From 1-2 years of age is where I rerally started to worry. Nicholas was never into books, bedtime stories, etc. He was still not pointing or really waving. He did not care if anyone left the house, the room, the planet for that matter – I thought I was getting away with not seeing any separation anxiety. Looking back, I can see how clearly he was in a world that was all his own. Still not responding to his name. At the 12 month mark, we tried to introduce milk – he hated it. He would hand the cup right back to me. We tried strawberry milk, chocolate milk, you name it, he hated it. I even crushed cherrios in a blender and added the milk and that didn’t fool him either. We tried soy, lactaid, you name it – nothing worked. When I started mixing 1oz of milk with 7 oz formula, that did the trick, but the poor thing was so constipated all of a sudden that it took lots of prune juice to get him to go. I gave up and switched him to Isomil 2 Toddler Formula (mistake). I spoke to his pediatrician about him possibly having an allergy to milk or being lactose intollerant and he pretty much blew me off – as he had been doing all along.

He did well with feeding himself with a spoon. Eating habits were french fries, bananas, crackers and apples. Much of this year is a blur to me – mainly because he was always moving, getting into everything – and I felt like a prisoner in my own home. We stopped being able to go anywhere and take him with us – it became pure torture. I was repeatedly told, “boys are active, this is normal – welcome to the terrible two’s” The problem with that statement was he was no where near turning two at that point.

His babbling slowed down to non-existant. His babbling, before it stopped, sounded like sentences – and we thought that any day he would talk in full sentences. I mentioned this to his pediatrician repeatedly and he told me to wait it out, boys usually explode with language around 2.

When we were home and he had stuff he was interested in, he was the best child in the world. People always remarked at how quiet he was and how well he played and how they wished their kids were like him.

He would pull his grandparents into his room to play, sitting each one where he wanted them to sit. Then he’d play while they sat there, never involving them in his play. We tried and tried to change him pulling them into “come” – but he would just grunt and pull.

He NEVER toe-walked, flapped, lined cars up, spun wheels, etc. When I flat out told his pediatrician that I suspected he had autism, he told me that Nicholas was a typical little boy and I had nothing to be worried about. I did not know at the time that I should have just made an appointment with a neuro or developmental pediatrician. Instead, I continued to vaccinate him and continue the assault on his body/brain. Because I thought that because the doctor said he was okay, that he truly was okay.

At 18 months, he got the DTP (dose 4) and MMR (dose 1) – and this was where his babbling slowed down to non-existant. The words he did have were gone, he couldn’t even make the sounds. I was reassured that boys talk later than girls and boys tend to drop skills when they are learning new ones and that was why he probably wasn’t babbling much anymore and that he would explode with language at 2.
At 21 months, he got Prevnar (dose 4) and Hib (dose 4) – and at this point, life became a fucking nightmare

At 6 months, we started introducing baby foods in addition to his formula. He loved all kinds of foods; applesauce, rice cereal, peas, barley cereal and peaches. He was drinking from and holding a sippy cup at 6 months. He started pushing up at 7 months. Said “dada” for the first time at 7 months. Recognized his name at 7.5 months. Started crawling at 8.5 months and wanted to explore everything he possibly could. He loved his Baby Einstein time – he had such a ball watching it. He even wanted to try climbing up stairs! He sat up from lying down at 9 months, stood alone at 10 months, took first step at 11 months and started walking by himself the day after his first birthday. He never started waving or pointing. I tried to get him to say hi and bye and he never caught on. He did babble and have other words, so I was not worried – and everyone always reassures you that boys talk later than girls. He always played well by himself (and appropriately) – he played with appropriate toys for his age and played with them appropriately. His fine motor skills seemed to be advanced for his age. He loved to climb – we called him our little monkey because of his climbing.

At 6 months, he received Pediatrix (dose 2) – one shot, 5 vaccines: diptheria, tetanus, petussis, hepatitus B and polio
At 7 months, he received Prevnar (dose 3) and HiB (dose 3) – He received seven strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae plus Haemophilus b.
At 8.5 months, he receivevd Pediarix (dose 3) – one shot, 5 vaccines: diptheria, tetanus, petussis, hepatitus B and polio
At 1 year, he got the FLU shot.

Nicholas had a pediatrician’s appointment today. His pediatrician reassured me that him crying for 24 hours was not a reaction to his vaccines given last November. I was too naive to know any better. He got the Pediarix shot today. One shot, FIVE vaccines: Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Hepatitis B and Polio

From 3-6 Months, Nicholas started paying attention to the TV, so we would play an occasional Baby Einstein video for him once every few days or so. He loved them and would smile and coo and make noise – he really enjoyed them. He started babbling right around 3 months. At 3 1/2 months, we took him to an ENT because we were worried about him being tongue tied. He had this bag ball of something under his tongue. By the time we got to the appointment, that ball was gone and it was believed to have been saliva trapped in his frenulum. The problem never returned. He started drooling and teething and also started laughing. Around 5 months, he rolled from back to front and stood up with help at 5 1/2 months (although we think he could have done it sooner)

Nicholas was a really good, really easy baby right from the start. He was alert, happy and was remarkably able to hold his head up. He slept well, he loved looking at us. Only thing he didn’t like so much was bathtime. At 2 1/2 weeks, we needed to change his formula from Similac to Isomil as his tummy was no longer having an easy time of digesting the similac. Switching to soy worked well for a few days, but by the following week, we were advised to add rice cereal to his bottle (1tablespoon per 2 ounces of formula) He was also prescribed Zantac for reflux. The pediatrician also wanted us to start poly-vi-sol vitamins, but he barely got any since he would spit them everywhere and I eventually gave up. After this point, Nicholas spent his first year sleeping in either his bouncy seat, swing (not rocking) or his car seat due to his reflux. Lying flat in his crib only resulted in him screaming constantly. The ped told us to go with what worked to get him to sleep. He began sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. He smiled at mommy at 7 weeks old. He started blowing bubbles and raspberries just after the two month mark. He flirted relentlessly with girls working in a department store at 11 weeks old. He received his first round of vaccines on 11/29/2004, prevnar and HiB. A short while after we got home, he screamed and screamed and screamed literally around the clock. Mom and Dad took turns consoling him as did Grandma and Grandpa. The only thing that took his mind off screaming for a little while was watching Daddy’s train go aroudn the Christmas tree. Reaction reported to pediatriican the next day to which I was given the infamous words, “no reaction” – he eventually did stop crying, but I have always felt this was a major blow.