ENT appointment

After Olivia's pediatrician got her hearing test results (low normal to mild hearing loss), he thought it would be a good idea for her to see an ENT. We had an appointment set for over a month ago but we had to reschedule it three times due to her being sick. They want to see her when she isn't sick because otherwise they wouldn't know if the fluid in her ear is from a cold or if it's always there. We got to her appointment early and there was a little boy running around the waiting room, he kept Olivia entertained for a while. As soon as we got into the exam room, she was not happy. The doctor was trying to talk to me and Olivia kept yelling, I was getting a little frustrated because he could barely hear me. The doctor was very nice though, he was more patient with her than I was. They didn't do much besides check her ear pressure and look inside. Her left ear was fine but they said the right ear had some fluid, it may be because of her recent ear infection though. The doctor also said that some kids have fluid in their ear for the entire winter and then it goes away in the summer. She is having a repeat hearing test at the end of the month and they will compare the results to her last one. I was a little upset that they couldn't tell us much more information, I was hoping to know that day if she would need tubes or not. I don't want to rush her getting tubes but I am really hoping it will help with her speech delay. I just feel like this has been a long process, I'm ready for some answers and solutions.

Livy's two year checkup

Today was a very busy day and I'm so glad it's over. This morning I took Olivia to playgroup, it was in a different room today and of course the room had stairs. All she wanted to do was climb up and down them, it was exhausting chasing after her. We were all sitting on the floor and she must have got confused because she ran up behind some lady and threw her arms around her neck and hugged her. The lady started laughing and said she was really cute but I was slightly embarrassed. I don't know if Liv thought it was me or if she just wanted to hug a random lady. After playgroup I had to get a bunch of errands done and I had to bring Olivia of course. I don't know if she is getting heavier or if I'm getting weaker but lugging her around is no joke. By the time we were done with errands, it was time for her appointment. That means that she skipped her nap, never a good idea. She weighs 21lbs and she is 32 inches long, that means she only gained 2lbs in six months. That bummed me out a bit but her doctor said she's still on her curve. She's between the 5th and 10th percentile for weight and height, so she is pretty proportionate. Since she is behind with speech, I asked about getting her hearing tested. He said it would be a good idea to get it checked so he referred her to a specialist. I have to call and make an appointment tomorrow. After a few more questions, it was time for her shot. I always dread when she has to get shots. She was so mad at the doctor, she swatted at his hand when he tried to put the band aid on her. It took me a while to calm her down and then she had to get her finger pricked for blood work. Good thing the nurse did it because the doctor was already on her bad side. After all the crying, she slept like a champ in the car and then for another two hours once we got home. She didn't have much of an appetite when she woke up and she was pretty cranky for the rest of the night. I put her to bed hours ago and she is still awake in her crib right now. She isn't crying but she just doesn't want to sleep. It was a long day, I can't wait to crawl into bed and get a good night's sleep (hopefully).

Another GI update

Olivia had a follow up GI appointment this morning (technically yesterday morning). It went pretty well, she had fun in the waiting room playing with the toys. They have a wall with a projection of pictures on it and when you wave your hand in front of it, the pictures move. All of the big kids were playing with it, Olivia ran over to them and started copying what they were doing. She kept looking up at them for approval and it was just so adorable. She looked so tiny next to all of them but she wasn't shy at all. She also shocked me and didn't cry when the doctor came in but she definitely didn't want him too close. I talked to the doctor about weaning her off the acid reflux medication (Prevacid). We are going to do it slowly, making a small change every two weeks. As long as she doesn't start vomiting or lose her appetite then we will stick to that plan. The way we are going to do it will take about two months, I'm in no rush though. She is still between her 10-15% curve for weight so it definitely scares me when we make a change. Our feeding routine has been working well, I don't want her to start losing weight because then I'll feel like we're going backwards and it took so long to get her to this point. I also don't want her to be in any pain but I do think that it's time to start attempting a wean so we'll see how it goes. We also talked about giving her less puree during the day and more table food. The only reason that I still give her puree is because I put her Duocal (powder that adds extra calories) in it but that may also be the reason why she gets full so quickly when I give her table food. It's all trial and error, the doctor said there isn't just one way to do it but we will figure it out eventually. I hope I am making sense because it's pretty late and I'm tired. Anyway, the appointment went well and the doctor said Olivia looks great so hopefully the little changes we make will be good changes.

Playing in the waiting room.

I forgot to mention how Liv pulled everything out of her diaper bag while we were waiting for the doctor. I let her do that instead of what she really wanted to do (play with the computer keyboard).