GI Follow-up

Last year we started taking Sophie to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to see a cardiologist for her heart murmurs and a GI specialist for her FFT (failure to thrive). With GI, she had many tests run on her, including an unsuccessful upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. There seemed to be no real cause of her small size. At her last appointment it was decided that nothing they have tried (medicine, heart procedure, feeding tube, etc) had made a major impact on her size; she most likely is going to be naturally small. Her doctor, Dr. Campbell, said they were going to leave her alone for six months to see how she does on her own.

I was a little nervous about this appointment. Sophie has been doing great (for her) these past few months with eating and drinking. Still, there was that fear that the doctor would think it wasn't enough. The whole six ounce weight loss from our scale at 15 1/2 months vs the pediatrician's scale at 16 months also made me worried (and curious about what this scale would say). More than anything I had the fear that Dr. Campbell would tell me she needs more tests done or should to be back on the feeding tube. Of course we would refuse to put her back on the tube (it would be a step backward and she doesn't need or want it), but it would still be heart-breaking to hear.

My mom went with us today. Partially because I was nervous (see above) and partially because I wanted to take a few boxes of feeding tube supplies. I still have a few boxes of supplies left at home, but it was so nice to get rid of some of them! After waiting for a little while, the nurse called Sophie back to be weighed and measured. She measured her height first - 70.9cm (or 2 feet 3 inches for we metric system haters); the GI later said that she wasn't on the chart yet for height, which was different than what her pediatrician said. Ah well. Her weight came next - 6.73kg, which is about 14lb 13oz. I was so upset. I had convinced myself that the pediatrician's scale was wrong. All I wanted to do was cry. All of those fears that I had about this visit came rushing back. (**I weighed Sophie on our scale when we got home - 14lb 14oz...she has in fact lost weight.)

When we finally got back to a room I was really on edge. The GI fellow came in, walked us through Sophie's growth charts and asked some questions. I was on the defense, making sure she knew that Sophie had a double ear infection, that she eats well for the most part, and all of the reasons that we no longer use the feeding tube. (She was impressed to hear that Sophie knew how to disconnect the tube from the pump.) She left and came back with Dr. Cambell.

Dr. Campbell seemed pleased with Sophie's growth over the past few months, noting that it followed her own curve (as it always has). Like last time, she mentioned that nothing they tried had a major impact on her growth. She said she probably is just short stature and will grow more slowly than other kids. She said that she has seen many kids like this who hit bigger growth spurts around 3 or 4 years of age and are then a similar size as their peers. Dr. Campbell said to keep feeding her higher calorie foods (we have a big tub of butter in the fridge already for Sophie) and to keep giving her Pediasure to drink (30 calories per ounce). We still have a few cans of formula to use up, so she told us to keep mixing the two things together until all the formula is gone; then we will just give her Pediasure. Then Dr. Campbell said the most wonderful thing - "I don't think we need to see Sophie any more. Her pediatrician can keep track of her growth. You can always call if you have any questions, concerns, or if her feeding drastically changes." I let out a high sigh of relief. No more GI visits! Sophie is fine!

I am so thankful to Dr. Campbell and her nurse, Jennifer, for all that they have done for Sophie. They really were great during everything this past year. While I adored both Dr. Campbell and Jennifer, I am so happy and relieved that we don't have to take Sophie back to visit GI. I am 100% fine with having a small little girl. That just means that we get good use out of all of her clothes (whereas some other children only stay in a clothing size for a month). I may be am sure I am biased, but I find small babies cuter - especially small baby girls. And while Sophie may be petite, she has a super-sized personality.

With this news I am really ready to say good-bye to 2011. Bring on 2012!

Sophie's 2nd Christmas

**I am a behind on posting this entry. Oops!               

                                                                                                       

What a wonderful Christmas we had! Sophie's first Christmas was great, but she didn't do much but lie there while we opened her gifts (lazy 4 month old...just kidding). While that Christmas will always hold a special place in my heart, I was looking forward to the Christmas when she could actually open her gifts and get excited about them. I know I will get even better reactions out of her in future years, but I was pretty darn satisfied with this Christmas and Christmas Eve!

We started our Christmas Eve with Joe's family. Sophie loved spending time with her Paw Paw and Grandma (and her aunts, uncles, and cousins, of course). She also loved her gift from cousin Anna - a ball tent and plastic balls. She loved the plastic balls so much that she tried to run away with them so no one else would touch them! Silly girl.

We had Christmas Eve dinner at my family's house. Sophie tried a bunch of different things, but wanted to sit on Grandpa's lap and eat off of his plate instead of in her own seat. After dinner, we opened gifts.

