kind of required. And while many of the diseases we are vaccinating against have been eradicated, they do seem to reappear every now and then, like the recent measles outbreak and now whooping cough. Also, they've been eradicated BECAUSE of the vaccines. Of course, there are parents out there who subscribe to the philosophy that they'll just rely on the OTHER kids who do get vaccinations to not expose THEIR kids to these diseases. Hmmm...
I think it's a risk v. benefits thing. Kind of like getting the flu shot. (Which we do, and glad we did this year because it was so bad.)
I have a friend who is very organic, very natural, absolutely NO vaccines, home schools, grinds her own grains, doesn't believe in bleach or hand sanitizers, etc. And yet, her kids are highly allergic to EVERYTHING and get sick all the time. Although I try to do the natural, organic route, I AM a fan of bleach and antibacterial everything, and I have to say, knock on wood, my kids have always been extremely healthy, give or take a few colds, some streps, ear infections, maybe some swine flus and, well, that seizure. So I hope that helps, for whatever it's worth. Isn't it FUN being so responsible for another life? Yes, it's fun, but I don't think I ever anybody say it's EASY. Good job, mama. Keep up the good work! :)