June 1
Today Lucas not only returned for a follow-up to his stomach problem, but also for his 9 month check up. At the beginning of his visit, they checked his iron levels by pricking his heel. His level is a 13.5 which is great. Next, she did her normal check up on Lucas which she stated that he is above average in motor, verbal, speech, and social skills. One major downside to the check up was that she noticed a small adhesion on his "private parts". Which means that she had to pull back some extra skin to separate. Ouch!! He was a trouper after that until he got his one shot for Hep B. With a little distraction of some food and a sippy cup, he recovered very quickly. Our homework after this visit is to do a poop collection to confirm that Lucas has the Rotavirus. Before we left, the doctor and I discussed when and how to stop nursing around his 1 year birthday. She told me to start dropping a feeding around 11 months and give him whole milk in a sippy cup. We'll see how it all works out, I am a little nervous!
Lucas is 28 3/4 inches long (48th percentile) and weighs 19 lbs. 3 oz (27th percentile). Of course this freaked me out because he dropped dramatically in his weight, but it is normal with his stomach virus and his activity level.
Our next visit will be for his 12 month check up.
May 26
Just for the record, Lucas is developing a growing pattern of getting sick before his scheduled well-check ups (which is supposed to be tomorrow). Lucas had to go to the doctor to be seen for diarrhea, vomiting, and a fever. The pediatrician did not recommend collecting a stool sample just yet, but if it continues, we will unfortunately have to do it! She said that a virus can cause diarrhea for up to two weeks. One thing we really have to watch out for is dehydration. Our instructions are to give him 1/2 tsp. of Maalox (if needed) and Pedialyte to keep hydrated. We postponed his 9 month check up until next Monday.
Lucas dropped in weight and now weighs 19 lbs. 7 oz.
April 22
Well, back to the doctor. Lucas continued to get worse after the April 11 visit to the doctor. We returned to see Mrs. Kelly who informed us that Lucas' cold has developed into a sinus infection. He was given Amoxicillin twice a day for 14 days.
Lucas weighed 19lbs. 10 oz.
April 11
We took Lucas to the doctor because he had a very bad cold. The doctor checked his ears (thank goodness no ear infection-yet). She also checked his gums and said they were swollen and we should be expecting some upper teeth to come in soon. Everything looked great on Lucas, except having a cold and some congestion. She suggested giving him some Benedryl to ease the stuffiness. We were instructed by the pediatrician, one he doesn't normally see, to come back next week if he is still sick.
Lucas weighed 19lbs. 7oz.
March 3
Today Lucas had his 6 month check up. He received the same vaccines as his 4 month check up: DTAP, Polio Vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine, and the Hib vaccine. We are so happy that the next time he goes in, he only gets 1 shot!!! He handled the shots A LOT better this time around. He had a slight fever for only a day and it did not seem to mess with his sleep either. We were really anxious for Lucas to have his vision tested today because of Ben's eye struggles when he was a baby. Everything checked out great and they detected no abnormalities! The nurse attached 3 electrodes (one to a temple, one to his forehead, and one to the back of his head). Lucas couldn't figure out what was on his head so he kept leaning toward the side with the electrode on his temple, it was hilarious! Ben held Lucas while he watched a tv screen; which, flashed a cartoon picture and then a bunch of squiggly black and white lines. The electrodes triggered his neurons in the brain and then it printed out the results. The doctor said that Lucas was developing great and he is definitely advanced with his motor skills. She checked his ears from his ear infections last week and everything looks great. Mrs. Kelly did not feel any teeth on top so it will probably be awhile before they come through. She said to keep introducing new foods every 3-4 days and by 7-8 months he can start eating a few table foods. We don't have to go back until 9 months (around May 27).
Lucas weighs 18lbs. 8oz (67th percentile) and was 27.5 inches long (82nd percentile).
February 24
Lucas
has had a rough few nights so I decided to take him to the doctor. It is so unlike Lucas to be up screaming throughout the night. At first I kept putting it off because I just assumed he was teething; however now, I just know something is wrong. He could not sleep, he kept screaming whenever we laid him down, he was pulling at his ears, and he was sneezing a bunch! Well, mother's intuition payed off and he has DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS!! Poor baby! He is now on Amoxicillin and Motrin. We have also added a probiotic and baby vitamins to his daily regimen. He should be feeling better in the next 48 hours. Of course I always beat myself up for not taking him in sooner, but the doctor said they only treat with antibiotics if it is severe enough and that could have happened last night. I am worried though because she told me that 6 ear infections in one year equals tubes and we are half way there. Our 6 month check up is in a week (March 3) and she will be checking his ears again.
He weighs 18lbs. and 9oz!!
