Nine Month Update

We just got back from Dr. Collins' office for Becca's nine month well baby visit. 

It was fabulous!

She's 10 pounds, 5 ounces and 21.5 inches long.  She's still not anywhere near the growth charts, but she is at least a bit more proportional now, and she's still on a good growth curve.  Dr. Collins is very happy with her overall, and with a few things specifically, like her fine motor skills.  She is very social (no surprise there).  And she's very happy (as long as she can forget about her gums).  She's rolling from back to belly quickly (because she wants to get off her tummy), she's getting close to sitting on her own, she supports her weight when you hold her in a standing position, and she passes small toys from one hand to the other.  She's a busy little girl.  (Remember, even though she is actually nine months old, we look at her corrected age (time since her due date) for developmental issues, so developmentally, she's six months old.)

We are going to do a few evaluations.  Becca still isn't figuring out the whole cereal thing, even though we've been trying it with her every few days for 2 months.  Since she had such severe swallowing problems before, we are going to do an evaluation with a speech pathologist at Vandy. (I'm crossing my fingers for Gwen to start doing some out-patient work!)  This may seem odd, but speech pathologists are the feeding specialists because it's all the same muscles and movements as speaking.  So, no, we're not trying to get Becca to start recited Scripture verses or Shakespeare; we just want her to be able to eat solid foods.  We are also going to go ahead and do an evaluation with a physical therapist, as it's hardest for preemies to catch up on their gross motor skills.  Especially because she's so small, everything seems to be thrown off a little bit.  So we'll check it out with them and see if they want to follow her.

I'm really excited about these appointments.  I've been pushing some for them, but with her age and RSV/flu season, we've been putting them off - wait and see.  She's not technically delayed on anything yet (based on her adjusted age), but I know these therapies are only going to help her, and she loves getting out and seeing new people and places (or staying in and having therapists visit), so let's get them started, right?  I've had a hunch for awhile that feeding could develop into an issue, so I'd definitely rather be proactive on that front.

That's about it for the visit.  All in all, she's doing awesome!

Here are some fun pics that pretty much sum up our days!

[caption id="attachment_245" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Becca holding her bottle all by herself - without ANY hands."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_237" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Here she's peeking out from behind her new favorite toy - and Mom's best deal ever - a crinkly mylar balloon from Dollar Tree. What a great deal!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_238" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Again, with the balloon - posing in a very stylish outfit from Ms. Gloria."][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_239" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="And, as always, Daddy's little girl."]

Becca in a box. She thought it was really funny. She definitely enjoyed it more than the dogs enjoyed their turns.