Naturally Optimistic

August had his one-year well check-up today. He was in no mood for it. I think mostly because it was at 11:15 and he's usually ready for a nap by 11. Ugh. He was antsy and squirmy; didn't want his milk, didn't not want his milk; didn't want to be held, didn't want to sit in the stroller, DID want to crawl around on the floor everywhere. Big Sis was there to help and tried to keep him entertained with books, princesses and apple slices (begrudgingly on that last one). And my boy is good - weighing in at 17lbs 15oz (1st percentile!) - and boy getting his weight was a struggle. He was in NO MOOD at ALL to be on that scale! Fun!! At least he didn't pee on me. He's 28 1/2" tall (7th percentile). He's still a peanut but he's proportional which is a good thing. She heard a slight heart murmur but she said it was "innocent." I asked about the pooping thing (oh yeah, so every time he poops, he screams. It's terribly sad and awful. I'm t...

We get to the clinic this morning & I was checking August in. They told me that the appointment with our doctor had been cancelled. Hmm, that's weird. I had confirmed using their automated service on Friday. And obviously I didn't want to cancel as 1) I was there and 2) I'm a paranoid mother of a newborn & want to make sure he's getting enough to eat. So, I headed over to the pediatric department to get things sorted out. They told me there that "I" had called at 8:42am this morning to cancel the appointment - and I needed to reschedule, a morning appt for later in the week. WTF? Then they proceeded to tell me that my Doctor's schedule was full & I could *maybe* see someone else. Um, no. I love my pediatrician & am friends with her & most DEFINITELY wanted to see HER. Well, after some finagling they worked us in. I'm still a bit troubled by this. Some people have suggested identity theft or insurance fraud - but that still seems wei...

Baby B is doing good - measuring as he/she should, making all sorts of cute faces & punching motions during today's ultrasound. He/She took a BIG yawn right before this shot was taken - hence the open mouth. Next month the fun begins! I get to get a big shot in my big butt (rhogam for the negative Rh factor) and then I get to do another GTT (one hour). Apparently I ate very well over Christmas because I gained about 7lbs in the last month! Yikes! Okay, time to lay off the baked goods and get back to being a more healthy eater. (I'm at 12lbs total for this pregnancy - not too shabby!)

....that is the question.... Now that I'm officially OLD, and pregnant, the Clinic really starts pushing meeting with a genetic counselor & having an Amnio. I don't know what to think. My gut says, no matter what the tests show (unless they showed that there was NO development, no spinal growth, etc) that we would proceed and what would be would be. Yesterday at my appt, the NP said that's all fine and well, but IF by chance you found out the baby had Downs we would treat YOU differently. We would give you more ultrasounds, look at the heart more (specifically) due to Downs babies having a higher risk of heart problems, etc etc. After 35 the chance of having a miscarriage due to an amnio is LESS than the chance of your child having Downs. But STILL there is a chance. 1 in 1000 have a miscarriage; 1 in 220-250 have a Downs child. Both numbers are quite frankly terrifying to me. When I talked to Steve about it, he was pretty certain. Why would you have that test if there ...

Got my first OB bill from appt #1.... It basically lists all the "professional" charges which includes 13 blood tests/urinalysis + of course the needle for said blood test. Pending insurance...... *drumroll please* $939!! Good God, I hope Steve's insurance kicks ass on this one. **note: this does not include the ultrasound I also had that day!

- Dahlia has a cough - has had one for about a week. I initially thought it was due to all the drainage - the snotty nose, the amazing amounts of drool, etc - because of the teething. But the cough isn't going away and it sounds terrible and kept her (and me) up for most of the night. So....I'm taking her in today. Hopefully it's nothing. We have another appt (18mo) on Wednesday so I hate going in so close to that...it'll be another $100 I'm sure...but I want to make sure she's okay. -The mailman just came at 9:25am. Usually they come around 3pm. My plan was to mail the Father's Day cards from the house today - later this afternoon (after I uh, make them...). Now my plan is foiled. Hmph. -My fingernails are super long right now and I have no idea where my husband seems to have stashed ALL the nail clippers. It makes typing really annoying. I could try using Dahlia's but I don't think they'll work too well. -My to-do list today includes: thinking ...

Dahlia had her 6 month check up yesterday. Here are her stats: Height - 25 1/4" - 18th percentile Weight - 13lbs 14oz - 6th percentile Head Circ - 17 1/4" - 76th percentile. I used to joke about her "big brain" but now she has to go in for a CT scan because her soft spot feels "full." The doctor just wants to get it checked out now instead of waiting but it stresses me out beyond belief. She has to be sedated for the scan which I HATE the idea of on so many levels...and if they find something wrong? Well, I just can barely stand to think about that. Otherwise developmentally she's doing great. She's doing all the things she should, she's growing as she should, even though she's a peanut. She babbles, and can sit up for about 1 second at a time, rolls both ways, makes eye contact & tracks things easily, passes objects from hand to hand, puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and is really very very sweet and such a good baby. Great disposition, lo...

The doctor's appointment went well yesterday. Dahlia weighed in at 9lbs 1oz! That's 4 lbs since her lowest on December 18th. She is 22 inches long. She's getting tall. That places her in the 3rd percentile & 15th percentile respectively. My Mom said I was usually in the 3rd percentile. Like mother like daughter! She took the shots great. Yes, she screamed but not for too long and she was generally not too upset by them. She drank the Rotavirus vaccine like it was candy so that was good (granted she was HUNGRY by the time we got seen...). I was worried that she would be cranky & feverish last night but instead we spent an hour snuggled up watching the Barbara Walters Royals special and she went to bed before 10pm. Slept til 4:20 - made mama happy. No fever, went back to sleep like a champ and seems to be doing great today! *She's sitting in her new space-saver high chair - she loves being at table height with us!