Development

Sometimes, as parents, we worry about our child's development. I try not to worry too much and figure she's probably just fine but even I have the occasional concern. Why isn't she talking yet? Are those supposed to be words? Why can't she point out her nose? Does she even know what it is? She walked all the time in CA, why won't she at home? Is she eating enough? Is it strange that she tries to pull up on buttons rather than push them? And on and on.

It doesn't help that we left our What to Expect the First Year book in India and haven't been to a doctor since before we left (long story). I try to covertly gauge her development on other kids around us but we all know that's usually a bad idea.

Fortunately, on the plane ride home from CA (which she did very well on) something happened to help me feel better. Anna walked up and down the aisle several times so that we got to know a lot of people on the plane (such a social butterfly). When we weren't walking, I was letting her play with a Pringles can. She figured out how to open it with her teeth and was working on trying to close it. I don't think she was able to fully close it on her own but got pretty close. Well, a guy who was sitting near us happened to be a doctor (not a pediatrician, a kidney doctor but still) and wanted to guess how old she was. He thought about it for a while and said that based on her fine motor skills, he guessed 15 to 18 months.

I worry sometimes that she doesn't play with enough toys and is behind somehow. Often times, she doesn't really know what to do with them when she does play with them. So even if he was rounding up to make me feel better, I guess she is learning all that she needs to and I don't have to worry about it so much.