My four little monkeys! Douglas is 4 and always smiling for a photo, Drake is 8, charming and sweet, and Alexis is 10 and is huge help to me! And of course, Alayna is 18 months!
Drake didn't want to be in the "group" picture. He wanted one of his own! Now he cooperates and looks at the camera!18 Month Check Up
Alayna went to see Dr. Neptune, her pediatrician, last Friday. The first task was to get weighed, like usual, and I prayed to see 20 on the scale. And low and behold she is 20 lbs 9 oz! I was thrilled to see that she had gained. No, it isn't much, but she is getting bigger and putting on weight at her own pace. We will take it! And Dr. Neptune had no complaints either. I was curious at to where that weight fell on the "typical" growth chart and it puts Alayna at about the 5th percentile. So, she is on the chart, but I hate to reference that chart too much with Alayna because our 1p36 kids have a development of their own and it isn't fair to compare them with "typical" developing kids. She is 30 inches which is at the 10th percentile and her head circumference falls at the 5th percentile. She's proportional!
There are a few other things I would like to note. First, she has clogged tubes in her ears. She has tiny ear canals, like most of the other 1p36 kids, and that darn wax gets stuck. So, we are trying Ofloxacin drops two times a day in each ear to loosen it up. Alayna goes to Iowa City to get them checked out this Wednesday and it sure would be nice if the doctor could see the tubes. Secondly, I am sick of the helmet. Alayna still wears it pretty faithfully, but she still has this one little spot in the back of her head that dents in. Like Dr. Neptune said though, her brain has to grow and the head has to grow to get that to change. We can put the helmet on her for as long as we want, but that growth needs to occur to get results. I don't know what to do! I'm going to her helmet doctor this Tuesday and see what he advises. I've put it off for so long and it is time to check back in with him on her progress. Also, I asked Dr. Neptune his feelings about Alayna still in a rear-facing car seat. He asked if it bothered her and it doesn't. He said just keep her rear-facing and to not be in a big hurry to turn her around just as long as she has plenty of leg room. Lastly, the only medication that Alayna is taking is myralax in her bottles. I feel so very fortunate that she is healthy and doesn't require any other medications. Overall, the check up went quite well and he was happy with her progress. We continue to be so proud of our little Alayna!
A Full Night of Sleep
I just have to tell you that I miss sleeping through the night. Alayna was doing so well with that and all of a sudden we took a turn about a month ago. She continues to go to bed around 9:00-9:30 pm, however is waking up sometime between 3:00 am and 4:00 am for no apparent reason. Sometime she fusses, but most of the time she just lays in her bed kicking her legs awake. Of course, when she gets tired again she fights her sleep and fusses. It is funny (sometimes) when I hear her trying to put her pacifier back in her mouth. She is not able to do this consistently. She will grab it and click it on her helmet trying to find her mouth. That's when I'm up and down, up and down, until she falls asleep. Or I'm pushing the teddy bear in her bed that plays music and lights up or the wall projector that shows a light show. She still sleeps in the same room as Alexis and it did wake her up last night. I didn't hear Alayna at first, so I better turn up the baby monitor!
I do have to tell you though that on Friday night, the day of her 18 month check up, she slept all through the night! It was marvelous and I felt so good the next morning. Maybe all that being out of the house that day wore her out. She wasn't able to follow her normal routine of cat napping when she wanted. Maybe I need to take Alayna to the shopping mall more often!
Hand Biting
We continue to battle the hand, finger sucking and biting with Alayna. It is a constant battle pulling her hands out of her mouth and offering her something else to chew on like her pacifier or a toy. Of course, she prefers her soft fingers. The only time Alayna bites her hand is if she is in a terribly frustrating moment which usually happens when she is overly tired or at therapy. She has made herself bleed once and has some pretty good sized sores on her hands. UGH...it is frustrating but we are determined to break this behavior.
