Saturday: We had breakfast at Cafe Paraiso. Henry enjoyed a large meal. Later in the afternoon, he visited Grandma and Grandpa. Jeff and I used our Henry-free time to clean out our closet (two extra large garbage bags of clothes for Good Will).
Sunday: Henry and I went over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They had some visitors, Tim Bee who is Senate President in our state and is running for Congress in our congressional district, and his campaign manager Meg. Mr. Bee has six children. It showed. He was really good with Henry, who liked him very much. Henry climbed on the couch next to Mr. Bee and sidled up to him. Later in the afternoon, I returned home for a spell. When Jeff and I returned to Grandma and Grandpa's house for dinner, we found Grandma staying put in a chair. Apparently, she pulled a muscle in her back while picking up Henry. He is getting quite heavy.
Monday: Grandma wasn't able to come over in the afternoon b/c her back was still out. Yikes. Jeff had Henry all afternoon, while I was at work. I didn't get back until well past 7PM, which made me sad. Henry was clearly very tired. Didn't get to play with him. :(
Tuesday: On Tuesday afternoon, we had an appointment with Dr. Fike, Henry's neurologist. His head circumference was 45.2 cm (measured by the assistant when we first arrived) and then 45.5 cm (later by Dr. Fike). His length was approximately 30.5 inches. The assistant had Henry stand on the scale, which was a first for him. No more baby scales now that Henry can stand up by himself. She weighed him at 22 lbs (clothing and diaper included).
Dr. Fike thought that he looked good. She doesn't think he is very behind for his age. As we mentioned on the blog about 6 months ago, the neurologists go by "actual" not "adjusted" age. So he isn't far off from what a 16.5 month old should look like. His head is tracking the 2nd percentile in size (again, she doesn't correct for his age). We were happy that he was following the appropriate growth trajectory. As Jeff and I have stated on this blog many, many times, we don't understand why doctors don't follow "adjusted" age (except Dr. Tsai, the neonatalogist from the NICU and at the development clinic, and the therapists of course). Oh well. Unless I take time out to get a medical degree and specialize in pediatric neurology, I'm afraid that it is a losing battle.
In any event, the most important thing is that Henry looks good. He is acting appropriately. Dr. Fike reviewed Henry's old head ultrasounds from the NICU. She said that there was only one that suggested that there may have been a small bleed in a cerebellum, but she didn't seem particularly alarmed or concerned about it at present. She said that given Henry's history, she would like him to have a MRI done at some point. She said that because he isn't displaying any signs of problems, we might want to wait, because most parents don't like the idea of putting their children under sedation. I asked if she wanted it for a baseline. She said yes. Preferably one taken before he is 4 or 5. She said that we could talk about it next time (appointment scheduled for next April). I want to know what Henry's brain looks like. The MRI would detect scarring or damage, if there is any. BUT, I'm not keen on the idea of sedation if it isn't necessary. The bottom line is that sedation would require ventilation. When you've seen your child clinging to life for several days on a ventilator, one naturally develops a negative association with certain objects. I am, of course, appreciative of the ventilator, because it saved Henry's life. But the idea of going back to it is...well...horrifying.
Henry toddled around her examination room. Picking up toys. Trying to get to her computer. He was accommodating during the exam, except when she tried to measure his head (second reading). He took the measuring tape from her and then put it around his neck like a necklace. At one point, she noted his feistyness and commented that he might be arriving at the independent "Terrible Twos" phase a little early.
After our trip to the neurologist's office, we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house. I believe Henry went swimming. And he ate really well (like he always does for the grandparents).
Wednesday: Grandpa visited Henry in the afternoon. Henry spent a lot of time walking around. I picked up middle eastern food on the way home from school. I didn't get home until 7:30PM. I was pleased that Henry was wide awake. When I arrived, Princess was occupying Henry's high chair.Henry feasted on lentil soup, the elbow macaroni from my kosharee, dolmas, hummus, babagounush, pita, and chicken.
He demanded to be let out of his chair when he was done and decided to wash up in the dogs and cats' water bowl.
We then gave him a bath. He likes to splash us with the water. Then, we went to bed somewhat early (9-9:30PM or so).
Thursday: He woke up around 6AM this morning, ready to take on a new day. The big event of the morning was that he figured out how to open the doors with the handles instead of knobs, which means that he can open just about any door in the house (although the ones that lead outside of the house have knobs).
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