Hi there! Alex got her last synigis shot yesterday! Yayyy!

She also got weighed. Alex only gained 4 oz in the past 2 weeks. What they are looking for is for her to gain an oz a day…The doctor we saw was not the usual doctor we see. She looked at Alexandria’s growth chart, adjusted it to her gestational age and said that even though Alex is on the very low end of the curve she is following the curve. She said she would be concerned if Alex was not following a curve but she is. This doctor said it is good that Alexandria is going to see an O.T. for an evaluation and to see a nutritionist. She does not think that Alex has any structural issues that would prevent her from eating. I am looking forward to the appointment with the nutritionist. Having someone “hold my hand” and give me some tricks on how to up Alexandria’s calorie intake in an age appropriate way as well as setting some realistic goals for Alex and not for a full term baby who is not medically fragile will give me more confidence….Recently I’ve been remembering that I was a really scrawny kid and all the doctors always thought there was something wrong with me…I hated going to all the doctors, being poked and prodded…especially when there was nothing wrong with me – I was just a skinny kid…I don’t want to put Alex through that unless there truly is a problem we need to address. She may just be a little girl…She was only in the 3% tile when she was born and she continues to be in t he 3% tile now. She looks “healthy” and happy. I am not sure what all these doctors want from her. I am excited about getting some answers and a peace of mind. Please pray that there truly is nothing going on with Alex that would prevent her from gaining weight and that we will get on a diet and eating schedule that will work best for Alex at this time in her little life. Oh, and Alex graduated from stage 1 baby food to stage 2 baby food! She really likes it. I have to let her try one new food at a time for 2 -3 days to make sure she can tolerate it. So far we tried winter squash and she finished the whole jar in once sitting! Which is really good because stage 2 jar are much bigger then stage 1 jars. Alex has been eating very nicely for a while now – She opens her mouth really wide and enjoys her food. She seems to eat better when fed more frequently throughout the day. The pediatrician said that is fine and that some babies do much better grazing throughout the day. The important things is her total calorie intake at the end of the day and not how many meals she had.

Also, Alex decided all by herself that being on her belly is not so bad! She has been rolling over to her belly and hanging out there to play throughout the day! This is what the P.T. lady has been trying to get her to do because being on her belly will strengthen Alexandria's upper body and get her ready for crawling. The challenge was that Alex HATED being on her belly…except to sleep on. She has a bit of a hard time going from her belly back to her back but with a little extra effort she can do it all by herself! She rolls all around in her crib now – you never know where you are going to find her in there or in what position. She does seem to enjoy sleeping on her side in a fetal position with her thumb in her mouth the most. You also can’t just put her on the floor in her play area and walk away for a while anymore because you don’t know where you will find her…And I don’t want her on the living room carpet…I am thinking about getting one those gates that block of a play area for babies – this would give her safety and Mom a bit more freedom without worry.

Enjoy your Good Friday and Easter!

Love,
Kamila and Steve