The funniest moment was when my dad opened one of his gifts - a bag of mini Snickers. As soon as Sophie (who was on the other side of the room) saw the bag she took off towards my dad. (I will never know how she knew that the bag had candy inside.) She pulled herself up on my niece, practically shoving her out of the way, and put her arms up so that my dad would pick her up. He opened up a piece of the candy and held it to her mouth so that she would take a small bite. Nope. My kid grabbed the whole thing and shoved it in her mouth. I told you that she has a sweet tooth!

We had a visitor at my parents' house - Santa! Sophie wasn't too impressed. Last year, Sophie stopped crying when Santa held her. She even pushed my niece away from Santa (with her foot) while she was being held (even at a young age she was trouble). This year Sophie seemed afraid of Santa. It took some coaxing, but we finally got her to sit with him for some pictures.

I was so excited on Christmas morning. The stockings were filled and the gifts were under the tree. Sophie really enjoyed opening up her gifts. She went straight for the school bus and started playing with it. She ripped open presents (sometimes with assistance), played with gifts, and even 'ohhh'ed a few times. My parents came over to watch her open up presents, and Sophie had fun showing off all of her new things to them. She enjoyed decorating my dad, too.

After opening gifts and having breakfast, we went to church, followed by brunch with Joe's extended family. When we go home Sophie took a nap and then came downstairs to try out all of her new toys. She really liked her gifts and seemed to be happy to have new things to play with.

Sitting in her box of blocks

Christmas was so wonderful this year. I can't wait until next Christmas tops this one!

On the Third Day After Christmas, Santa Brought to Sophie...

 ♩ ♫ ♩....one flu shot....
....a double ear infection....
....and another new toooooooooth...♩ ♩♫

Yup, my Sophie was lucky enough to get/have discovered all of those things today.

Last week when Sophie went for her 15 month check-up, I wouldn't let them give her 3 shots at once. Multiple shots like that have always given Sophie high fevers, so I wanted to give her a break in between shots by taking two that day and one the following week. So, Joe took her in today for her flu shot (the shot she didn't get last week). The nurse took her temperature and it was at 101°. The doctor came in to look at her and discovered her double ear infection....then they gave her the flu shot. Geez, poor kid. I feel a bit dumb though because I had no idea that her ears were even bothering her. She has been laughing and playing happily the past few days with very minimal whining. The only possible clues were that her nose has been runny, she has wanted to nap with/on me the past few days (I have missed that!) and she was crying screaming when we put her to bed last night (which is rare). Joe got her out of bed and she didn't lay down until 9:30 (bedtime is between 7:30-8:00). At least we know what is going on though and have medicine to
help fix it.

Taking a nap on me yesterday....love it!

Now as I mentioned before, Sophie hasn't been really whiny the past few days. Of course this means that when we had some friends and their children over tonight Sophie was a crabby, whiny mess. (I don't blame her though with that double ear infection.) She cried half of the time that they were there. (Sorry again, Ang!) I know those ears had to be bothering her. I also wonder if she is starting to get stranger anxiety. She was doing this with "Santa" the other night. Hmmmm...

When I was chatting with my friends and consoling Sophie, I mentioned how I was surprised that she had ear infections. I would have guessed that she had a new tooth before thinking she had an ear infection. Later on in the night (after my friends left), I put my finger in Sophie's mouth to see if there was anything new. She let me do this, but only so she could bite down as hard as she possibly could. Ouch! So, during the second attempt into her mouth I discovered a new tooth that has broken through! That makes #10! I figured it would be her lower right lateral incisor (the gum is white here), but nope. Her tenth tooth is actually her lower right first molar.

Santa, can you please stop bringing my child not so great things? How about you help her gain a few more ounces these next few days instead? Thanks!

16 Months

Another month has come and gone. I am finding that it is hard to be sad about Sophie leaving her babyhood behind though, as toddlerhood is so much fun. I love watching her explore, experience new things, and accomplish new feats. All these things make me so glad that I decided to start this blog. I don't want to forget a minute of all that she is doing!

Here are some things that have been going on this month:

