1/14/13

I, Have a 6 Month Old


Yes, my little girl is 6 months old. 6 whole months.

While six months doesn't seem like much to you probably, it is to me. Each day seems like 3, so really, to me, she's like 18 months old. Okay, so that doesn't make much sense really, but hear me when I say that six baby months arelong and hard.
 
I am a very strong woman. I am independent; while I wouldn't see it any other way, I can do without a husband. I can handle loads of physical pain; always could. What I could not handle is being a single parent. Before my husband got comfortable (which was only like a month ago) you may as well have considered me one. I didn't enjoy it at all. I don't see how women do it. I guess if I had to I could, but I cried a lot. A LOT.
 
So, now that Emma is more independent, and Gene is more comfortable with her, we are in a good spot. We share responsibilities. We have more of an understanding of how stressed we can get. All in all, we are a well rounded family now. I'm loving it!
 
So I've decided that each of Emma's doctor appointments I would take off of work the entire day so that I don't miss a single shot, question, answer, etc. Today was her 6 month check-up. Things went well. Here's how it went down.
 
The nurse came in first thing and took Emma's measurements. This is the part I get most anxious for. At this visit, Emma's stats were:
 
-         Head Circumference = 43.3cm (85%)

-         Weight = 20lbs, 12oz (98%)

-         Height = 29 ¼ in. (97%)

-         Projected Height = 5’10” (yeah, right)
 
Dr. Murphy says all her measurements are good. He did say not to expect her to be thin as a pretzel, but more built as a line backer. Not sure how I feel about that. But, what can you do. At least I know she won’t be scrawny and frail. She can stand her own ground. J
 
He noticed that she caught my cold. She didn’t cough, but he somehow knew she has one. Weird. We explained that this is her second cold. He told us that if she runs a fever of 101 for three days to take her in. Otherwise, a cold is a cold and there’s nothing to do about it. For the time being we will move her cold mist vaporizer next to her bed, use the aspirator a few times a day, andmake sure she’s eating a ton and getting lots and lots of fluids. Dr. Murphy did listen to her lungs and say they were clear as well.
 
We talked about her “red” spots. She keeps getting red marks where her skin touches other skin. So, the crease at the back of her knee, her ankles, and the worst spot, the right side of her neck. Emma has “no neck” as you’d say. Most babies' necks aren’t visible unless they are standing or reaching. Emma doesn’t stand much, so it gets irritated. Almost like the skin under your wedding ring. Am I making any sense? Anyway, as usual, we were instructed to use diaper rash ointment on those areas at bedtime, which we will continue. Like doc said, it can only do so much.
 
Another issue we had was her feet. No, there’s nothing wrong with them. We were only asking because when Em jumps in her jumperoo, or when she stands to play, or walks with assistance, she curls her toes under so that she’s putting all her pressure on them. It doesn’t seem to bother her, and it doesn’t appear that it’s doing any permanent harm, but we had to ask. As expected, doc said they are fine.
 
All in all we are good. Even advanced, since she is already sitting unassisted. Here are what I thought were the highlights of her appointment.
 
-         While I was talking to the doctor, Gene was playing with Emma to keep her from fussing since we were past lunch time. The doctor stopped to note how well Emma interacted with him. I never thought anything ofit because she is much more involved with the rest of us normally, but he was so amazed at how Emma was listening intently and responding well to him. He was just so delighted! I do have to admit that her and Gene have their own language. We all play with her differently, and even as I type this out I listen to them in the kitchen and she is just Chatty Cathy with him. She barely ever talks to me. She’s more about the physical interaction with me.

-         We are good to begin table food. I’m nervous about this. There are some rules though. The biggest is no whole milk. That doesn’t mean Vitamin D like we initially thought. It means that if she eats table food, we cannot add milk to it. Meaning, if we make mashed potatoes, we can’t add cold milk as we are mashing them. We must add milk to the hot potatoes and COOK the milk into them while still on the stove. **Cow’s milk to an infant’s digestive system causes ulcers in the gut and anemia as well.** Either way, we find this one too hard to deal with (and scary) so we are just going with the no milk whatsoever rule. We also cannot use any spices other than salt and pepper. Oh, she can also have things like ice cream (contrary to the milk issue), but not fancy cream-based ice creams. I don’t think we will allow this though (see next point).

-         Because of her stature, we were warned to avoid “simple carbs.” So, just like me, she is cursed with the rule of “a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” Or however that saying goes. He says simple carbs (like crackers, cookies, bread, etc.) are quick to go in and quick to come out, but it leaves a lot of empty calories inside. He says that if we introduce those foods early, she is bound to be overweight. So, we will stick with wholesome foods. It’s okay, we needed to change up our diet anyway. Did I mention though that I never had cookies or cake until I was like 9? I never had a soda until Iwas in middle school and able to buy it on my own. I feel like the poor little girl is doomed to have her Momma’s frame no matter what.

-         It’s sippy cup time. I said that some of my Twitter friends had suggested a real cup before a sippy cup so that she can see the fluid coming at her, but doc says it’s not necessary and after a few tries she will be an expert drinker. So, Gene is in the kitchen right now boiling some sippy cups so I can pound out this blog. I’ll let you all know how that goes on the next blog.
-        There are four top teeth coming in now. That explains her need to chew on anything and everything. It worries me a bit to have somany trying to come through. I mean, she already has been having bouts of crankiness, this is just going to add fuel to the fire. Here’s hoping that the next teeth will be as easy… or at least not any worse than the first ones.
 
So, that’s it. That’s the gist. Emma is sitting up great. She is happier than ever. She is attempting to crawl every day. I cannot wait to see where we go from here. J It can only get better. Right?
Jenni







 






 

2 comments:

  1. I can't wait for our playdate! Your doctor gives you such good, detailed info...good tips! I just started the sippy cup but had been doing the open cup for awhile. I just do a little water to wash down her food.

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  2. Wow, she's really growing fast!! I wouldn't stress too much about her build and such for the future. I used to think big babies meant big people, and sometimes it does, but I know obese people that were preemies, and 10 lbs babies that are very much normal, if not on the small side. Em looks perfectly healthy and normal to me - and I've seen some chubbers! My husband is a perfect example of that. HUGE baby. So fat, they used to dress him up like the Campbell's Soup kid. By the time he hit kindergarten and all through school, he was SKINNY. Even now, he's normal weight and has never had a weight problem. So don't worry. You're doing great. Glad to hear things are going well at home too!

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