Whoops! Forgot about the neurologist.

[judecorp]

For Marla. :)

Totally uneventful. Actually, the biggest "event" of the whole thing was that it took place during nap time and Punk is teething at the same time so she was a howling banshee for most of the appointment and I couldn't hear anything. Argh!

But basically the neurologist said that while she DOES seem to be cruising longer than most kids (she's now been standing for nearly 5 months, cruising for nearly 4), he can't seem to find any obvious reason WHY. He checked her reflexes and did this neat thing with a black light to check for missing pigment (coolz), and he watched her cruise around and said that basically she is cruising really well, he doesn't get it.

He basically tried to blame the whole thing on either the donor ("well, sometimes late walking is hereditary and you don't know anything about the father") or the lost twin ("or I guess maybe something could have happened when you lost the twin that is resolving") but basically shrugged his shoulders and said she was fine. We made an appointment for 6 months from now and if she isn't walking then, he will do more things.

He didn't even want to do an MRI! I was shocked!! Of course, she was full-on howling at this point so he was probably like, "Get that crazy baby out of here!"

I asked him about why it takes her so long to figure out new things, and how I have to help her motor-plan everything before she does it (like when she couldn't figure out how to get down and I had to do it over and over and over) and I think he wrote me up as "neurotic mom" and said, "I don't see anything to worry about." He seemed to think she should be saying more words, but eh, it is what it is.

Exciting times.

Comments

[marlatiara.livejournal.com]

There's a part of me that is wistful on reading this entry, but I will not be one of "those" moms and will simply say that I am very glad that the neuro wasn't concerned and that Punk is doing well. :)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

In a way, I wish he was more concerned. Not concerned necessarily, but I hate getting the brush-off. I mean, I'm glad he thinks it is all fine, and I know the pediatrician thinks everything will be fine (and he and the pedi are apparently friends), and I'm glad for that... but it just makes me look even crazier.

[folkyboy.livejournal.com]

sometimes i'm fascinated by how a doctor will come up with an "i don't know" answer. it proves that some science can't fully be solved in a chart reading and that each of us do things at a different pace.

i love that you embrace independence in Gus. so she's just coastingf along at her own pace. i'm sure she'll be running around that place in no time flat :) then you'll wish she were easier to catch!

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Dude, just because she is not walking does NOT mean she is easy to catch! She is slippery! She is currently in a phase where she will crawl away if she knows I am trying to get her - and she crawls FAST.

But yeah, what's with the 'I don't know'? You're a specialist, make something up at least!!

[sassywoman.livejournal.com]

Good news it's nothing serious. I didn't walk until 17 months according to my Mom. She's got plenty of time still! *hugs*

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Ha ha ha, maybe YOU'RE her father!!

I walked late too, but mainly because right when I was going to start walking, my mom dropped me and I broke my leg.

[cider.livejournal.com]

Lily's playmate Cyrus just started walking last week, and he just passed the 17-month mark, too. I'm glad it went well. Hey, better to be the neurotic mom than the mom who doesn't pay attention, right?

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

That's what I think. I mean, there's TOO neurotic (and I don't think I'm there YET) but a little neurotic is better than being 'eh, whatever' in my book.

Right now she's too busy being obsessed with shoes to learn how to walk or talk.

[sareste.livejournal.com]

Ugh I hate worrying and wasting $ and time at the doctor just to hear "I have no idea." But I'm glad he isn't concerned about Punk.

Mara stood for about 5.5 mos and cruised for over 4.5 mos. She just didn't seem interested in learning how. In retrospect, I think she was more concerned about learning other things at the time.

[twobadmice.livejournal.com]

I was freaking out for my friend when her son didn't walk for what seemed like forever. The drs assured her that it was cool- the late end of the spectrum but nonetheless cool, and it was. He's walking now but didn't start walking until 20 months or something.I hope this anecdote is reassuring, and I understand why you were/are concerned. That's our job as parents. ; )

[estrange.livejournal.com]

D didn't start walking until 14 months so she still has time. Some kids don't walk until 16 months I think.

[childlight.livejournal.com]

I don't think you are a "neurotic mom". You know your child better than he does.

I know this doesn't help but I was walking at 8 or 9 months and my cousin (who was 4 months younger than me) didn't start walking until sometime after a year. I think it was the only thing I ever got to do first where she was concerned. lol

[violane.livejournal.com]

Ben cruised for about that long before he walked, too, but I'm pretty sure he was just cautious. If I encouraged him like crazy, he would walk to me from about 12 months on, but it was a long time (about 2 months) before he wanted to try it with no encouragement.

I know you're kind of an expert in development, so I guess you would know better than me whether sometimes it's just their different personalities finding ways to peek out.

[cappucinogrrl.livejournal.com]

That's good to hear.

I asked my mom about me and my brother - she said I didn't walk until 13-14 months and he didn't really start talking til he was 2.

[yip95.livejournal.com]

Shaya totally did that thing where she knew how to pull up and stand holding on (because of the high tone), but couldn't figure out how to get down. It wasn't even the tone, because if we just held her hand, she'd plop down. It got to the point where we'd just let her hang out there, fussing, for a while. i even have a video of it. (This icon is a picture of her fussing about not being able to get down, actually). We're those foster parents you read about in the papers!

how many words does Punk have? At Z's 15 month check-up, he had maybe 15-20 words, but only about 5 that he used in any given week. At 18 months? over 100, I think. Once they decide to start saying stuff, they just don't stop... (not that anyone can understand anything he says, mind you...)

[judecorp.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Punk totally did that "howl at you until you offered her a finger to get down" thing. I often took photos like this:

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/judecorp/2571393179/)

Now of course she gets down like nothing.

She just seems really slow to develop balance. She didn't have good balance in sitting until probably last month. She had terrible balance in standing for at least the first 6 weeks (I used to stand behind her every time she pulled up because she always just fell over) and when she first started pulling up into a kneel she fell over a lot, too. It's crazy. Now she is very solid in standing but will not let go, and if I try to hold her at her waist in standing she is really unsteady. And to walk with hands held? She's all over the place like she has NO idea where her center of gravity is.

Weird kid.

[somerandomchic.livejournal.com]

One word: temperament. It seems like there are some kids who are very satisfied with crawling and cruising for a long time, so they don't bother to learn to walk. If Punk is a fast crawler and gets away from you real easy than maybe she's like "Why should I learn to walk?" She is well within normal range.

[dilatedeyes.livejournal.com]

I used to read you on my friendsfriends page, back when I paid for LJ, and have been reading randomly when I have a minute. (In case you were wondering where this random person came from!)

I hope you don't find this intrusive, but, I'm a nanny for 2-year-old twins and they started walking pretty late - Miss G was 16-17 months when she took her first steps (she was mobile right away) and Miss O was 19-20 months (and it still took her some time after her first steps to really take off - she loved to cruise).

Their pediatrician just kept brushing their parents off by saying that multiples are always behind - ugh! - but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today Miss O escaped through a hole in the fence at the park and it took me 5 minutes to chase her down.. Punk will give you guys that kind of excitement one day, too. ;)