Abby turned 18 months old this past Labor Day… I didn’t realize it until a mom asked me how old she was while we were playing at the playground… oops!!!
We had her 18 month appointment today and she rocked the charts. While she only gained half a pound, she’s in the 95th percentile in height (33 3/4 inches)!!! I know she’s tall, but dang!!! The Dr was happy with what she saw and overall it was a very good appointment… though I bet Abby would beg to differ based on the screaming when she was being measured, checked out and then again after the shots (okay I get that one, they don’t make me happy either when I get them).
I did voice a concern though that has been slowly nagging me over the past few weeks (months)… Abby isn’t talking yet. Sure she babbles… alot… and she “says” a few words here and there… Mama, Dada, MehMeh (Noah) plss (please), chss (cheese), fss (fish), buh-bye, booboo (when she wants to nurse… yes she still gets nursed a few times during the day) and more recently dow (down) and whoa! (needs no explanation!)… as well as her version of thank you, excuse me, yes (uhhuh) and no.
While Noah was a late talker, even he was saying more words at this point… so I expressed my concern with the Dr. And now Abby will be going in for a speech evaluation… fun times. The thing is, I really don’t think there’s a problem. I think she’s just an even lazier talker than her brother was and that one day she will decide that she’s ready to talk like the rest of us and just do it. She’s a smart girl… she understands everything we tell her, she tries putting her shoes on (on the right feet even… something Noah has only been doing for the past year), she can get her pants and shorts on (okay not always all the way up depending on the type of pants, but it’s more than her brother does on many days) and and and… but she’s not talking and doesn’t seem to show much interest in speaking anything other than Abbyspeak.
So here I sit questioning whether or not it was right for me to voice my concern… if I should have just waited it out and let her keep adding words at her own pace or if going down the path we’re headed is in fact the right one. I guess we’ll see what the therapist has to say.
The 18-22 months is one of my favorite ages. When I volunteer in the nursery at Church, that is the age group I get. They are so FUN. Big enough to know what is going on, and be independent, but still babies.
I don’t think you need to worry about her talking. My youngest step-daughter did not talk when I met her at two. It wasn’t until three that she really let the words fly. Full sentences and all. It was crazy to think all that was bottled up in there. She hasn’t stopped talking since! HA.
I voiced the same concerns at Avalynn’s 15 month check-up, they wanted us to wait for her 18 month check-up. She says about as many words as Abby does now, and she’s starting to repeat. We have found that when her older sister is not around she talks a lot more, even if it is her own babble! As Mom’s it’s hard not to compare siblings and worry, but I’ve found with Avalynn (who decides to do everything later then her sister) that each kid is different and I just have to keep reminding myself not to compare.