12 month check-up
This morning we went to Logan's One Year check up. He measured 28 3/4 inches long (20%), weighed 20.4 lbs (16%) & his head circumference is 17 3/4 (12%). The nurse said that he looks great & is very healthy, even after he peed on the table three times in the process of getting measured. A whole lot of it too.

We talked about his nutrition, drinking whole milk (which he's been doing for a couple of weeks now), sleeping patterns & his activity. Everyone was really surprised that he's walking. The only thing that he's "behind" on is language development. They're not worried at all because there's such a big learning curve for the timing of development. I'm not really worried about it either.

We talked about ear infections because he's been tugging at them a little more than usual & he seemed a little warm on Monday. They checked out clear. They checked his blood to see if he was anemic. He's not. I asked about when we should take him to the dentist for the first time. I was glad to know that we won't have to think about it for a couple of years.

I also had questions about Type 1 Diabetes. Not that I think Logan has developed it, but what to look out for if he does. The kid drinks water like a camel & has the diaper changes to prove it. His weight loss at his last appointment made me start to wonder. Development of Type 1 at this age is pretty rare, but apparently you know without a doubt when your kiddo is that sick.

Bill had questions about when to switch to a forward facing car seat. Logan meets the age, height & weight requirements now, but he's still happy to be rear facing. In this conversation, we decided that he's going to stay rear facing until he starts to complain about it, or until it begins to look really awkward. It's safer & why change it if he likes it the way it is?

Then we talked about his vaccinations.

Bill & I are still on opposite ends of the spectrum in our philosophy. He wants to do the combos & all, in spite of Logan's history of reactions. I would rather not vaccinate him any further. But, we continue with our compromise of doing single dose shots. Logan ends up getting one or two shots at the most.

The nurse we had this visit was very understanding, compared to the nurse last visit who made it seem like I was making up Logan's reaction. I told her how I felt & what we were comfortable with. She said that she read his chart (which the previous nurse did not have prior to our visit) & totally agreed with our plan of action.

We decided not to give him an MMR. He ended up getting two shots, one in each leg (we left his records of what he got at the office). These were vaccinations that he had before, so I felt better about what kind of reaction he would have. The only difference was that these were combos. The last set of shots produced a mild reaction that we could deal with, compared to the pertussis shot that sent him into his semi-coma. He was brave & only cried for a little bit. We check out & decided to go out for breakfast.

We ate a a place that was just around the corner from the children's clinic. We had a great time at breakfast, talking about how lucky we are to have such an easy going, healthy boy. Logan charmed everyone around us by his fabulous behavior & cute smile. After we finished, Bill left to pay up front while I got Logan cleaned up.

I noticed Logan's face turning a blotchy red with a little swelling. Bill came back & I asked him, "Look at Logan's face. Do you think these are hives?" Bill looked. "Yeah, I think those are hives". As we sat there studying Logan's face, we could see the hives growing bigger & turning into little pustules. "Holy freaking crap! Is he having a reaction!? Jesus! Well, lets drive back to the clinic & have him checked out", I told Bill.

We drove back around the corner & walked into the clinic. I told the receptionist at the front desk that he just had his shots today & is now breaking out into hives. The nurse that we had just seen not more than an hour ago came back to get us. She checked Logan out. He sounded good & the hives weren't blocking his airway. She asked what he ate for breakfast. Crackers, eggs, toast, a little bit of sausage & potatoes. He's had them all before, many times. And he's never had a reaction like this before.

She said that she didn't exactly know what was causing this, but there was a possibility of it being another reaction to his vaccinations. Because of Logan's history, she said that we should see a pediatric allergist. She mentioned the name of a Doctor who specializes in this field & said that their insurance department would get the referral together & give us a call. In the mean time, they gave Logan Benadryl & told us that if anything got worse, call the clinic.

We left with Logan feeling well, but looking off. He sang in the car for about two minutes & then passed out. We got home & I put him to bed where he slept for three and a half hours. I constantly checked on him to make sure his face wasn't swelling anymore. It was actually starting to look a little better. When he woke up, he was fine. His face was back to normal & he ate goldfish crackers. I decided that he was well enough to go to play group. He had a great time & is now passed out again.

I'm glad everything is back to normal, because my biggest complaint about vaccinations is that you can't take them out & there's not a treatment plan for adverse effects. Because Logan has had multiple reactions varying from sever to mild to moderate, I think we're now starting to believe that those will be his last set of vaccinations. I'm finished playing Russian Roulette with my son's health.