Month: April 2011

i don’t want to jinx anything, but i think sparklet’s starting to figure out the whole sleeping thing.

these last couple of nights we’ve been able to leave the room while she’s still awake, and she’ll settle herself down.

there is still a bit of a process — she has to have her three sleeping buddies (tiger, kitty and puppy) and we’re obviously still doing three or four books before hand (and a full bottle).

but, when we’re done and walk out, we get just a little bit of a wimper and then nary a sound until three minutes later when snoring starts pouring through the monitor.

we’ve been going to Dr. Robert Silverman, MD (Pediatric Dermatology in Fairfax, VA) since last year to get sparklet’s port wine stain treated.

for of our three appointments so far, we’ve sat in the waiting room for a collective four and a half hours because — wait for it — they can’t turn the laser on while other appointments happening or the building’s electrical system will collapse.

it seems to me there are a couple of options here: (a) don’t offer the treatment, (b) slap your landlord around a bit and make him solve the problem, (c) move, or (d) don’t schedule multiple appointments when you know one is a laser treatment.

but, Dr. Robert Silverman, MD (Pediatric Dermatology in Fairfax, VA) has just chosen an intriguing “fifth” way — he’s told his staff to no longer process insurance claims for the treatment, so now we’d have to pay in cash and work with the insurance company ourselves.

i’m guessing this is his effort to drive down demand.

needless to say, we’ve already started looking for other treatment options. as exciting as the long slog to Fairfax is, it just doesn’t seem worth the trouble.

PHOTO CREDIT: The second hour in Dr. Robert Silverman, MD (Pediatric Dermatology) waiting room in Fairfax, VA. Photo © Tiredangrybitter Dad.

just because she isn’t talking, doesn’t mean she isn’t communicating.even though her only legitimate word remains “up” she can somehow very clearly communicate that she’s not a little girl anymore and should be allowed to push her own stroller (up hill, for three to four blocks), push her own tricycle, and now carry her own groceries.

oh, and work the remote. and the computer. and get in and out of desk chairs, pushing them back when they’re done. and she’s even starting to try and wipe her own bottom.

and while all of this is great — really, i swear — next week is sparklet’s 18 month checkup, and friends tipped us off that the doctor would be looking for evidence of a 5 to 22 word vocabulary.

here’s what sparklet’s mommy has been rehearsing:

• sparklet’s got baby sign language down for “more”, “all done”, and “juice”.
• she’ll randomly pick up one of our phones and bark like a seal into it — something approximaiting “ai!”
• she’s seriously comprehending in two languages. we can say “give that to me,” “put this in the trash” and “where’s your shoes/ball/socks” in both English and Spanish, and sparklet knows/acts on exactly what we’re saying.
• her first word (“up”) isn’t an object, but a concept — and she knows the different usages between “pick me up and carry me”, “you get up off the couch”, and “put me onto the bed” or “i want into the crib.”

so, while all that’s keeping me from committing “i’m an aweful parent” hari kari, i’ve conveniently double-booked myself during her appointment and won’t be able to join the family for that particular festivity.

UPDATE: sparklet had her 18 month appt. and is still as impressive as ever — he’s 30 lbs. and 34 inches, both puts her above the 97% threshold.

the pediatrician did NOT yell at us about her vocabulary (for all the reason’s above), but said if sparklet doesn’t have 10 words by 21 months, we should probably think about getting a professional to help her jump start the language process.

sparklet has developed a love of birds. she can follow them in the sky, in the trees and on the ground — and does the baby sign-language for “more” when they fly away. cute.