Pediatrician visit!

Today was Kalina's 4-month checkup at the pediatrician's office. It was also her second round of vaccinations, which I've been dreading since her last appointment. This time, I had to field the shots alone, seeing as asking Matt to come with me would have classified me as a baby myself, and there's only enough energy for one baby in the house right now. He did, however, advise me not to watch.

I wanted to give Kalina a fighting chance at getting through the shots as well as could be expected, so I made sure her napping, eating and awake time schedule lined up as closely as possible to her appointment. I also gave her some Tylenol beforehand, taking a good 10 minutes with the eyedropper to measure the right dose (Matt can get it right on the first try, thanks to his science background).

The poor girl was in a particularly good mood as we headed out the door. She was clueless, and I milked it for all it was worth, coaxing smiles and coos for the selfish reason of making me feel better about what I was going to put her through. She even played with her carseat toy all the way to the office. She must get her "trooper" disposition from Matt, because it's certainly not mine. As we waited for the doctor, her undressed to her diaper and me trying to contain her in a small blanket, we explored the room and said hello to the baby in the mirror. Smiles all around.

The first task at the office was the weigh-in. Once again, I'd guessed almost a pound too high (I think because I'm responsible for every feeding I get overly optimistic), as she weighed a nice 12 lbs. 6 ounces.

The doctor commented what a beautiful baby Kalina is (we love hearing this, because we know it's true) and complimented her rosy, pink cheeks. She took the rest of Kalina's measurements as well, telling us that her weight and head circumference are in the 25th percentile while her height (about 25 1/4 inches) is in the 75th. We have a tall, thin baby. The doctor was very happy with Kalina's growth--the baby started in the 3rd or 4th percentile for weight and has been in the 25th the past two visits. Good baby!

She then did the overall examination, and we learned one potential reason why Kalina doesn't seem to like tummy time: her arms tend to flay out and don't support her well. The solution? Bring her arms in, and tuck them close in front of her. We tried it at home, and found that it cut back on the tears considerably. Why could no one have told me this 4 months ago? I'm glad to know it now.

The doctor noted that Kalina had a bit of stranger anxiety. I was relieved to hear that it's normal around 4 months, and that it was okay if it takes her a while to warm up to people--that I don't have to force it. Not liking anything that makes my shy little baby cry or fuss and happy for the excuse, I resolved, if only for the moment, to keep her firmly in my arms at all times when we're around other people. (Is it just a month or two ago we were thinking she's an extrovert?)

And then the really interesting news: I told the doctor that for the past week or so, Kalina's been waking up a lot more often to eat--last night, for instance, a tiring 9:00, 11:00, 2:30, 5:30 and 7:00--and eating a lot more often during the day as well. The doctor recommended starting Kalina on solid foods (if you can call rice cereal, which has the consistency of a melted milkshake, solid) and promised it'd help her sleep better at night. I grabbed the advice with both hands and haven't let go, although I've since heard and seen that that could just be a myth. Matt and I have since agreed to wait a week and see (so far, though, he hasn't agreed to handle the night feedings that week).

And Kalina is the very picture of health! That only left...the vaccinations. Kalina cried for the oral one again, and screamed, as anyone would, for the pokes. I watched her face, not the doctor, and was glad that it was over soon.

I'd like to thank Tylenol for the fact that she soon calmed down, and didn't wake up screaming in pain later like last time.

Upon arriving at home, we both found ourselves overwhelmingly exhausted (I wondered if somehow I'd gotten some of her vaccine). Kalina headed to bed and I called Matt to tell him about the appointment. As I was unable to form complete sentences due to my extreme fatigue, he sent me straight to bed and told me not to drive. I couldn't sleep, of course, but enjoyed laying down.

I was happy to find that Kalina was her usual happy, smiley self once she awoke from the nap. I'd been expecting her to sleep the rest of the day, as she did last time, but was just glad to have my baby back.

We made it!