Well, it took us two attempts to get Gracie’s 6 month check up done. I originally made it on a morning when Brighid had no school so that I could have an extra pair of hands with me. Brighid is still treating her hip injury, so I had to drop Eilis off at school at 9, have Brighid to PT by 9:30, and then have Grace to her appointment by 10:30. I had to leave the pediatrician’s office by 11:15 in order to get to Eilis in time for dismissal, but they are really very good there about taking you back quickly and being seen quickly.
Well, I got Eilis to school on time, and Brighid to PT 15 minutes early. They end up not calling her back until nearly 10 minutes late. I tell her she has to be done by 10, no matter what, and she is. I arrive at the pediatrician’s office at 10:20 and they take us back before 10:30. They did height, weight, and head circumference, then leave us to wait for the doctor, who, by 11:15, has not shown up. I leave Brighid to dress Granuaile really quick and I reschedule our appointment for the soonest. That is Monday, the 17th. I hate that it is with the nurse practitioner, because I really prefer the doctors, but I don’t want to wait for the next available with a doctor.
So back we go, just me and Grace, on the 17th. She is an oh so adorable 15 pounds, 6 ounces and she is 25.25 inches long. Her head circumference, which is when I always hold my breath, is a well within normal limits at 42 centimeters around. Whew! The NP tells me she is close to the 50th percentile for everything.
The NP is pleased that she can sit by herself for such a long period, and she is very good at focusing on things and following them with her eyes. She can switch things from one hand to another, which is apparently another wonderful thing to be able to do. She also babbles appropriately and reacts to loud noises, indicating that her hearing is okay.
She still has the labial adhesions, and the NP suggested just using a little vaseline during diaper changes to maybe help lubricate the area and help it to open up. She said they will encourage other treatment by 18 months, but I think from this point forward, I will be making my appointments with Dr. Stephanie, who seems to be more in line with my way of thinking.
The NP declared her “very strong” when she helped her to stand up and then again when she tried to get her to open her mouth for the tongue depressor (we still don’t know if her throat was clear, because she never did get it open). Grace began crying as soon as I put her on the scale, and by the time they came at her with 5 shots (the four regular vaccines plus a flu shot), she got hysterical and cried all the way out to the car. Bad thing is, she has to go back on November 4th to have the second dose of flu shot 🙁
Overall, she’s just perfect! We already knew that, but it’s nice to be reminded by professionals.