15 Month Well Baby and Pulmonary

Wednesday we took all three to their 15 month well baby appointment. Their stats are:

Annabel - 17lbs 11ozs (not on chart yet but 5th % adjusted), 30 inches (25th% true age/75th% adjusted), and 41.1 cm head circumference (not on chart)

Madelyn - 16lbs 8ozs (not on chart), 29 inches (10th% true age/50th% adjusted), and 41.8 cm head circumference (not on chart)

Johnathan - 18lbs 13ozs (not on chart true age/5th% adjusted), 27 3/4 inches (not on chart true age/10th % adjusted), and 45.1 cm head circumference (almost 5th% true age)

Overall the appointment went well. Dr. Madison was very happy with how well Johnathan's doing with solids and his weight gain so we have gotten the approval to wean him to whole milk too! And we're able to start cutting his amount of milk back to allow him to eat more solids. All three babies will now be getting at least 18ozs of milk a day. So no more buying formula! Woo-hoo!! Now we just need to buy more diapers because with all the solids they're pooping more! : ) Both Mady's and Johnathan's baby teeth are coming in slightly discolored (probably from all the meds they received in the NICU) so we will be taking them to a pediatric dentist this next year. It shouldn't be an issue with their adult teeth but it's still something to keep a closer eye on.

The only real concern that came from the appointment is that according to the measurement the nurse took of Annabel's head circumference (of which I don't think she measured correctly), her head hasn't grown in 3 months. Now, I find this really hard to believe when I just had to go get her new glasses this past week because her old ones were too small! So I called her Neuro doctor and because she isn't having any symptoms of built up pressure or other brain issues (vomitting, fussiness, lethargic, etc., if anything she's been even more happier than normal lately and is obviously continuing to develop) they don't think she needs to come in until her regularily scheduled visit on December 18th. This next Wednesday we take all three for their neonatal follow-up and they will all have their measurements repeated so we are praying that everything will measure fine at this visit. In talking with Dr. Madison, if her head truly hasn't grown it could mean a) her bones fused together early (would require surgery, not sure of long-term effects) or b) her shunt is actually working too well, draining too much fluid (again, surgery and not sure of effects). I am trying not to think about it too much, I know that the head circumference measurement is very variable because different nurses measure differently. Please pray for Annabel that it truly is just a measurement error and not something serious.

On Thursday I took Johnathan to Pulmonary and they were so happy with how he's grown and how well he's doing developmentally. The plan for him is to be seen again in January and another lung function test in February. Johnathan will stay on his 110 flovent but if he has another episode that requires oral steroids he will then be bumped to the highest dosage. So please pray that we can get thru this winter with no more sicknesses that cause further intervention.

So I have to include this on the blog. The other night B.J. was eating ice cream and the next thing we knew Johnathan and Mady were at his legs, begging, just like the dogs normally would!

This morning Early On PT/Speech came for a visit. We now have speech goals for both Johnathan and Annabel for the next 6 months, basically having them use about 5 signs regularily and starting to know animal sounds. They brought some great touch-n-feel flash cards that we'll be getting for them that really seemed to take too. Overall they're quite happy with their speech development to date. Our PT brought Annabel a special chair (the straddle sitter) that will allow her to be up more during the day since she's not always sitting on her own for very long yet and seems to be more focused on toys/people when she's up. The chair also makes sure that she's sitting straight so it's great for her back and hips. So far she loves it and it's great to be able to bring toys up to her level so she can sit and play while I'm doing something with one of the others!

Today was a big day for Miss Madelyn! She started saying "up" and knows when to use it and tonight, after baths, right before bottles, she pulled herself to standing in for the first time in the pack-n-play! We had to do a double take that it was actually her in there doing it and not Johnathan!