We went for our 18 month check up today & I have great news! Our babies are BIG & TALL! You would never guess they were preemies. Seriously! I wish the visit has gone smoother. I couldn't wait to get them out of there. Ian was apparently very tramatized by the blood draw 5 weeks ago. He almost immediately started crying once we entered the exam room. He screamed when they were measuring his HEAD! This set everyone off. We were able to get them to calm down but it was basically like a roller coaster...up...down...up...down (cry...calm...cry...calm). Believe this or not, the shots were the easiest part!
Here are the stats!
Sofia ~ 26 lbs 12 oz (12.13 kg, 75-90%), 34 1/4" (87 cm, >95%)
Gabriella ~ 29 lbs (13.15 kg, 90-97%), 33 3/4" (86 cm, 90-97%)
Ian ~ 25 lbs 7 oz (11.54 kg, 25-50%), 32 3/4" (83 cm, 50-75%)
Ian has grown quite a bit since his last visit & has made Dr. Nguyen proud! He will be getting ankle braces to help strengthen them but that is ok. We rather him have the help now then pay for having weak ankles later in life. He has also started receiving speech therapy b/c although he can sign a good 15 words, he is still not verbally putting many words together. It is for no other reason than to help him "say" the words. His comprehension skills are not lacking what so ever! He continues to get physical therapy once a month, just to make sure he is making adequate progress. He also gets cognitive development therapy twice a month, again more to make sure he is on track b/c he is now on track w/ all his milestones, etc.
Sofia is doing very well overall, excelling in her physical abilities & also in to helping us as much as possible (picking up toys, feeding us, etc). She is our time keeper, knowing when to pick up toys & clean up before lunch & dinner. No need to tell her as she can either tell time or we are that in to the routine that she has it memorized. How she knows to pick up toys EXACTLY 5 minutes before lunch & dinner, I'm not sure. I honestly think she has figured out the arms on the clock. She really loves to bring comfort items to Ian & Gabi when they are sad. She also continues to be our best sleeper. We have 1 little issue to deal with & that is a possible herniated belly button. Hers is very minor & may even close up on its own. If for some reason it doesn't, then she will have to have surgery. Lets hope it does the job by itself!
Gabriella is our big girl. She loves loves to eat carbs! Anything crackers, bread, potato...all over it! She is by far our most verbal with a vocabulary well over 120 words. I can't keep count! She is also starting to put words together making sentences. She has become quite the Momma's Girl. When ever she wants me, nothing will make her happy. Once I pick her up, she is a total snuggle bug. She has also started calling others by their names such as Meme (my mom), Abu (my dad), Papa (Todd's dad), Ka-e (Katie), See-see (Sheila). It is super cute! The only bad thing to report is that Gabi has a "birthmark" on her leg. We aren't exactly sure what it is so we will be going to a dermatologist to get it checked out.
One last thing, we are officially on a strict lock down until this whole flu thing gets in control. We won't be going anywhere unnecessary until March. Little trips out here & there are ok so long as it isn't a crowded place. This means no dinners w/ family in a restaurant or going to any birthday parties. After having discussed the new H1N1 vaccine w/ Dr. Nguyen, we have definitively decided to give it to Gabi & Sofi as they have never had any immune issues but since Ian had the cerebellitis, we will not be giving it to him, for now. They did receive the seasonal flu vaccine today so hopefully this will help us stay healthy a little bit longer & keep us from any hospital visits. 2 is enough for this year!
That is it for now! Thank you all for your continued support!
PS ~ Today is Infant & Pregnancy Loss Awareness Day. I want to say that we miss our special angel baby, Onesie, every day. You touched our lives for 8 weeks but changed the course of it forever. You look down upon us & see your 3 earthly siblings & know that one day we will all be together in Heaven. WE LOVE YOU!
Mommy, Daddy, Sofi, Gabi, & Ian
4 comments:
Astrid, those weights are great! Question, what is the best way to teach the kids words? Mine aren't talking at all. They babble, but no real words yet. I've tried Signing Times dvd, but they don't pay attention to it.
Those are some big kiddos! Good job momma!
Repetition. We have been using sign language since we brought them home. First, it was for their basic needs. Really, it still is. Words like eat, milk, water, all done, & other food related words (carrots, cheese, crackers, etc) are what we concentrated first. Now we are adding quite a bit more. I also read to them A LOT. We do flashcards every day (Todd does them). Lots of books w/ pictures & more repetition.
Yea for big and tall babies!! Mine are the same. :)
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