8 Month Check Up

Before I get down to business I have to mention that is the 300th post on the blog. (Makes you wonder if I have a life doesn't it)?


Okay first things first.

Weight: 18 lbs 2 ounces (one ounce shy of 6 times his birth weight). At his 6 month appt. he was 16 lbs 3 ounces. This is a nearly 1 pound per month weight gain (1 ounce per day). Harrison is now in the 10th percentile for his weight. What's even better???? We can say goodbye to his super food. Regular formula is in order! The expense for his formula has been cut more than in half... This puts a huge smile on Mommy and Daddy's face! :)

Speaking of food...I finally decided to tell his doctor that I started Harrison on solid foods...I didn't entirely tell the truth...I said we started him on solids about a month ago---not 2-3 months ago! :) All is well though. Harrison continues to grow like a weed playing catch up! Harrison now measures 26 1/4 inches long. That is 2 inch growth in 2 months! He is finally nudging the line on the growth chart at about the 1 percentile for height (1 percent is better than the none we have been at for 8 months). We will also be increasing his solid intake (3 meals a day) and decreasing formula from 4 bottles a day down the 3.

Needless to stay this growth impressed the his doctor. Dr. Gerhard commented to me before we left the appointment. He said, "I was in shock (taken back) when I walked in the room and saw him. He looks so different, he even resembles the beginning of a toddler."

Strength! This is something Harrison has strived with since birth. Harrison is doing really well for fine motor skills and his ability to sit on his own is developmentally on track according to his corrected age. These days Harrison is walking on his tip toes! Dr. Gerhard suggests this is because preemie babies have most of their strength in their trunks of their bodies. His muscle strength in his legs is actually "too strong" to allow him to walk on flat feet. This should correct itself by about 15 months. Due to trunk strength comes come weakness in his hips and shoulders which also hinders Harrison's ability to jump and roll from stomach to back...which is something that will correct itself in time as well. Another statement Dr. Gerhard made was, "I think it looks like he wants to just get up and walk and I think if we left him a lone in this room he would love to destroy it" (meaning getting into everything). Which is true of Harrison---there isn't much if anything he isn't trying to get into today. He is very aware of his surroundings.

Speaking of awareness...The only concern I brought to the appointment today is the fact Harrison doesn't per say babble or ga ga, ba ba etc. Laughing and squealing are heard often...but he doesn't try to mimic the sounds we make though it appears he is listening. And...more times than I can count people have said to me, "Wow, you have such a quiet baby." This concerned Dr. Gerhard. This is something he should be doing by developmental milestone. His concern is Harrison's hearing. I expressed to Dr. Gerhard that I think Harrison can hear just fine, he responds to noises, sounds, etc. And when Harrison was in the NICU his hearing test came back clear. Dr. Gerhard said that that test is only for profound hearing loss. So it's not the fact or not Harrison can hear, we know he can...it's just a matter of how well. His doctor said this is something he worries about in preemies born before 32 weeks. And often babies act as if they can hear, but in fact do have some hearing loss. Harrison might have high frequency hearing loss that makes it hard for him to distinguish different sounds to be able to babble/mimic as babies do. My heart sank right about then. But...before I could lose it all...the doctor said he was going to schedule a follow up hearing test with the audiologist regardless of the concern talked about today. And with this all said...The test could come back just fine and it most often does...but if there is a problem with hearing, it's best we catch it at 8 months rather than later. We can be proactive if there is an issue. Hopefully we can get the test schedule for this week---so I can stop worrying myself to death over probably nothing. (Next week he has his 6 month corrected age eye doctor appt. to check his developing vision).

Other than that, Harrison is well and I couldn't ask for anything more. He will see Dr. Gerhard next in 3 months (for his 9 month check-up) and will meet with the NICU follow up team the beginning of September for a 6 month check-up. His team of doctors is so great!



P.S. Be sure to check back for soon for photos---I just got a new prop from an estate sale this morning.

Need a smile?

Or... How about this one?

Love this hat?

Harrison's wasn't quite the fan...

This is how it went...

Is he not seriously the one of the cutest boys you have ever seen???

(Hats made by Lindsay's Little Lids)

Somedays...

Do you ever have one of those days that you would just rather crawl back into bed and wait and see if tomorrow will be any brighter? I am having one of those weeks...

So far this week I have been bitten by a dog and had my car broken into...and yes, its only Tuesday! The thief that broke into my car didn't make off with much. But what saddens me is that they took a photo album of Harrison which is more valuable than the 2 year old $60 CK Outlet Bag they took off with.  

Thank goodness none of that matters when I get to come home to this...

I found these photos on the camera's memory card tonight.... Thank you daddy for capturing all these expressions, you certainly made mommy's night!

The pouty lip...

Serious stuff!

The Great Banana Explosion!

