One-year check up!

Stats:

Weight: 17 pounds 15.5 ounces - 5th percentile
Height: 29 inches - 45th percentile
Head circumference: An increase from last time - please keep praying for continued growth!

Wow. These visits with Dr. Dudgeon are emotionally draining for me! Before the visit, I feel like I'm preparing for a presentation, hoping he'll buy what I'm "selling" and afraid I'm going to fail on rebuttal. After the initial "niceties", Dr. Dudgeon asked how everything was going with Addie. I immediately told him that she wasn't "coming to sit" on her own, wasn't crawling and wasn't walking (had to get all the usual questions out of the way up front) and then I proceeded to tell him everything that Addie could do. No surprise to me, she is 3-4 months delayed with her physical milestones, BUT Dr. Dudgeon was very surprised with Addie's receptive language. I told him how I thought in the whole scheme of things, Addie was doing very well, that it could be so much worse! We went on to say that even if Addie never progresses past the level that she is at right now; that she has still beat the odds. Dr. Dudgeon said that Addie has proven him wrong so far and he hopes she continues to do so. He also said that of all the Microcephalic children that he has seen, Addie is by far the most profound and delayed. What I didn't know before today is that within the practice there are several children with secondary Microcephaly - different from Addie because their condition was caused by FAS or Hypoxia (that's all the information that I received -HIPAA is just grand, really puts a damper on information that would be informational and helpful).
So, once again I left the office feeling pride in Addie and so very sad because it is never just a "normal" visit. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have a pediatrician as caring and supportive as Dr. Dudgeon. It's just really hard to talk to him sometimes because he is so very careful not to offer me ANY hope. Occupational hazard I guess. He did say that not every Mother is able to handle these situations in the manner in which I do. I just don't know how else it would be handled. Shouldn't every Mother fight for their children? If we don't, who else will? To end a lot of rambling...her visit went well. Dr. Dudgeon is proud of Addie and so am I.

Once again, I am staggering the vaccinations for Addie. She only received one today and was such a trooper! She barely cried during the vaccine and once I picked her up, she was "all better"! We get the other two vaccines over the next month or two.
When we got home and I was changing Addie's diaper, she spotted the Snoopy band aid on her leg and immediately pulled it off. She held it in her hand, turning it from one side to the other, making sure she investigated fully! She is too funny!

~Addie's development and progress over the past year is due to GOD's grace and his miraculous power to heal. Our prayers make the difference. As Addie continues to grow, please do not stop your prayers for her! We have such a long road ahead of us and we need your prayers each day! Thank you all so very much! We are eternally grateful to you!