We went there early, and I discovered that registration for 4-month olds were 45 minutes later than had been written in the packet we got in the mail. Since we were 45 minutes early to begin with, it looked like we were going to have 1.5 hours to kill...this I'm sure is difficult for even an easy-going baby, but for a fussy one like Evan, I was expecting the worst. We decided to check out the room where the check-ups were going to be held, and found that we weren't the only ones early. Another mom (one I happen to know because she gave birth 3 days before me and therefore was still in the hospital during the beginning of my stay...well, she also lives nearby and her husband and mine are music acquaintances and work at the same place) was also there, so I was a little relieved. We both decided to feed our babies while waiting (which was my plan anyway), but while we were doing that, the staff started setting up and got us started with registration (yay!). Unfortunately, they also got us started with the preliminaries (weight/height check)...I say unfortunately because I was looking forward to getting some official numbers, but because I had just fed Evan I knew his weight would be skewed. Anyway, these are his numbers...
Weight - 6.215 kg (13 lbs. 7 oz.)
Height - 60.7 cm (23.9")
I'm still concerned about his slow growth, but none of the staff were. They showed me where he is on the growth chart and said he's where he should be. So I'm wondering if he's just going to be smaller forever (Hello? When does our DNA kick in?) and will just never catch up. I know I shouldn't, but I couldn't help noticing that the other babies were much more round (and they were also a lot less fussy and had clearer skin...I had decided to not put medicine on his face the night before so the doc could see how bad his rash is getting).
Anyway, he's healthy and "passed" (although he almost didn't pass for head control...the doc first said "not quite" and then changed his mind after testing again).
All in all, it was an interesting experience. One thing I (re)learned is that I just am not very good at mingling with strangers. This was one of my first chances to meet other moms in the area, so I should have spent less time checking out other babies and more time getting to know their moms! Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Another thing I noticed...I spent a lot more time at each station (one was on starting solids, another was a general "how's it going" station, etc.) than other moms. I've never been one to hide my concerns (just the opposite...as you know, I go on and on and on about them), and since this was a chance to talk to real people about things that worry me, I took full advantage. It's kind of funny, because they have you fill out a questionnaire to gauge how well you're dealing with motherhood, and I don't think they expected me to be so honest in my answers...Here are a couple of sample questions...
How is life with your baby?
1) Everyday is fun. 2) Burdens have increased, but childrearing is fun. 3) Burdens have increased and I'm tired. 4) I frequently get irritated. 5) I feel burdened because I've lost my free time. 6) It wasn't supposed to be like this. 7) I'll grow as a person through this experience.
Do you ever feel irritable, a little down, or anxious?
1) Yes, often. 2) Sometimes. 3) Occasionally. 4) Hardly ever. 5) Never.
Since I was allowed to circle as many answers as I'd like, I circled a few of the more negative ones too, and that got me in "trouble" at every station (this explains why it took so much time)! I'm glad, because I'm sure it's an important way to screen for PPD, but do other mothers just circle the positive answers? I mean wow, can a mom really choose answer 5 on the second question? Lucky her!!
Whoa...I've gone way off track. Since Ko-chan did the 4-month report on Evan (yes, despite my ramblings this blog really is about HIM), I didn't, but I'll do a mini report today.
At four months, Evan is finally showing an interest in toys, and can even hold on to one for a while. He can switch the hand holding the toy, and can of course guide a toy into his mouth. He still won't reach for a toy on his own, but I'm sure that's coming soon.
He's also recently discovered his feet. Ko-chan was the first to notice this development when he was changing Evan's diaper (Evan rarely gets to see his naked feet because he's always wearing footed outfits). Since then we try to alternate his clothes so that he can see/feel his naked feet. In the picture he's wearing socks, though.
The other day at baby massage, I noticed Evan wasn't as resistant to being put on his tummy, so tonight we tried tummy time after his bath. He was able to use his arms to push up (well, we helped him do that, but then he stayed that way for a while). And he didn't cry right away! Hurray for small steps!
Something else he's enjoying at 4 months is an extra feeding at night. Whereas before he used to sleep from about 8pm to 1 or 2am, he now gets up at 11. And 1, and 3, and 5...Yup, around once every two hours. This must be the sleep regression thing I read about. If you ask me at 5 or 6 in the morning about it, I'd tell you I hate this new trend, but I actually am glad because it's good for my milk supply, and it's good for Evan's weight gain (especially since he's not great about concentrating on feeding during the day). I just wish he'd stop the thing were he doesn't want to go back to sleep after his 3 am feeding. Sigh.
Speaking of all this feeding business, he's due for his 11 pm feeding soon, so I'd better finish up this post.
Oh, there's one thing I forgot to ask at the check-up yesterday, so I'll ask you...did your babies ever "regress" (if that's the right word for this situation) in their cooing? As you've seen in our videos, Evan was great at mimicking us with his cooing a little while ago. But lately, I've noticed he doesn't really "talk," and he doesn't mimic when we try to get him to coo. Hmmm...I wonder what's going on?
Ok, now I'm really going to stop writing.
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