9 Month Checkup - Part 2 of 2

Sorry it took me a few days to get this posted. I had a virus attack as I was in the middle of typing this post...so I'm back online now.

Saturday was the twins' 9 month check-up. Normally, we see the nurse-practitioner, but yesterday I specifically asked if we could see the doctor because it's been awhile. Good thing I insisted on this - lesson learned (more below).

First, the twins are doing great as far as growth.

F weighs 18 lbs. 1 oz. and is 26.5" long. He's 50th % for height and weight.

G weighs 18 lbs. 13 oz and is also 26.5" long. She is 50% for weight and 75% for height.

This surprises me a bit:

1. Carrying them in their car seats, I would have guessed they were closer to 22 lbs. They are HEAVY!

2. I would have guessed F would have been toward the top of the range for height since his legs and torso appear so long. I also would have guessed G would have been average for height.  I never would have guessed they are the same height.

F has three teeth that have broken through already (two bottom and one top) and the other top, front one is very close. G has many teeth that are in the process of breaking through. Shouldn't be long before she has a whole row of pearly-whites on top!

Eating & Teeth
They are eating great, but the pediatrician said it's time to start on solids vs. purees. At every meal, we should offer diced food. Just about everything is free-game now except "sticky" foods like honey and peanut butter. Also, eggs are a no-no. He didn't mention strawberries or foods with seeds like tomatoes, but I think I am going to wait longer on those. He also didn't mention juice, but I see no reason for juice to be part of their diet - ever.

He did say we should be brushing their teeth at least once before they go to bed. So far, they seem to tolerate it some days and not so much other days. I guess a little brushing is better than none at all.

Another "suggestion" he made was to try to get them off bottles. So, this weekend our kitchen was transformed into a sippy-cup test-site. We tried a couple brands about a month ago, but it was too soon. When we tried them again Saturday, both babies screamed and cried, so we reverted to bottles for the rest of the day. I think they were teething.

On Sunday, F changed his mind and decided a Nuby sippy cup with a soft nipple was ok, but G wasn't game - so it was a trip to the "boutique" baby store for her.

We tried a "sippy spout" attachment from OrganicKidz that turns a bottle into a sippy cup:

http://www.amazon.com/organicKidz-Narrow-Necked-Sippy-Spout/dp/B002QGPNGM

Nope, she wouldn't have that either.

Ultimately, she settled on a $13 Zoli Bot and LOVES it.

http://www.amazon.com/Zo-li-Bot-Straw-Sippy-Cup/dp/B0031E1GEG

It took her about five minutes to figure out how the straw works, but once she did, she was delighted to get a full mouth of formula with minimal effort.

What can I say? She's already starting to develop expensive tastes...and to see the smile on her face when she finally found a sippy cup she likes makes it worth every penny!


Hint: If you decide to try these too, the Bbox is the SAME cup - only different colors a couple dollars less (but I didn't discover that until later that night)
http://www.amazon.com/Bbox-BOT-Sippy-Cup-Blue/dp/B008D93LYC

Also, you'll need to purchase a cleaning kit:

http://www.amazon.com/Zo-li-Replacement-Straw-Brush-Pack/dp/B004SGUGQK

So far, they are doing pretty good with food. G rolls it around on her tongue and then spits them out. She hasn't picked a favorite food yet...I am sure she will soon (especially since she hasn't had ice cream yet)!

F LOVES diced rotisserie chicken from Costco. I put some mangoes and diced chicken on his tray and he picked the chicken out. He then whined for two more "servings"!

Physician vs. Nurse

OK - back to why it's important to see a physician vs. nurse...

As I've told you, G hasn't been rolling much. Over the last 2-3 weeks, she has been flipping herself from her back to tummy, but not really from front-to-back. In looking at her, the pediatrician thought she might have hip displaysia - where the ball at the top of the femur doesn't connect to the hip properly.

Even though she had the same "symptoms" at her six months checkup and I even called the nurse (same one that saw them at their last checkup) about six weeks ago and mentioned this again. She made it sound like it's no big deal and we could wait until their nine-month checkup. The doctor was clearly much more concerned when he started to examine G.

There is no conclusion if hip displasia is genetic or caused by external factors - like a baby's position in the womb - but girls tend to have it more than boys, and first born children tend to have it more than subsequent ones.

At this point, she would have been too old for a Pavlik harness (a temporary cast that stays on for about 3 months), so the solution would have been surgery followed by a full-body-cast for 3-9 months. To say I was worried all weekend was an understatement. I felt like I failed my daughter because I assumed she was developing at her own rate and didn't push it further. Maybe I should have...

So, first thing Monday morning we were at the Children's Hospital getting x-rays. Then, we had to wait most of the day for our doctor to call us with the results. Waiting for the call was like going through the first few weeks of my pregnancy all over again...I knew there was nothing I could do, but I was dying for an answer!

It was a HUGE relief to learn that she does NOT have displaysia, but the doctor did suggest I call our Early Intervention program to get her some physical therapy.

We are thankful to live in a state that supports early childhood development and will send a therapist to our home at no charge to us. Thank you to the taxpayers in our state!

So, there you have it...nine months and doing great!