Jackson had his two year appointment with his pediatrician in the middle of June. This ended up being a fairly standard appointment as are most regular pediatrician appointments we go to.
We went over all of the specialist appointments that Jackson went to since his last visit and discussed the new equipment that he's gotten. We also did the "normal" ped stuff - height, weight, physical, etc.
Jackson weighed in at 28 lbs. 4 oz. which is only 1 oz. more than what he weighed at this 18 month appointment. He's currently in the 50th percentile for weight. This is so much better than last year when he was off the charts. He's definitely become more active even with his limited mobility and that has helped him lose the "baby chunk". I'm sad to see it go (he was such a cute little chunker) but in the long run this will only help him.
It's important that he not gain too much weight for multiple reasons. First, increased weight will further limit his mobility. Extra weight will make it harder for him to get around, therefore making it harder to lose that extra weight. Second, any sudden, large growth spurts could worsen his Scoliosis. So, we want to do our best to make sure that any growth is at a steady pace. And furthermore, individuals with Spina Bifida are considered high risk for becoming obese. By the age of six, at least 50% of children that have Spina Bifida are obese. We'd like to do our best to help Jackson not become part of that statistic.
While I'm well aware that I'm not the poster-child for healthy weight and eating habits, I will do everything in my power to help Jackson. We're still having issues introducing new textures but I'm hoping that while working on that goal we are also setting him up with some healthy eating habits.
Jackson's height measured in at 33 inches - which works out to be the 15th percentile. He's always been on the short side, so we're pleased to see that he's gained 1.5 inches since his 18th month appointment. Having Spina Bifida can affect his height as he is not weight-bearing and assisting in the growth process. Being in the stander and continuing to work on weight-bearing activities will help Jackson out.
We talked about constipation at this appointment as well. We've been using MIralax to help manage Jackson's constipation and it's been working well. We've decided to continue this course of action and not pursue any other bowel management program at this time.
We also talked about diagnosing Jackson with reactive airway disease - in other words, asthma. The few times that Jackson had a cold over the winter, it was accompanied with some wheezing and difficulty breathing. We've tried liquid Albuterol in the past and weren't really sure if it was helping or not. This last time we tried an inhaler and it did seem to help. So, that's been added as a diagnosis. We will continue to monitor it and provide the inhaler as needed. Right now, it's only needed when he has a cold. Jason had asthma at a young age as well.
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| Using his new inhaler back in April |
There were no shots this visit, but a blood draw was needed to check for anemia and lead levels. He wasn't happy about that either but that was mostly because he had been enjoying a snack and they interrupted it by calling us back. Combine that with people holding his arms and hands down and he was not a happy camper. The "stick" itself didn't seem to bother him that much. I'm happy to report that I didn't cry at all (hehehe). The results came back normal.
We don't go back for a well child check up until he turns 3. They do offer a 2.5 year check up but I opted out of it. We already see enough doctors.
I leave you with this. I updated his 18 month subway art to reflect Jackson at 24 months. I still can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing him home. :)
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