Four Months Old

Today we took Gemma for her 4 month checkup, and she is officially 4 months old today. The past 4 months have gone by incredibly fast - it is so hard to believe that she is this old already. And everyday with her is crazy and new - she is changing so much and is so much fun.

Not surprisingly, Gemma didn't even make the 25th percentile on everything this time. . .she is a tiny girl. (She still has yet to outgrow her 0-3 month clothes.) Here were her stats:
Head size: 16" (25th percentile)
Length: 23" (10th percentile)
Weight: 12 pounds 4 oz. (10th percentile)

Poor little Gemma had to get another round of shots today. I vowed I wasn't going to cry this time. I failed. Last time she had shots, she wasn't fussy but just slept most of the day. Today she slept for over an hour right after we got home, but when she woke up, she cried and cried for almost a solid hour. Then she fell back asleep and slept for two hours straight. That seemed to have done the trick - she woke up her normal happy self after that second nap. I really hate seeing her feeling so bad, but I know it is better for her in the long run.

While at the appointment, we spoke to the doctor about some issues Gemma has been having with eczema ever since her last incident with milk-based formula. We have a treatment plan in place for the eczema now so hopefully we can get it cleared up soon. At long last, we also have finally found a formula that works: Similac Alimentum.

Because Gemma has already had some issues with food allergies, the doctor wants us to wait until she is 5 or 5.5 months old before starting her on any solids, and then to proceed very carefully with what we feed her. He also said that she will have to avoid allergen foods longer than what is normally recommended for other babies her age.

Other than allergy-related issues, she was doing great. The doctor was not concerned about her small size, since she is growing well. She is just not going to be a very big girl (no surprise there!).

She seems to be doing great with the developmental milestones too. This past week, she fully mastered the art of flipping onto her tummy from her back without getting her arm stuck. She immediately flips over pretty much anytime we put her down now. Hopefully soon she will be flipping from her back to her tummy on her own (she has done it a couple of times by accident).

We are excited to see what the next few months will bring!