Other Things In Progress
Next week I will have more to report. Alayna has therapy 3 times and an appointment in Iowa City. I also have on the agenda to call her PT at the CTC and see what the progress is on getting her a stander and braces. Our 1p36 Support group has formed a non-profit organization to raise money and spread awareness. My goal is to have a fundraiser in the near future, maybe a bake sale, to help with this cause. I'll keep you all posted!
8 comments:
What a nice 18 month check up report! Thank you for always sharing what is going on with Alayna. I'm so excited when I log on and see there is a new post. I love to read your comments and see your adorable children. You do inspire me to be a more patient mom!
I've made a similar comment--how thankful I am that Jade only needs to take Miralax and no other medication and that she is so healthy. Sometimes when I am having a stressful day, it is too easy to think "poor me," but then I stop and realize what unbelievable hardships other families are facing. It is then that I am so grateful for Jade and at the same time I start feeling guilty for having my "poor me" feelings.
I hope all of Alayna's appointments continue to be as wonderful! You know--she is doing so well because she has you as a mommy!!!
Chrystal Weller
I am so glad Alayna is gaining weight. Don't go over board with the weight gainers and starchy food, though. Most of our kiddos are small to start and around 4 or 5 develope weight issues. Josh gained 20 lbs from 4 to 5.
Josh got a lot of infections when he had ear tubes. My only advise is weight it out. It does get better. Once Josh got his tubes removed he hasnt had a problem at all.
And I am sorry to say , but with the sleep issues, welcome to 1p parenting. lol. I don't mean to joke. Almost all of our kiddos do it. Even some of the teenagers. There is hope. She will sleep for you again. They go through these spurts. Josh has been doing it lately. He wakes up at 3 or 4 and he stays up until 9 or 10 in the morning, but he is happy. I throw some toys in his bed and go back to bed. lol Thank you for all of your kind words. Have a good day.
Hey Angie,
Glad to hear Alayna's 18 month check up with Dr. Neptune went well. Sounds like she is doing just fine! Yea! All the kids look great and I wish for you a smooth transition back to work!
Love,
Meg, Bill, Alayna & Alexa
Hooray for smooth check-ups! I'm sure it is a relief to know that Alayna is on the charts. As for the sleep issue, Brady has been on and off. We had a horrible time with sleep last summer and this summer has been a breeze. Sometimes, though, he wakes up in the middle of the night with so much energy. We let him play his little heart out for 45 minutes and then he is better able to go to sleep. We, of course, are zombies the next day!
We should start calling eachother in the middle of the night Angie!! Lily has been up anywhere between 3-5am for the last 3-4 weeks. We thought it was teething or hunger or maybe pain. But maybe it is just 1p36?? Great to hear that her 18 month check-up went well. She and Lily are about exactly the same size. Lily weighed in today at 20 lbs 11 oz. We think about you daily and hope we can talk soon!! Love, Julie and Lily
Alayna,
You have lving Mommy, Daddy, sister, brothers, grandparents and extended family.
My prayers are with your whole famliy that the positive will be recognized through the challenges and adversities. Love can concur more than we realize.
Love, Bella
Alayna looks great!! I read your post on the 1p site. I got a wheel chair (similar to a kid kart) for Josh when he was 2. We ordered it around 18 mo. The chair is nice for a few reasons. It allows the kids to sit up higher so they can see what is going on around them. They are at leg level in a stroller. Josh really sits nice in his chair. With the chance of scoliosis it is nice to have that support. Josh scoots down in his stroller and as he got taller his feet would sometimes hit the wheels. He cannto do that in his chair. The inconvience of having a chair. They are heavy and a pain in the butt to get in and out of the vehicle. I don't have a ramp in my van so I have to lift it in and out. My bumper is so scratched up. I really prefer a stroller for myself, bit I prefer the chair for Josh. I am trying to get a stroller for him noe. I have to order a special needs one, because he doesn't fit in a regular stroller anymore. He has pretty much out grown the wheelchair. Although, I am only making this choice because I have been making Josh walk short distances, and at school and home he has appropriate seating. The only time I would need the chair would be at the mall or park. Hopefully, he will be walking independently soon. Good Luck with your choice.
Sorry, I just spell checked that. I do know how to spell. lol
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