Mommy and Daddy felt like this was one of the best weeks of my life yet. I got to experience so many new things and some very important milestones occurred.
Before I tell you about my week, I should share some important family news that happened this week. My brother, Brian, got engaged to his girlfriend, Alyssa! I met Brian and Alyssa way back when I was only two weeks old! I don’t remember them so much because I slept a lot at that point, but I understand this engagement thing is a significant event. My Daddy and Mommy are very happy about it and excited for Brian and Alyssa, so that makes me happy too!
This week at school, I got to sit up in a chair and play with wet oatmeal! They called it a “sensory activity”, but really I just thought it was a lot of fun…I got to make a huge mess and get it all over myself and was actually encouraged to do so! The pictures that Ms. Audrey sent Mommy and Daddy inspired them to try me out sitting in my “Bumbo” chair and, let me just say, I LOVE that chair! I can sit up well, look out at the world, and it’s totally comfortable. Mommy’s going to use it to start feeding me solids in a few weeks. Yay me!
Me in my Bumbo Chair!
I had some very important appointments with doctors this week. First, I went to see Dr. Patulot for my 4 month appointment. She was very impressed with me, though she had a funny way of showing it – I got shots! :) I showed her how I can sit up with Mommy holding me, how well I hold my head up, and how I have a great smile. (Of course, when she gave me the shots, I showed her how I cry too!) She told Mommy that she should start giving me some rice cereal because it will help with my digestion (I have some pretty bad reflux sometimes), and that I can start to have some juice to help with constipation! In the next few weeks, I can start to eat pureed food! I am not sure if I’m excited about this or not. We’ll have to see. In the meantime, I do love cereal in my bottle and am sort of mixed on whether juice is yummy or not! Dr. Patulot also referred us to a pediatric opthamologist because my eyes wiggle a little horizontally when I’m trying to focus on something. This is called “nystagmus” and she wants to be sure that we work on eye exercises to strengthen those muscles as well as ensure there are no other medical issues there.
My second doctor appointment this week was with Dr. Phan, my cardiologist. At that visit, they ran a wand over my chest and took pictures on a machine that looks like a black and white TV. I’m told that the process was called an echocardiogram. I just thought it was fun to look at the TV screen J. After that, the doctor’s helpers ran a test called an EKG. They attached all kinds of stickers to my body and then attached wires to the stickers to try to get a picture of my heart. During the EKG, I wouldn’t sit still, so Mommy had to hold me still so they could get the machine to work correctly.
Daddy took this picture (at the left) of me with the stickers all over me! All of this hullabaloo was due to the two holes I had in my heart when I was born. After the tests, Dr. Phan came in to talk to my parents. By this time, I, of course, was completely asleep! Dr. Phan told my Daddy and Mommy that the holes had closed themselves and the valve that was leaking seemed to be working fine! No more heart murmur! No more visits to the cardiologist! Mommy (she’s a tad bit emotional) almost cried right there in the office. Both my parents feel so grateful and relieved. I’m just glad I don’t have to go back for those tests again!
They weighed and measured me at both doctor appointments and I’m getting to be SUCH a big girl. On the “typical children” scale, I’m about 60-65th percentile for height and 70th percentile for weight; on the “kids w/ DS” scale, I’m in the 90th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height. I weigh right at 14 lbs and am now 24 ½ inches long! I’ve grown 5 1/2 inches in 4 months! No wonder I get cranky with all that growin’ goin’ on!
Since it’s been 4 months, lots of things have changed around Mommy and Daddy’s house. They thought we should record some of the things I do that they love about me most:
- When I smile, it takes over my whole body and I just wiggle from it!
- I love to sleep with my arms outstretched and often “sleep-eat”.
- I talk. BOY do I talk…Mommy says it’s her come-uppance!
- I like to play with my burp cloths and stretch them out over my head to play peek-a-boo with Daddy.
- I love to suck on my thumb and sometimes I get so excited about my bottle, I try to put my thumb in there with the bottle nipple. It makes for messy eating, but it sure makes me happy!
- I’m learning to put my hands on either side of my bottle too, but sometimes I get a little overzealous and push the nipple out of my mouth, which can be frustrating to a wee one, but Mommy thinks it’s pretty funny.
- I am fascinated by other kids crying. It doesn’t so much make me cry as I look at them and wonder, "What the heck is wrong with you?"
- I LOVE to look at myself in a mirror. Wouldn’t you if you were this pretty too?! :)
Sucking my thumb in my bouncy seat!
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