15 Month Checkup

Yesterday we took Tigger in for his 15 month checkup. He's still growing like a weed! His measurements were:

• Weight: 21 lb, 13 oz, which is the 10-25% percentile
• Height: 31 7/8 in., which is the 50-75% percentile
• Head circumference: 18 1/4 in., which is the 10-25% percentile

He continues to be tall and skinny like his daddy! He also got a couple of shots; he got a bit behind because we were spacing them out (we try to limit how many vaccinations he gets at one time - we limit it to two) and he was a little under the weather at his 12 month appointment and couldn't get any. He got two shots yesterday and will get two more at his 18 month checkup. He'll be pretty caught up then except for chicken pox, hepatitis and MMR.

I know that the medical field has made great advances, but we give our kids so many shots so early! I pulled out my immunization card (yup, still have it - thanks Mom!) and compared it to the AAP (American Association of Pediatrics) recommended scheduled and the difference is striking! The AAP wants kids now to get about 3-4 as many shots as Papa Tigger and I did. I'm all for advances in medical science, but that's so much! I also think some are unnecessary - Papa Tigger and I call the chicken pox vaccine a 'convenience' vaccine. And I'm not worried about hepatitis until we go to Southeast Asia. These vaccines are good - but why does a newborn infant need a hepatitis vaccine within hours of birth? Seriously!

Then there's the whole MMR debate. Papa Tigger is more comfortable with that one - we both got that as children. I'm a little on the fence. Measles is rarely fatal; the chances of fatality (1 in 1000) are actually the same as complications from the vaccine. Mumps is rarely serious unless contracted during adulthood and Rubella is never serious. Rubella is only serious to fetuses. Of course, we have one of those around. Since I got MMR as a child, I'm probably still immune to Rubella; we're going to confirm at next week's doctors appointment (I had blood work done recently).

So Papa Tigger and I have decided to skip the chicken pox vaccine, wait for international travel for hepatits and delay MMR (I'm thinking when he's two). He gets all the others, just a little more spaced out than the AAP schedule. For anyone really struggling with the vaccine issue, I highly recommend Dr. Sears' The Vaccine Book. It presents a reasonable, unbiased look at the vaccine issue; he explores each vaccine in detail and ends the book with a couple of alternative vaccine schedules (one of which we're basically following).

Sorry to get off on a vaccine tangent! One other notable update from the appointment - poor Tigger still has an ear infection! He had one a couple of weeks ago and we finished the antibiotics as directed, but I guess it didn't do the trick. Tigger hasn't been too fussy, but has had a few cranky days and nights lately. We attributed it to the day care room transition. Poor thing! We now have a much more powerful antibiotic and he seems to be doing better!