David has gone full throttle on his mission to flip over from back to front. I don't have the heart to tell the little guy that it's easier from front to back. He grunts and groans and kicks his leg back and forth for momentum. He rocks back and forth from side to back in an effort to gain enough gusto to make it all the way over. Oh my little teeter totter. He's made it to his front almost completely on his own twice today!! He grins and big proud grin once there then promptly smashes his face into the blanket and bursts into tears until I flip him back so he can start again.
Mary Louise has shown first signs of being interested in turning from back to front - though she hasn't quite figured out just yet how to get that pesky elbow out of the way! She has a fizzled interest as of late when it comes to rolling from front to back, but I know she can do it - I just haven't found her proper incentive yet to get her to do it all the time.
We went to the pedi today for their (late) 6 month shots and check-up (they are a few weeks behind on their shots because of the way they fell after their eye surgeries and transfers back to Lake Charles.) Anyhow, they did very well. The doctor was quite impressed with their growth and progress. Mary Louise is 10 pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches long. David is 9 pounds and 21 inches long. Ha- David looks so much smaller than Mary Louise - which he is in weight - but he measures the same in length (P.S. we didn't believe it either - so we double checked when we got home - they are in fact the same length!) They also have totally different builds which accounts for their difference in appearance. They still aren't officially on the growth chart, but they are trending up in a bell curve all their own - and that's what matters!
The Dr. suggested that I start adding a small amount of rice cereal to their breast milk in the evening - we will try during the day at first to see if it agrees with their systems. The purpose for the addition is to 1. possibly help their reflux issues and 2. help them to sleep a little better at night. I was super concerned about the nutrition it would or would not provide and was assured that it does have nutrient value and that they would be needing solids to be added to their diet at the next visit anyhow so it'd be safe to start this now. Honestly, I am STILL (well I've never) not producing enough breast milk for them. I have come close a few times, but cannot quite get them there. I have been supplementing with milk I stored when they were eating a bit less - that way up until now, they have been strictly breastfed. I will continue to pump for quite some time - but will gradually add solids to the breastmilk to add variety, nutrition and extra calories to their diets - preemies have an awful lot of catching up to do in the way of growth and development - especially micro preemies. Anyhow, we'll see how it goes tiny steps first! I should probably mention that I'm really typing this diet change part to try to pump myself up for it as I'm really pretty nervous about the whole thing. But, with David sleeping a grand total of 2 hours at a time during the night - at 7 months old no less - and after 3 months at home, if this will help, and it's safe and possibly beneficial to his reflux, I'll try it I think.
Finally, David's inguinal hernia has gotten bigger. The doctor has recommended for us to call and consult with the surgeon after the first of the year. He also said, "having the surgery sooner rather than later may make David a little more comfortable as well." Ha - so now the hernia is making him uncomfortable eh? Anyhow, we will see what the surgeon says. I think we're going to have it done in town here as the surgeon is the same one that did David's perforation surgery when he was 10 days old. We can also try to request the anesthesia personnel on board during the procedure which eases my mind a bit (to a level 7 rather than an 11 on a 1 to 10 scale - ha). I want it to be fixed - I want him to be comfortable - but there is a huge part of me that would surely put this off until he was 52 (the same age he will be allowed to date!) if I could - regardless of his grumpiness. (in case you're wondering Mary Louise will officially enter the dating scene at the nice mature age of 43 - though I may flex a little depending on how many children she'd like - maybe 35 would be more reasonable?)
So, that's the plan - and latest update. Photos coming soon!
xo!
Heather
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment