JJ The Tiny

April 23, 2009: Julia had her 5 month check up today ( a few weeks late). She is doing fine developmentally although I had been worried she was behind. I am just comparing her to Casey who did everything extremely early so I was worried about Julia but the doctor assured me she is just fine. The problem however is not in her developmental milestones but in her size. She gained only 1 ounce in the past month which has her in only the 1st percentile for weight. Her height has also plateaued. The doctor said that if she does not gain weight by her next check up a month from now then we will have to run some tests on her thyroid and growth hormone levels to be sure that everything is OK. I am hopeful that she is just a petite baby like Casey was and that she will find her own growth curve eventually. She has been on solid food for a few weeks now, eating rice cereal in the morning and cereal and veggies at night. Today I gave her a bottle of formula for the first time. She has never had a bottle so it was a difficult adjustment for her but she eventually took it. I am going to start weaning her off of breast feeding and onto formula sooner than planned in the hopes that it will help her gain weight. Besides that, she is doing well. She does this new thing where she likes to growl all the time. We find it hilarious. She is sleeping better, usually from 7pm-7am with one feeding around 4am. She naps at 9 am and 1pm for anywhere from an hour to two hours. Her stamina to stay awake and content is getting better, although she still does not like to be left to entertain herself in the excersaucer, or on the floor with toys, she really prefers to be held. I think that is a result of the 4 and a half months with colic where she was held to be soothed for so long. Anyways, overall she is doing much better but now we must focus on getting her to gain weight.