Chunky Monkey!

Ben and I had a busy day today. We spent the morning at my office. I was there to interview a prospective MT intern with the other music therapist, and Ben came along and was adored by my boss and co-workers! He slept in his infant seat through the interview and then woke up in a cuddly mood and was looking around the office with wide eyes.

This afternoon Ben had his 2 month checkup at the pediatrician's. He once again got the awesome "Star Wars" exam room, so while we were waiting for the doctor, I schooled him in TIE fighters vs. X-Wings and the coolness of the Millennium Falcon model hanging on the wall. It's probably still a little too monochromatic for him to really notice it, but you've got to start working on the really important things early! I also pointed out Darth Tater, which we have, and Spud Trooper, which we do not. (Hmm. I was not aware that there was also an Artoo Potatoo.)

The doctor was pleased with his health and progress so far, and he is developmentally on target with his newfound skills of tracking, social smiling and cooing. He still has strong head & neck muscles and started pushing himself up on his arms when the doctor put him on his stomach.

His stats at birth were:
Length: 20"
Weight: 8 lbs, 7.8 oz (7 lbs, 14 oz @ discharge)

His stats at two months are:
Length: 24.75" (95th percentile)- doc said he's about the length of a 4 month old!
Weight: 14 lbs., 8 oz. (97th percentile)
Head circumference: 40.8 cm (75th percentile)

He is certainly a chunky monkey, and the reflux obviously isn't hurting his intake. The pediatrician assured me that his weight is just fine, and as long as his length keeps up with his weight, they're not worried. He did say that Ben will probably be closer to 6 months when he rolls over (usually happens between 4-6 months) because chunkier babies usually take a little longer.

The acid reflux is improving, and his Zantac dose got increased slightly today due to his weight gain. Ben also got 4 vaccines today, 1 drink and 3 shots. He did great with the oral med and didn't cry too much with the shots. He definitely wasn't happy, but he was pretty easily consoled with some cuddling and a car ride. After his afternoon feeding, he was getting fussy, so I swaddled him and he is currently sound asleep in his crib. I will probably give him some more Tylenol when he wakes up to help with some of the soreness. His next scheduled checkup is at 4 months.