Milo'sTwo Month Check Up

Milo had his 2 month check-up (at 10 weeks) this morning. All went well as usual and he got the age appropriate shots. Even though I know the shots are coming and that they'll be fine in no time, I always cry when my boys get those. It's so hard to seem them so upset.

14 pounds 5 ounces (93rd percentile)
25 inches (95th percentile)
40.5 centimeters head circumference (50th percentile)

Dave and I've joked that he's a little pinhead because he's getting so chunky everywhere but his noggin'. I guess our observation was correct!

I also talked to our pediatrician about Moses' lack of vocabulary (he has maybe 30 words total, only 10 of which are clear and understandable to others out of context). He's got a great listening vocabulary and can understand most anything we say, but he's just not meeting the 50-100 spoken words that our doctor wants to see at two years of age. So, we're taking Moses for a hearing test, and he's to begin speech therapy soon. I'll keep our fans posted!

Milo: Two Week Check-Up

Mr. Milo is two weeks old today! How do we celebrate? With a cold stethoscope, a tongue depressor, and a heel prick! We sure know how to party.

Milo's first appointment with our pediatrician was this morning. It was a pretty early outing for us, especially since I'm still trying to master getting out the door with two kids' diapers, drinks, toys, blankets, etc. Thankfully, I was able to drop Moses off at his Gran's on the way so that I could devote my attention to Milo at this first visit and Moses was guaranteed a much better time than I could have provided.

As for the appointment, all looked well and sounded great to Dr. Gray. Milo's growing like a weed: he's already 9 pounds 8 ounces (oddly, he didn't lose more than a few ounces in the hospital) and 22 inches.

Milo had the nasty heel prick test too, and after screaming fantastically for a couple minutes, he calmed and cooed himself to sleep. His little noises had the nurses giggling. Milo is a very noisy sleeper despite being at complete peace. Happy two weeks my little piglet!

18-Month Check Up

Before Moses and I went out of town Friday morning, we had his 18 month check up. It was a relatively uneventful doctor's visit so we were on the road in no time at all (details to come). His weight was 24 pounds 9 ounces (30th percentile), his height was 34.5 inches (97th percentile), and his head circumference was 49.9 centimeters (93rd percentile). Dave joked that he's a pumpkin head on a toothpick body.

He still only has four teeth, but he's teething right now so we expect to see some new ones pop through during the summertime. Despite having so few teeth at his age, he's a good eater and can keep up with his many-toothed peers.

He also doesn't have too great a vocabulary, but he's really started picking up words and sounds faster lately. I think it's a benefit to have cold (and ear infection) season behind us so hopefully that'll help with his language acquisition. Dr. Gray wasn't worried about it (and we're not either) as boys are slower than girls in that department and Moses is on target for everything else. We're just eager to open up the lines of communication.

-Lindsey

Sick sick sick

Last Saturday, Moses woke up with 102.8° fever and it didn't fall below 102 even after we alternated fever reducers. I was certain he had the flu and braced myself for an upset stomach, but that never happened. Instead, his developed chartreuse-green eye discharge and slept all but 2 hours the entire day (night sleep was an entirely different story).

His fever dropped on Sunday, but it was still low grade, and his eye discharge only worsened. He was absolutely miserable on top of that--nothing would console him except the outdoors. I felt bad taking my sick kid outside in 50° weather, but he was happy as a lark out there with all the distractions. We played for nearly 2 hours before he tired and went down for a nap. After his bath that night, his matted, swollen eyelids started pinking and his fever still wasn't any better.

Monday morning, Dave was sweet enough to stay home so that I could get some school work done since we couldn't take Moses to Parent's Day Out. Even though Moses was in a better mood, he still had a fever and looked terrible. Our usual pediatrician was out of the office, but after a crazy string of phone transfers, we got an appointment with Dr. Alkul (which sounded like Dr. Cool on the phone and left us completed puzzled when we were looking for his office). The nice stand-in doctor let us know that Moses had a cold, a terrible double-ear infection (he grimaced when looking in the ears), and pinkeye. I was surprised that Moses had an ear infection since he hadn't tugged at his ears at all, but I should have known better though since his fever and behavior was identical to that first ear infection in November. Dr. Alkul prescribed some not-so-fun meds for Moses and let us on our way with a sucker.

Moses really enjoyed that sucker. And, we enjoyed the quiet time we received from Moses' enjoyment of the sucker.

Today, Moses is doing better. He's still a bit cranky but a good sport and I think he'll be back to himself in no time.

-Lindsey

Genetics

All these months of denying that Moses has my sensitive, eczema-prone skin went down the drain this morning.
Moses woke up with bright red cheeks, which at first I thought was due to our use of the heater last night and that his skin was simply dry. Then, we noticed that he had spots on his torso too. Thinking it was related to the mysterious short-lived fever he had Friday night, I called the doctor and he suggested I bring him in.
I was certain it was going to be Fifth Disease (not really a disease) because of the brightness of his cheeks, unexplained fever, and restlessness over the past few nights, but Dr. Gray said that even though Moses probably had a viral infection last week that contributed to the rash, it is ultimately his dry, sensitive skin that's causing the problem and that it's his body's way of telling us we're in for a long winter.
Great. I guess this year we're going double our purchases of vaseline, baby oil, and shea butter creme lotion and put the humidifier on wheels. I'm sorry kiddo.

(Now, after applying some Aquaphor, his cheeks look 75% better.)

-Lindsey

Bugged

Well, this morning I called Dr. Gray's office to ask about this mysterious illness, and his nurse informed me that there's a terrible stomach bug going around and that it can last up to a week. A week! This is not good news. I hope Moses' dance with the virus is shorter than the norm. The poor kid...

