Round 2

This morning we took Baby Roscoe to his four month pediatric appointment. He slurped down the oral Rotavirus vaccine, and immediate nursing calmed him after the four shots were administered. We were booted out of the exam room mid-nurse, which was irritating, but otherwise the visit went well.

Roscoe fell asleep on the way home so Andy and I decided to grab a quick lunch and some ice cream. Roscoe remains asleep as I type; is it awful that I may secretly look forward to "shot days" because I get more me time?

Roscoe is holding steady in the 3rd percentile for height and weight. He's at the bottom of the chart but following his own curve, growing well and thriving. Maybe now I can put to rest all the "preemie" inquiries and "he's not getting enough to eat" concerns? Roscoe's just a small (and perfect) babe!

His pediatrician said we could introduce solids at 5 or 6 months. The recommendation for introducing solids used to be 4-6 months, but the AAP guidance now leans more toward 6 months, and we may wait even longer than that. We're more interested in Roscoe being developmentally ready for solids, than we are in adhering to a predetermined time frame.

The three biggies are 1) Baby can sit up well without support 2) Baby no longer has the tongue-thrust reflex 3) Baby is developing a "pincer" grasp. I really look forward to sharing with Roscoe my love for food! It's hard not to be tempted into giving him a little nibble of this or that, but when the time comes, it will be great fun and I can't wait to begin cooking for him.

In discussing the flu, we learned that although Flu Season typically begins mid to late October, it doesn't actually hit Northern Virginia until January/February. And while we're trying our best to facilitate vaccines for family and other caretakers who see him on a regular basis, the good news is that he'll most likely be vaccinated against influenza at 6 months (in November) before the area is affected. Still not sure on the H1N1 vaccine for him, but I know the CDC is recommending it.

Things to look forward to in the coming months: tripoding and sitting with assistance, combinations of the sounds "ma" "ba" and "da", and mobility in the form of consistent rolling back and forth!