On April 8th Gerritt had his 6-month check-up. The little peanut was 29.5 inches long (> 95th percentile) & weighed 21 pounds (at 95th percentile). He has gained less than 2 pounds since his 4-month check-up. Gerritt is still a big boy, however, his growth has slowed down a bit. My back, shoulders & neck are aching constantly from all the carrying & "flying Gerritt up in the air" I've been doing. Can't wait for him to crawl & walk! On the other hand, maybe I have it easy now since I don't have to worry much about childproofing our home.
On April 9th I've passed my 90-day trial evaluation at Planned Parenthood. The evaluator observed several of my visits with patients, looked over my charting & billing & interviewed the clinic staff about my interpersonal communication skills. Now I am officially hired & eligible for benefits & things like use of vacation, sick & education time.
On April 22nd Gerritt & I had a meet-and-greet appointment with our new pediatrician Carol Doroshow at the Kids Clinic. As a board-certified pediatrician who is also knowledgeable in botany & homeopathy, Dr. Doroshow has impressed me. The clinic is the most beautiful office I've seen - so colorful & fun! You feel like you are walking through the jungle once inside. There are many interesting toys to play with including a large stuffed horse Gerritt can ride. Most important, this doctor is supportive of the delayed vaccination schedule Gerritt is on. What a a relief to finally find a great health care provider for my son.
On April 25th Gerritt had another round of immunizations (DTaP & Rotavirus) at the North Seattle Public Health. No side effects at all, not even extra sleep. I've scheduled next set of immunizations for end of May, then no shots for 2 months (until Gerritt is 9 months old). The delayed vaccination schedule has sure been time-consuming! However, if it will potentially prevent autism, the extra time, money & driving are worth it to me.
By the end of April Gerritt's 2 bottom teeth have fully emerged. At the same time we've noticed the white of the top left tooth trying to cut through. Gerritt loves to chew on everything now & it's not safe to put fingers into his mouth any more. He has a strong bite! Ouch! My husband & I bought Gerritt his first toothbrush at the Babies R Us. You wear it on your finger & it's similar to the one we use to brush Charlie's teeth. Thankfully, Gerritt loves to brush his 2 teeth. I wanted to start brushing early to avoid the terrible temper tantrums in toddlerhood.
In April Gerritt also had his first haircut at home. His hair grew so long it started to get into his eyes & we couldn't just keep combing it to the side anymore. It is like trying to cut hair on a little zoo monkey who is in constant motion!
At the end of April we had a blissful week of Gerritt sleeping 9-12 hours per night, WITHOUT waking up to eat. Our use of liquid Infant's Ibuprofen before bedtime probably had something to do with it. Unfortunately, the good sleeping didn't last long as Gerritt caught another cold in early May.
