Susan - the number of times I've been asked "Has child X been checked for Y" is amazing. I used to freak each time but then I realized these folks are taking what scant knowledge they have about Y and applying it to the kids they come in touch with. Unless it is a doc, or someone specializing in that particular Y asking the question, I take it with a HUGE grain of salt.

Gack Susan, what a way to start the day. Hopefully Annabel's just easily distracted by invisible shiny things like, um, this friend of mine...

My current irrational parental freakout is that Dylan doesn't point at things. Which, like just about everything else in the universe, is a possible early sign of autism. Which he has no other signs of. And it's not like he doesn't indicate "that thing over there that I want you to get for me because I have temporarily forgotten how to crawl" in other ways, just not by pointing. So I'm giving my brain a time-out until it comes to its senses and stops bothering me with stupid things to worry about.

((((Susan and family))))

Also, a question for that portion of the hivemind with experience with pregnancy. Hubs recently got transferred to a smaller office where he has to coordinate time off with a co-worker. Co-worker is pregnant, her baby is due October 1, and she expects to take about 2 months maternity leave.

As always seems to happen with these things, we'd planned our vacation for late October/early November. No big, because we hadn't made any nonchangeable plans. But we do need to reschedule.

Now, the question: When should we avoid taking our vacation to make sure there aren't any conflicts with co-worker's maternity leave? We know that October 1 due date is approximate, not exact. So I assume late September and early December aren't good ideas. But how far away from the due date should we be thinking? Is early September or late December okay?

I would think late December would be better. You run the risk of coworker deciding to take more time, but you can make the argument that the vacation was planned in advance. You can't exactly get shirty if you have to cancel because the baby came early.

That sounds like she's just your kid, Susan. Really. Bring it up with her doctor next time she has a checkup, but otherwise I think it might just be the teacher trying to be helpful. Also, totally what Suzi said.

Not pointing is a sign of autism? I didn't know that.

Time out, Jessica's brain! Being a parent turns on switches you never knew you had, and it's SO HARD to shut them off sometimes.

Fred, I'd allow 2 weeks margin of error on either side of her due date, and also find out if she's planning to leave on her due date no matter what, or if she's planning to keep on working until she goes into labor. (HR policies vary on how flexible they are about that sort of thing.)

Not pointing is a sign of autism? I didn't know that.

Practically EVERYTHING is a sign of autism if you read enough parenting sites. It's ridonkulous.

I'm sort of glad I wasn't on the internet when Jake was born.

then I realized these folks are taking what scant knowledge they have about Y and applying it to the kids they come in touch with.

Yeah, this was a "reminds me of a friend of my son's" thing, and I couldn't help thinking, "Your son's friend is 16. Annabel is 4. This can make a difference." OTOH the teacher has seen far more 4-year-olds than I have, so if she doesn't think AB's behavior falls within the normal range... t shrugs I'm going to call the pediatrician and ask, just because AB's next scheduled physical is nearly a year away. But I'm not climbing the walls or anything this time.

Not pointing is a sign of autism? I didn't know that.

Yeah, it was a major reason the first person who evaluated Annabel for autism thought she had it. She didn't point. But then we, uh, made a point of modeling it for her, and she started doing it occasionally. It's never been her major way of getting our attention or indicating something, though.