Earlier this week we met our new pediatrician and she is just as great as we heard. Tommy and Liam really enjoyed her 'mom' type style and comforting comments. She kept the check up fun while very informative and covered all the bases. The boys had five immunizations (four plus the seasonal flu vaccine). Liam was so sweet and announced to be after each painful injection "I did it mommy!"..... "I did that one too!". I cried, he didn't! But poor Tommy needed to be held by three people and it just was horrific. He got lots of praises and hugs afterward and was nothing but smiles.
We are going to start a multivitamin chewable does anyone have recommendations?
We received the orders to have the xray of Tommy's neck area done to see if he has "atlantoaxial subluxation or dislocation" which means the distance on X-ray between the atlas (1st vertebra) and odontoid process (2nd vertebra) is more than 4.5 millimeters (mm). Sometimes this happens specific to Down syndrome. And then there would need to be restrictions on sports, horseback riding, trampoline, etc. Since the immunizations were painful, we made the decision to come back and due the xray later.
Sleep training Tommy for the past four years has been exhausting. For him. For me and Colin. For his roommate twin brother Liam. And for our family. Tommy doesn't sleep thru the night. He is a gypsy of epic proportion. One night I woke to find him watching western movies in our living room and about two dozen yogurts were strewn around in half eaten portions and Tommy looked like a teenager sprawled on the couch. So, I begged for melatonin. I remember some friends mentioned they use it with some success. It's a naturally occuring compound. In humans, melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, a gland about the size of a pea, located in the center of the brain but outside the blood-brain barrier. The melatoni
n signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature. We have hopes that this prescription will be helpful for Tommy to regulate his sleep schedule.
n signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature. We have hopes that this prescription will be helpful for Tommy to regulate his sleep schedule.And last, Tommy received a blood draw order for a complete Thyroid panel to double check if he has hypothyroidism. Probably next week, I'll get enough courage to take him in for a blood draw. It's an important test and I don't want to put it off, I just want to give him enough of a break between these tests to be human and a little kid again and relax!
Liam weighed in at 43 pounds and measured 42 inches tall, 90th percentile for both weigth and height which is nicely proportioned if I do so so, just a tall tank! Tommy is a whopping 39 inches tall and 37 pounds. Which actually places him in the lower 25% on a typical growth chart.
Two little boys counting their immunization stickers.