Sometimes I don't know what I am thinking...or don't exactly think things through entirely (like how long this clean up process would be)...

This is what happened when I gave Harrison the bowl and spatula from the banana bars I made today...

                           Just the beginning...

Getting in the groove of it...

Taking a break...

Diving back in again...

MMMMmmmm... I love this stuff!

Now...who is going to help us clean up???

Perfect for the job...

And if you are wondering?!?!  After this...we all hopped in the pool!

Color

Ok. By now you know that sometimes I get little creative with photo shoots. And, by all means this one was no exception. This idea came from walking through the Wal-Mart check out today...

Take One:

As you can see...this wasn't going very well.

Poor crayons don't stand a chance against those gums!

Take Two:

No improvement in sight...

The finished product...(is a bit doctored up with some help from mommy)

Can you find it on the refrigerator? There is a lot of Harrison on it these days!

The painting on left is from the celebration of July 4th at daycare. We have quite the artist on our hands!

The Best Decision We Ever Made...

I have been waiting 8 long months to execute this photo shoot idea!

And...It was worth the wait. I cherish these photos.

Hey...That's me!

H20

Water....lots and lots of water!

If Harrison wasn't born a baby, he would have been born a fish. This boy loves water! I guess this all makes sense...he was quite the swimmer in utero!

Being the last few blogs have been all about a sick baby...I wanted you to cheer you up by posting some adorable pictures of this boy! He still maybe sick---but he can his smile would never tell you so.

Oh and before I forget to tell you...we learned a valuable lesson tonight as parents. "Wait an hour to swim after you eat." We may have heard this a million times as children...but did we listen? No...did we pass this rule on as parents? No...Should we have?

YES... Why? We now have squash in the pool.

In the end...we got a good laugh and certainly a good reminder!

After all that squash ended up in the pool...it was time for Harrison to try out his big boy bath tub.

Meet... Mr. Ducky.

Mr. Ducky is a pretty cool bath tub if I say so myself. Not only is he a giant cushion for the bath tub, he quacks when you press his beak.  I am beginning to think we really were deprived as children! What I like about the bath the most is it came with a gigantic plungy that can be hung up in the shower after his bath is done. This means no more lugging his baby bath tub around or trying to keep his foam cushion dry from day to day.

It's seems Harrison and Mr. Ducky seem to get a long, no hesitation from either one of them!

The doctor will see you now...

Does this look familiar? Round # 2 of Amoxicillian.

We took Harrison to urgent care tonight. The rash and vomiting in the previous post led us to believe we were dealing with another ear infection. The verdict? Ear infection # 2. At least Harrison doesn't play favorites for ears...This time the infection is in his right ear. Hopefully we caught it soon enough this time so he doesn't end up with another ruptured ear drum. And thank goodness strawberry flavored antibiotics!

Harrison has a follow up appointment with his regular doctor next Friday.

Hopefully we are on the fast track to feeling better!

Home Sick :(

Okay...disregard the last sentence on yesterday's blog update. It read, "Harrison is feeling much better today."

Well, that is not the case today as your probably guessed from the title of this entry. Daddy picked up Harrison from daycare at just after 10 am this morning. He had vomited several times at daycare this morning. Mommy got home at just after 12 to relieve daddy, so he could go back to work.

Harrison finally was able to keep a whole bottle down around 10:30ish, but threw up half of his cereal and veggie at lunch, followed by a poop up to his neck. Too much information for you?  I am the one I had to clean it up (a trip to the bath-tub and all)...the least I could do is share with you.

No fever as we speak yet with this mysterious sickness...but he a small speckley rash over his torso that I have been watching this afternoon, though it seems to be fading some. At this moment he is resting comfortably in his crib for nap time. (Maybe mommy will even get a nap)...

It's amazing how despite how crappy he feels, he can still smile... What a champ!

New Toys!

Exciting stuff! Harrison isn't the only one who got a new toy around here...

First things first...

Enjoyed the photos? I still need some practice, but I enjoyed taking these photos with my new lens and flash! I don't think Amazon could have shipped them any faster... I was absolutely was dying to try them out! This was a rather large purchase since buying the new camera just six short months ago...but worth the hard work it took to earn the money to purchase them. (I spent two night scrubbing a college house for five soccer guys). TRUST ME...I earned these toys!

Now for Mr. Harrison... He just got a Baby Einstein Entertainer last night. He loves it! It makes some pretty cool jungle sounds along with a million toys to grab at and spin around in. It's fun if I say so myself! And what was the reasoning behind getting this new toy (being this is his second entertainer)? Plain and simple, just because. (I'll get some photos of him posted in it soon). He definitely has a way of talking mom in to new things! I think Harrison is way too young to be this persuasive!


And here are a couple of Kodak moments...

And before I forget to mention...Harrison is feeling much better today!