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Short version: At 22 months old, Zackery is completely on target for all cognitive skills such as language and language perception, problem solving skills, etc. His fine motor skills are in the 50-60th percentile, about average. His gross motor skills are delayed by 11 months, putting him at the development of about an 11 month old. He is crawling like a mad man, pulling himself up and cruising furniture as well as letting go for a few seconds to stand unassisted (perhaps 5-15 seconds), every so often you can coax an attempt at a step but, usually after on step he THROWS himself into you, and laughs hysterically so, basically, he is not walking yet. He has begun both occupational and physical therapy, which I think will be very beneficial. He has also recently had his adnoids removed, which has led to fewer ear/sinus infections, and is in the process of being tested for both food and environmental allergies. All these things have/will hopefully reveal potential causes for his delays.
Frankly, I've kind of enjoyed having him be unable to walk for an extended time, giving us a bit of extra baby time. However, now that summer is here, and I attended my friends daughters first birthday and seen her toddling, I do really want Zackery to start walking. I want to see him run from toy to toy of his choosing at the park. I want to see him chase after the puppies. I want him to be able to begin trying to ride a tricycle, and I want him to be able to keep up with his little friends. I also have to admit that carrying around 26 pounds is not easy! Lol.
Z. has a huge personality that is not to be reckoned with, and I am enjoying watching him grow into a toddler and leaving his baby days behind. He has the most charming and endearing smile, loves animals, knows how to tell you what he wants, adores water and being outside, gives the sweetest kisses, and has everyone wrapped around his little finger.
Cheesy Grin
Hey, NO babies standing on the counter!!
I can stand tall in Grandpa's chair!
Just....ONE....Step.
Waking up Happy after a nap with Aunty.
Zackery has shown himself a bit slow in gross motor skills since he was about a month old. At 3 months he could not hold his head completely upright, at 10 months he still did not sit up, and at 15 months he still was not crawling. Now, at 23 months he does not walk. Oh but the things this boy CAN do. He crawls like a made man. He can skooch backwards down a flight of stairs. He climbs up on things. Most recently the Z-Man has been pulling himself up and letting go to stand unassisted for 5-10 seconds at a time, and occasionally makes an attempt at a step or two. Probably his biggest hurdle to walking is that he things it is just a hilarious game to take one step, then forcefully thrust himself backwards or forwards into the supervising adult, so they must catch him!
Anyway, Zack recently had another evaluation. The therapist said he seems mentally/cognitively typical for a nearly two year old, perhaps on the later spectrum for speech but not delayed, his language perceptions is definitely find! His fine motor skills seem to be fairly typically, perhaps in the 50th-60th percentile for his age group, about average. Zack's biggest challenge (which we already knew) is his gross motor skills. Here he is hitting the charts at about an 11 month stage. They have no specific reason or diagnosis for this delay. His Mama has cerebral palsy and some mental delay but, has thrived and is doing really well raising him. With that said, at times she hasn't appropriately stimulated him, so some of it could be genetic, and some of it could be simply lack of opportunity to develop and grow.
I personally have two other theories of influences: one, Zackery from very early on has had multiple ear infections, sinus infections, and respiratory infections. These can affect your sense of balance. It seems Z. has had one infection after another for nearly two years, and even when he is healthy, he has rattly breathing and congestion. He was even diagnosed with sleep apnea due to his rattly breathing, where he would stop breathing in his sleep for a few seconds. Oh, and man can this boy SNORE! So, I feel being he is primarily delayed in gross motor skill, it may be linked to his health affecting his balance, sense of stability and equilibrium. So, that leads to my second theory: the cause of the infections, and the ever present congestions/rattly breathing. I believe (as does his new pediatrician) that Zack has some allergies, primarily food, but also environmental I am sure. These allergies can cause his immune system to be weak, as well as innerfere with cognition, and even physical strength. Before Zack was officially diagnosed with sleep apnea, my Mom took him to the E.R. when she began noticing his spells of NOT breathing at night. This led to tests, which led to discovering Zackery had large adnoids and slightly large tonsils. If it were my kid, this would have been one more reason to pursue allergies, as tonsils/adenoids are part of the lymphatic system and they get inflammed when irritated. Unfortunately, my Mom/Sister/Doctors don't see things in my unconventional manner, and their method was to remove his adenoids (they don't remove tonsils in kids this young because recovery is so harsh and post surgery, the swelling can cut off the airway in such a small child, nice huh?). After rescheduling surgery 3 times because Zack was never healthy long enough to be safely sedated, they finally removed his adenoids, which turned out to be MUCH larger than even the doctor originally thought. It may not have been the way I'd have handled it with my child but, since surgery Zackery breathes quieter, sleeps with out snoring or having apnea, and has in general been much healthier. Oh, and NOW the doctor has ordered allergy testing.
So, Zackery continues to develop and grow, at his own pace, and brings joy to all of us!