• The most exciting thing to happen this month was Sophie's first steps. What a relief! (Though when the doctor found out that she isn't doing a ton of walking he mentioned a possible PT referral. He noted that she is strong enough to walk, but if she still isn't walking much by her next check-up, 18 months, then he would want PT to help her out. Let's hope that she is walking up a storm by 18 months so we don't have to go down that route!)
• Nine teeth...wow! Today I saw that there is a white spot on her lower gums, so a tenth tooth will be on the way soon.
• I took Sophie for her 15 month check-up two days ago (well, at least she was still 15 months). The took her measurements and I was so excited to find out that she is actually on a chart! She is in the 5th percentile for height! Her head and weight aren't on the charts at all (especially not her weight), but I was just so excited to hear she was actually on a chart. I was holding my breath when they weighed Sophie though, as I am always very anxious about her weight. 14lb 14oz. I was in disbelief. I said a word that rhymes with duck and made them try it again. 14lb 14oz. Seriously...she was 15lb 2oz last month at home! We even weighed her two weeks ago at home and she was 15lb 4oz. I know that different scales can be off from each other, but 6oz off?! No way! I felt so deflated. Sophie has a GI appointment next week, so hopefully their scales reflect a weight more closely to ours. Man, what a let down.
• Sophie is becoming such a little parrot. For example, when food is too hot for her we blow on it to cool it off. We have noticed that after we do this, Sophie will blow on the food, too, before putting it in her mouth. She also wipes her nose with tissues. She had a runny nose the other day, so I would wipe her nose for her. I told her to blow her nose into the tissue and mimicked it for her. I watched her later grab a tissue (I guess I didn't put it high enough out of her reach) and make a blowing sound with her nose, right into the tissue, and wipe her nose. While she is on the changing table Sophie will also pretend to pump hand sanitizer on her hands and rub them together (we use it every time we change her diaper). She will also mimic whatever we do with our tongues. So if we stick our tongues out at her, she will do the same back. If we blow raspberries, so will Sophie. This can be pretty entertaining. It is also pretty handy in the car when she is being fussy. If I start blowing raspberries or making a 'la la' sound she usually will join in.
• Sophie is also starting to parrot our words. I say that she parrots them because she will only say them once or twice, so I can't claim they are new words. Last week I put on The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because Sophie enjoys it. In the intro, right after Mickey said his name, Sophie clearly said "Mickey." Yesterday I gave her something and told her to say 'thank you.' Instead she said 'welcome,' mimicking how we always say 'you're welcome.' Another day I asked her, "Where's dad?" She got a concerned look on her face, held up her hands and said, "Where dad?" Yesterday as I was putting clothes in the wash and Sophie partially closed the door on me. I asked, "Where is Sophie?" She responded with what really sounded like, "Here I am." Of course she wouldn't repeat it at all, so I can't be sure. Still, it excites me that her speech is starting to improve.
• Speaking of words, Sophie's new word this month is belly button. Of course it isn't crystal clear (it is more like 'bell butt'), but you can tell what she is saying. She has become fascinated by belly buttons. She will lift up her shirt, or ours, and poke and play with the belly button.
• Sophie has started making a deep throated "roar" noise. There was one day when she wouldn't stop making it. So I would ask her, "What does a lion say?" and she would then roar. Then I would ask, "What does a tiger say?" and she would roar again. Then I would ask, "What does a cat say?" and she would respond with, "cat, cat." Every time I would ask those questions she would respond the same. It was so cute. Sadly, she doesn't want to play this game anymore. Oh well.
• Sophie enjoyed her second Thanksgiving dinner. Last year she ate about 1/3 of a jar of baby food. This year she tried a bunch of different things!
• Sophie likes walking up the stairs like a big girl. If we hold her hands she will walk up the stairs, one foot per step. She gets so darn proud of herself. Of course her preferred way of getting up the stairs is crawling up them as quickly as possible. It takes her less than 15 seconds to get up the stairs now. Sophie also thinks it is pretty cute to give her Mom a heart attack by standing up on the stairs and then sitting down. (I thought for sure that she was going to fall down, but she is very careful about it. Of course my fear didn't make me put down my camera for long.)
• Sophie keeps working on those fine motor skills. She will take tissues out of the box (ugh) and then stuff them back in. She will play with the velcro straps on her shoes, pulling the strap on and off the other end of the velcro. She also will zip and unzip zippers. She gets very frustrated when a zipper won't go down. For Christmas, I bought her an activity board with different latches to play with. I have a feeling that she is going to love it.

• In the hallway upstairs are two pictures of Joe and I from our wedding. Sophie finally noticed them this month and it is now a morning ritual for us to stop at each picture so she can point us out (she calls both of us dad though, which I don't get. She knows who is mom and who is dad. Strange.) She will notice pictures in other rooms, too, and wants to look at them. Many days I have to pull pictures off the shelves in the living room so that she can look at them.
• At the end of last month we started to give Sophie Vitamin D milk with her formula and Pediasure. We tried this for 2 weeks before I pulled the plug on it. During those two weeks she was losing interest in the bottle and was spitting up. I can count on two hand how many times she has spit up in the past, and most of those were due to her overnight feeds with the feeding tube. Maybe we were mixing the milk too strong or maybe she just can't handle it. That is definitely something I am going to talk to GI about next week.
• Sophie still loves apples. If she sees them she will squirm, point and ask for it until you give her one. She only wants whole apples though. She doesn't want apple slices or halves, nor does she want one without the skin. She does very well with biting and chewing, so we haven't had any choking incidents. She does like to hold onto the skin of the apple in her mouth though and spit them out into my hand. Gross, but better than choking on it.
• Sophie went to the Aquarium for the first time this week. We had a play date there, which was fun. I love when she can be around other kids. Sophie enjoyed looking at the fish, but was pretty ticked off to be stuck in her stroller. So being the sucker that I am I carried her and pushed the stroller half of the time. Those are the times that I am happy that she is so light!
• Our little monkey loves climbing. Her current favorite thing to do is to climb around on the couch, getting up on the arm of the couch so that she can grab things off of the end table. She started doing this last month, but really has perfected her game this month. Nothing is safe on the end table!