January 5
Today Luke had his 4 month check up where he received more shots. The shots he got today were: DTAP, Polio Vaccine, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine, and the Hib vaccine. Lucas had a small fever and was very irritable for 2 days after all of these shots. At this visit, his reflux problem was addressed and it was advised to give Lucas an additional dosage of Zantac in the middle of the day. The doctor was very impressed at how active and advanced Lucas was with his motor and language skills. She also stated that Lucas' gums were swollen and he was definitely teething. I brought some homeopathic teething drops to the visit for Mrs. Kelly to check and give us the ok to give Lucas. She also said we could give him Tylenol and rub liquid benedryl on his gums (she said to stay away from Orajel because of the harmful ingredients). We also told Mrs. Kelly that we are going to be holding off on the solid food until he is around 6 months so that we can continue breastfeeding exclusively.
Lucas weighed 16 lbs. (65th Percentile) and was 26 inches long (79th Percentile).
November 26
Lucas had to go to the doctor today because he would not stop spitting up stomach acid. No matter what we tried (laying elevated, sitting up for 15 minutes after eating, and feeding smaller amounts) he would still gasp for air, choke, and spit up. The pediatrician diagnosed Lucas with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease(GERD). He was given oral Zantac 2 times a day, which has dramatically decreased his symptoms.
At this visit he weighed 14lbs. and 10 oz.
November 6
Lucas was still not feeling well from his cold and he was acting so pitiful. Every time we laid him down for a diaper change, which he loves, he would just scream! When we took him in, we found out that he had an ear infection in the right ear. He was given an oral antibiotic of Amoxicillin and was better in about 4 days.
At this visit he weighed 13 lbs. 8 oz.
October 28
When Lucas was born, we gave consent for him to participate in the TEDDY diabetes research study through the Medical College of Georgia. This testing would see if Lucas has any of the genes that would place him at risk for developing type 1 diabetes. We finally received the results and are very happy to find that he has no genes that would place him at risk for type 1 diabetes.
October 27Lucas had his 2 month check up where he got all of his shots. The shots he received were: DTAP (Diphtheria/Tetanus/Acellular Pertussis vaccine), Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type b vaccine), IPV (Inactivated Polio vaccine), Hepatitis B Vaccine, Prevnar (Pneumococcal Conjugate) and the Rotavirus Vaccine. Unfortunately, he was also getting his first cold with a cough and stuffy nose. We were very hesitant to give him all of the shots while he was sick, but the doctors convinced us that is was safe. Mrs. Kelly also stated that we could try giving Lucas solid food around his 4 month check up. We are still not sure about this yet. I think we are going to continue breastfeeding him and wait until he is around 6 months.
At this visit he weighed 12lbs. 8oz (69th Percentile) and was 24 in. long (83rd Percentile).
October 13
Allison had her 6 week check up today with Dr. Angus (delivered Lucas). At this visit, both Allison and Lucas discovered that we were suffering from Thrush. Allison was given Diflucan and Lucas was called in Nystatin.
September 10
Lucas had his 2 week check up to re-check his Jaundice levels, make sure he was gaining enough weight and get his Hep-B shot. When Mrs. Kelly came into the room, Lucas began talking and smiling at her! She said that she had never had a 2 week old "babble" at her.
At this visit, he weighed 8lbs. 7 oz. (38th Percentile) and 22 inches long (89th Percentile).
August 30
Unfortunately, Lucas' first doctor visit was the day after he left the hospital due to Jaundice. When he went in, he was cleared of Jaundice (levels at 7.9 which is in the normal range) and was given a clean bill of health.
He weighed 7lb. 9oz. at this visit.
Lucas was born at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. He was born on Wednesday August 27, 2008 at 5:35 p.m. He weighed 8 lbs. 1 oz (59th Percentile) at birth and was 20 3/4 inches (85th Percentile)
Lucas goes to Roswell Pediatrics in Cumming, GA and sees Mrs. Kelly (his first girlfriend).
Go to Sam's Blog (soskendigfamily.blogspot.com) to check out the video of the two of them playing!! (Under Blog Archive it is named "Sharing is NOT my stongest attribute).
After the pool, we went to Whole Foods for some groceries. Lucas LOVES their plums. We ate dinner there where Lucas tried Mac and Cheese for the first time. Of course he fell in love and we thought it was his new favorite food until he stole a bite of gelato from me! We saw an entirely new side of Lucas when he ate ice cream and we took it away!!! Wow, we were those people in the store you pity when their kids are having a melt down!!! It wasn't like we were trying to torture him, we just had to check out and go home which means we can't feed him at the same time. Yep, he's been hooked ever since!
