Yesterday was Gemma's 12 month checkup. It ended up being a pretty traumatic morning unfortunately. First they weighed her and got her stats:
Height: 28 1/4 - 25th percentile (we were pleasantly surprised by this)
HC: 18 - 75th percentile (explains why I'm having to put her in some 12 month clothes even though her body is super small)
Weight: 16 pounds, 5 ounces...no longer on the chart
The doctor immediately began expressing a bit of concern for her weight. She had actually lost a few ounces since her 10 month checkup. However, she had a huge growth spurt lengthwise, she is moving around a bunch, and has just recovered from a respiratory virus during which she didn't eat very much. Also she is just going to be tiny her whole life. She is half Shealy (I would argue she is about 95% Shealy) after all. So the doctor wasn't too concerned given all of these factors, but wants us to bring her back in next month for a weight check.
As far as her development, she is not standing alone or walking yet, but she cruises very well. I imagine her low weight will probably play a part in when she is really able to walk. She isn't really talking yet - the only word she says is "Dada" and she pretty much says it all of the time, even when you ask her to say Mama. But her comprehension is extremely good. For example, if you say, "Gemma, can you wave?" she will wave and if you say "Gemma, can you clap?" she will start clapping.
And now for the trauma...after discussing her transition from formula to milk and other foods, the doctor decided it would probably be best if she had allergy testing before we proceeded. This required a blood draw. So after we got her hemoglobin test (finger prick) and 3 immunization shots, we then took the poor little girl to a lab to have her blood drawn. She did okay at first but then the nurse screwed up and didn't draw enough blood so we had to hold her down and draw more. By then Gemma was very aware of what was about to happen and completely freaked out like I've never seen her before. Since Cy does not do well with needles, I was the one having to hold Gemma down. By the time we were finished, I was crying almost as hard as she was. It was absolutely terrible. She had gotten so worked up that she was twitching and shivering for about 20 minutes afterwards. I could have punched the nurse. If you are going to do something like that to a baby who doesn't understand what is going on, you really need to make sure you get enough in one draw. It is ridiculous to expect a one-year old to sit through that twice. Although in the end I think I was more traumatized than she was. She took a nap when we got home and was her usual, cheerful self for the rest of the day. I was pretty bummed out for the rest of the day. I knew it was for a reason, but I felt like such a horrible mom subjecting her to that, when I am supposed to protect her.
Anyway...in the end, they got what they needed and we should have the results in a week. The doctor's office is going to call us with the results and we will have a consultation over the phone about a feeding plan for Gemma that will work with her allergies. Did I mention that her eating is also limited by the fact that as of yet she still has only 2 teeth? Ah, well. Every day with a kiddo is an adventure, that's for sure.
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