  

• Sophie never liked having shoes or socks on her feet. She liked playing with them and putting them in her mouth, but never actually wearing them. However, after she took her first steps, she had a new interest in socks in shoes. She started keeping socks on her feet during the day (well, for the majority of the time at least). She also started bringing me shoes to put on her feet. When I would put them on...she kept them on! She would even walk around with them on instead of pulling up her legs in protest like before. She still will play with the shoes and take them off, but it is a vast improvement from what she was like even a few weeks ago.

She is playing with the straps but keeping the shoes on!

Something needs to be done about this hair. If she doesn't start keeping it in a hair tie or clip I am going to have to have Sara cut it. I'm not ready for that yet though....

I like to think she is signing 'I love you' here

Lunch with her Auntie Hoodrats

Trying to open presents before Christmas.

Christmas Photos

As I was going through photos to post for tomorrow's 16 month update, I realized that I forgot to post some of our professional photos! So here is a late post about them:

We went to have our Christmas photos taken at the beginning of the month. While I enjoyed the end results, we had a horrible time. We waited over an hour (we even had an appointment) and then I had to wait another hour to see the photos. It was so busy and chaotic in there. I don't understand why they overbook themselves during such a busy time of the year for them. Annoying. For now on we will always go to Sarah Anne Photography. She does a better job and we won't have to deal with all of the hassle of the other place.

Anyway, enough of my complaining.

This is my favorite. The look on her face is priceless.

Definitely up to something.

Sweet Tooth

Sophie has been loving the holidays because of all of the sweets in the house. She loves my buckeyes. Every time I would start making them she would go nuts until I gave her some of the batter (is that what you would even call the mixture? Hmmm....). When I let her try some with the chocolate she was in heaven. She also fell in love with the cookie batter (there were no eggs in it, don't worry) when I made I was making cut-out cookies. I let her have the spatula to lick the dough off of it. She refused to give it back! I've created a monster!

It is a good thing that Sophie is naturally small. If not her sweet tooth would have her gaining a ton of weight. 'Real' food is hit or miss with Sophie...sometimes she wants it, other times it is just a toy to play with. Sophie is always in the mood for sweets though. Part of me feels guilty for letting her eat these unhealthy things, but if it helps her gain weight (it isn't really helping that much though) then so be it. I'm sure I will be cursing myself in the future when she has continues her unhealthy eating habits.

Give Me Two Steps

Yesterday Sophie took two steps for me. She took three for me today. I am so proud of her. While she isn't walking all of the time for us, I know that soon enough she will be running around and we won't be able to keep up. I am just going to enjoy these moments until that happens.

Eight and Nine

Sophie has been very clingy for the past few days. If we don't hold her or at least keep her very entertained, she is a crabby. This is especially true when we try to get her to stand on her own or to walk. She throws fits instead. I'm talking full on temper tantrums...throwing herself on the floor while crying and kicking her legs. Joe and I have just been giving each other, "What the...." looks. Eek. Last night she had a fever and I knew something was up. Today though I finally figured out the cause to it all. Teeth number 8 and 9 are coming in at the same time. They are upper teeth and I am about 85% sure they are her first molars (or else they are her canines; she won't let me look close enough to tell for sure.) No wonder this kid has been a crab! Her poor gums have been working overtime!

Drum Roll, Please.....

Look at what Sophie did today:

I am one proud Momma!

**These are her 2nd steps. Sophie's babysitter is the best for catching this video.

A New Paci

Look at what Saint Nick brought for Sophie!

It makes me laugh every single time I see her with it in her mouth!

Standing

When I picked Sophie up from the babysitter's today, I learned that Sophie had been standing on her own. She did it a few times even. I still haven't seen her do it, but hopefully I will in the next few days. This makes me so happy because if she can stand on her own, I know walking is right around the corner. I think it will happen in the next two weeks. I hope my prediction is correct!