Robin and Maggie's Well Baby Visits

Both are doing great.

Maggie's 1 month well baby visit on 9/5:

Height: 22" (Arthur 21 1/2 inches, Robin 19 3/4 inches)
Weight: 8 lbs 3 oz (Arthur 8 lbs 10 oz, Robin 5 lbs 4 oz)
Head Cir: 14 1/4" (Arthur 15", Robin 13 3/4")

She's very alert and she's gaining well. She does have a funky chest bone that sticks out that was x-rayed and is fine. It should right itself in time. She's having an ultrasound on her hips on Tuesday (our Ped's office does that routine for all breech babies) just to be sure they weren't impacted by all that time sitting right side up in the womb. She's had a couple of projectile vomiting spells but not nearly like her brothers. At this point maybe twice a week, which really is just at the level of something to watch. My theory is that she might have a tad bit of the pyloric thickening but it's at the level that she'll grow out of it and it's already working itself out. No vaccines. She skipped the Hep B at birth (we'll discuss at two months) and none were standard for this visit anyway.

Robin's 15 month well baby visit on 9/10:

Height: 30 1/4 inches (Arthur 28 3/4")
Weight: 16 lbs 4 oz (Arthur 21 lbs 11 oz)
Head cir: 18" (Arthur 18 3/4")

Robin has always been below the charts for both height and weight and while the head measurement and the height are still along his regular curve, his weight has dropped off of it. So the pediatrician worked out an action plan with us to get him to gain a little weight this month to just make sure his body processes calories correctly (which I'm sure it does, he's just petite). It includes his regular higher-fat diet that we give him, nursing him at his discretion (2-3 times a day at this point), and adding some caloric protein powder to his whole milk at meals (basically, it's Carnation Instant Breakfast).

If the next month shows a gain, we can stop pushing him with the Carnation since it will have proved that he does process the calories properly. If he doesn't gain well, they'll do a simple blood test to rule out any metabolic problems (which we really are not at all worried about). Either way, once any other problems are ruled out, there will be less pressure and he'll be free to just be his petite little self. Inside my own fluffy exterior is a very small physical frame. Genetically passed down from my side of the family are just some petite people. My mother is small, as are her siblings. My grandfather wasn't a big man. I think Robin just inherited that and his genetics combined with his small start just mean that he's probably not going to be built like a quarterback any time soon. And we're fine with that. Besides, we think Maggie is going to be our chunker...ha ha ha

We're splitting the MMR vaccine based on our earlier concerns. Available today was the measles shot. It's diploid cell free and it's the one our pediatrician felt best to do first of the three. We skipped the chicken pox with the blessing of the office. Next month he'll get the mumps shot. He's so small that we like doing them individually anyway instead of a massive dose of several shots. It gives his body a chance to recuperate properly and with his egg sensitivities, it's best we really watch some of the vaccines anyway.

More updates next month on the well baby stuff.

PS....Carnation Instant Breakfast tastes nowhere near as good as those frothy commercials would lead you to believe. Blech....