-Lindsey

9 Month Check-Up

Yesterday, Moses and I went to visit Dr. Gray for his 3/4 year check-up. 9 months! I'm in disbelief. What happened to my helpless infant?

Then

Now

The check-up went well. Moses is 29.5 inches tall (75th percentile), 19.2 pounds (25th percentile), and his head circumference is 46.5 centimeters (73 percentile). I was shocked that his weight put him in the 25th percentile. Even though he's thinned out over the last few months, he still seems chunkier than most other kids. Dr. Gray assured me he was growing well and not to worry.

We discussed his continued lack of teeth and his severe separation anxiety. He said both were completely normal and that in time, we'll see his chompers and the anxiety will improve. In the meantime, there's not much to do but wait.

For next time (gulp...1 year!), we're to wean him from the bottle to the sippy cup. Of course! Now that he finally takes a bottle, we're supposed to say, "no, use this instead." A parent's job is never done... I'm also to strategize a plan for weaning him from breast milk to cow's milk after he turns one. It makes me sad that our special time will soon end, but he's getting to the point where I don't feel like I can offer him enough of what he needs--without him nursing constantly. He also really seems to enjoy feeding himself table food, and I just can't compete with the goodness that is chicken ravioli and carrots. I'm just thankful we'll make it to my goal of nursing for one year!

-Lindsey

Some Bad News

In April, Dave and I noticed a slight ridge forming down the center of Moses' forehead, from hairline to nose. Initially, we thought it was part of the growing process, but by 6 months, it only seemed more pronounced. I researched causes and wasn't happy with what I found so I mentioned it to his pediatrician, Dr. Gray, at his 6 month appointment. Dr. Gray said one of Moses' sutures could be closing early, and we should keep an eye on it.
Well, me and my mom-sized worry couldn't play the waiting game so two weeks later, Dr. Gray checked it out thoroughly and found that his anterior fontanel had closed significantly more since he visit two weeks before. With this news, Dr. Gray scheduled a CT Scan to check out his sutures.
On June 19th, 2007, Moses, Gran (Sally), and I went to Covenant Hospital for the scan. Moses did really well considering he hadn't been allowed to eat for the six hours prior in case sedation was needed: he slept through the whole scan without a sedative.
On Monday, July 9th, Dr. Gray's office called with the results, Craniosynostosis. Moses' Metopic Suture is completely closed. Typically, a child's sutures remain open for the first several years to accommodate brain growth. When a suture closes early, it can sometimes cause developmental delays, disfigurement, or brain damage. Sometimes the closures are only cosmetic and never cause any real damage, but other times, surgery is necessary to open the suture. We're hoping the latter isn't the case with Moses. His case seems very mild in comparison to others we've read about online. He hasn't shown any developmental delays or other symptoms to cause alarm, only the ridging.
He has his next appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Telfeian, on August 6th. Dr. Telfeian will evaluate him, and then we'll know more about our next step. Obviously, we are willing to do anything to help our little boy's wellbeing. We are optimistic about the outcome of all this, but we ask for your prayers as we continue this journey.
Craniosynostosis is most often a fluke occurrence, and it is fairly common--1 in 2,000 kids--so we feel reassured by that. It's also good that we caught it early.

6 Month Check-Up

It's been awhile since I posted, but today was his 6 month appointment so what better time to start up again.

Dr. Gray said everything looks great. He's 17 pounds 13 ounces (50th percentile), 28 inches (90th percentile), and his head circumference was 45.5 centimeters (90th percentile). Looking at those numbers, it seems our little chunk had a good growth spurt!

He seemed to *remember* Dr. Gray this time because he started crying as soon as he saw him. Of course, he had reason to cry as he had three shots and one oral immunization. Then, we had to go to the lab for a pin-prick so they could test his blood for anemia (it's standard for this check-up).

We still haven't seen any teeth, but we can see them just below the surface. I'll be happy when they break through because he's constantly gnawing on everything.

We also started him on solids a couple weeks ago. He's had applesauce, bananas, green beans, squash, and sweet potatoes. He likes applesauce and bananas the most but still prefers breastmilk more than anything. Since he associates me with breastmilk, Dave and his grandparents have greater luck feeding him solids than I do.


Moses is now "scooting." He'll lie on his stomach and push himself backwards or pivot on his belly. He hasn't figured out crawling but has managed to get in the crawling position on a couple of occasions. It won't be long until he's everywhere!



-Lindsey

4 Month Check-Up

We just returned from Moses' four-month check-up with a rave review. He's now in the 75th percentile in weight (15 pounds 10 ounces), height (25.75 inches), and head circumference (43 centimeters). We're relieved that he's proportionate, and our large heads have yet to doom him. Dr. Gray said he looks great. He's strong; He's on track developmentally; His first two teeth are almost here--All the things parents want to hear (well, we could argue the downside of teeth). And of course, we finished the visit with those pesky vaccinations, three shots and an oral dose. Poor kiddo turned bright red then screamed bloody murder. I didn't cry last time, but this time I teared up. Luckily, we have another two months to prepare for the next round.

On a lighter note, he got some summer shades:




-Lindsey

Teething Troubles

Today we took Moses into the doctor because he had some symptoms indicating a possible ear infection. After getting checked out (and weighing in at 15 pounds 5 ounces!), Dr. Gray said he's getting in his bottom two teeth, and that is what is making him feel bad. Apparently, some babies have an easy time teething, others difficult. Poor Mos is on the latter end of that spectrum. Dr. Gray said he's a little early with the teeth, but it's completely fine. I just hope he cuts them soon because he's obviously miserable. Poor little boy. We'll post some pictures when those first teeth peek through!

-Lindsey