Avery is 18 months!

We officially have a "year and a half" year old, though I don't like saying that. It sounds so old! (Don't even ask how I feel about turning 31 ah hem, 29 in less than 2 weeks.)
Anyway, we had her appointment today with her pediatrician, Dr Forbes, whom I LOVE and was temporarily unavailable while she had twins. So glad she's back, though I didn't like a few things she had to say...

Avery weighs 31 lbs and is 34 inches long, which puts her in the 98th percentile for both height and weight. Dr Forbes said that at her 2 year appointment, they will start to consider the BMI (body mass index) rating as well and that she is projected to stay on the same track, which she has been on since she was a newborn (well-above average). They will likely rate her "high" on the BMI scale and she will be officially considered obese. She said we will discuss this more when the time comes, but to start thinking about it now. She asked if she drinks juice. I said no, only water and milk. She said that is good as juice is unnecessary nutritionally, which I already knew. She said she should be consuming about 16-24 oz of milk a day and when I told her that she only drinks about 8 oz, to continue feeding her yogurt and cheese daily to make up for the lack of milk.

Avery doesn't really like plain milk so we have been giving her Horizon Organic Vanilla Milk and she sucks those down (8oz each) in a few minutes but I think I am going to have to switch her to plain to cut out the added sugar. She eats plain yogurt (no flavors or sugars added) and reduced fat string cheese, limited to one stick a day. She NEVER eats chips or crackers or sweets, but she does eat a lot of fruit and applesauce. I know we need to add in more veggies but she doesn't love them and is sort of finicky about them. I need to be more diligent about offering them to her in a variety of ways and trying new ones to see what she likes. I am going to have to be creative to find more healthy options for her and limiting our go-to meals, pastas and tortilla wraps to once a week if that.

Avery also cried hysterically throughout the appointment. As soon as the door shut in the room, she cried and didn't let up until we walked down the hall again. She cried through being measured, weighed, having her tummy, ears and teeth checked, and of course through her Hep A vaccine shot. We discovered she had a mild ear infection in both ears but with all the crying, we forgot to order her antibiotics! (I will go back for them tomorrow.)

She is developmentally advanced as she can say/sign more than 25 words, and she is running, pointing, identifying things in books and parts of her body, shows interest in other kids and can use a spoon and fork. She said a sippy/straw cup is still fine and not to worry about introducing an open cup.

Dr Forbes also said that we should be brushing her teeth morning AND night, not just night as we have been doing since she was 12 months. She also said a dentist wasn't necessary yet as they basically just get them used to the office/doc and count teeth. Judging by her level of hysteria during a simple doc appointment where nothing was done to her until the very end, she said it would be more traumatic than useful and to revisit the idea at 2 or even 3.

The doctor also said those dreaded words I was afraid to hear: Get rid of the paci. She recommends it being gone ideally at 12 months with bottles, and absolutely by 15 months as studies show it causes the palate to be affected and the teeth to be pushed forward. She said it was great that I limit paci use to bedtime (mostly, ugh) but I should get rid of them all together, well before baby sister arrives. OH NO!!!!!!!! I knew that was the case but I really really don't want to get rid of them. She advised to do it cold-turkey on trash day so Avery can see me put ALL the pacis in the trash and watch the trash man take them away and to prepare for a horrible week but not to break down or buy more. Sounds TERRIBLE to me! Not sure what I am going to do on this one...stay tuned!

On a better note, Avery is just the most precocious and adorable little girl. She loves to play in the park and with her new trike and with Roo when he lets her. She loves to give big bear hugs while patting your back which is so funny! If she sees you have a boo boo, she will give it a kiss. She is VERY talkative and loves saying Hi and Bye to every car, plane, person and animal she sees. She is going through a "dada" phase right now where he is just the apple of her eye, it is so sweet. We are starting a month of Mommy and Me swim lessons at the YMCA today and I am really looking forward to it! If all goes well, we will continue with the lessons for several months.

I am looking into a few mommy and me preschool programs to get her involved in, where we can eventually turn it into a drop-off situation for her after the little one arrives. This way she has a routine and also a place to go where there is no baby and she can play with her friends while I nurse/change/sleep with the new baby.

So excited for 2012!! Thanks for reading this LONG post!