Baby J

Joshua had his 6 month check up two weeks ago and is doing well! I thought he was bigger, but he's maintained the 75th % f or his weight and 90th % for his height. The doctor said we can definitely let him cry out his night time feeding because he is clearly not going to starve. :-)

The back of Joshua's head is very flat. It was flat when he was born, which is a down syndrome trait, but has become even flatter from laying on it. He is seeing a cranial specialist next week and will need to be fitted for a helmet to round out his head. I'm not sure how long he will need to wear it, but if its only for six months or less we are going to see if we can wait until after summer.

The only item of concern that came up during his appointment is an odd hand behavior he has. For the past five weeks or so, Joshua extends his right arm out and stares at the back of his hand as if he is admiring a manicure. She was initially concerned that this indicated a seizure, but that was quickly ruled out because he also extends his arm and hand while looking at other objects and people as well. For now, we are assuming that he has discovered his hand and is fascinated by it, but if the behavior hasn't changed by the end of July we will take him for a follow up.

While laying on the exam table Joshua discovered that he could put his feet in his mouth and has been thrilled ever since with his new "pacifier." He also laughed for the first time while we were waiting for the doctor! In addition, this past weekend he rolled to his right side for the first time. It was a week and a half of firsts!

Joshua has definitely learned the art of manipulation! For weeks he would cry and push the bottle away during feedings. I was concerned enough to mention it to the doctor who suggested we change his bottle nipple size, which we did, but he still became upset at bottle time. I thought something must be wrong with my precious angel, but Mandi said she thought he just preferred his baby food to his bottle. So, we performed a test. Joshua was crying and pushing his bottle away so rather than try to coax and fight him to take it like we normally would, we took the bottle away and brought out his baby food. As soon as Joshua saw the spoon he started panting with anticipation and bouncing. He finished half a jar of food and began to cry the minute Mandi took the spoon away and didn't stop until she brought out another jar. It was obvious my precious angel was perfectly fine; he was just trying to get more baby food and preferred it to his bottle! At the advice of his pediatrician, we took away his baby food until he went back to taking bottles without a fuss. He went 19 hours on 3 1/2 ounces of formula before deciding he was hungry enough to take a bottle without issue. (I wonder where his stubbornness comes from?! =) My son may have Down Syndrome, but I definitely learned not to underestimate him again!