Olivia’s 16 month appointment was last night. Dr. Friedman had to leave unexpectedly so we had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Geddis. She is WONDERFUL!!! We last saw her when Olivia was first home from the hospital so of course it’s been forever.
Olivia weighed in at 22 lbs, 8 oz which is a 2 lb, 8 oz gain in 4 months. She measured at 31″ tall, which is 2.5″ taller than she was in July. Her head measured 47 cm. Olivia is in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th for height and 75th for her head. Great growth and definitely staying on track for where she’s been.
Dr. Geddis was amazed at how well Olivia has done. She was so happy to hear that Olivia eats everything in all food groups. As long as she can feed herself, she’s a happy girl and will eat it. She asked if she can climb (yes), kick (not sure – I assume so), and pick things up with her pincher grip (yes). We talked about her speaking: I can understand 5-10 words which Dr. Geddis said is perfectly normal for a healthy 16 month old, never mind a cardiac child.
Olivia got her DTAP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis or whooping cough). She is now done with typical vaccines until she’s ready for kindergarten. Of course because she gets synagis and flu shots, etc, this won’t be the last one.
Dr. Geddis was thrilled to find out that Diana (Olivia’s daycare provider) speaks to her exclusively in spanish. She felt we’re giving Olivia a huge boost in life by exposing her to both english and spanish. Olivia understands both so it’s not going to hinder her language skills.
I had a few questions:
Ears: Olivia has very dry skin behind her ears. Dr. Geddis recommended putting a lot of moisturizer after bathing her.
Teeth: Olivia’s eye teeth have not come in yet and I was starting to become concerned. Dr. Geddis said they usually come in after the molars and she wasn’t concerned. I was aware that some cardiac children have problems with teeth missing so I wanted to check to make sure.
Diaper rash: Olivia’s been getting diaper rash on and off. Nothing terrible, just red bumps. This is normal and we’re to continue using balmex.
Talking:Â Everything is normal here.
It was a great appointment and we don’t have another appointment with the pediatrician until March 20 when Olivia will be 20 months! Now let’s all hope we can keep her healthy enough to make it that long!