Follow up

Today I took Rachel to the pediatrician to have a weight check. Per my earlier posting, the doctor felt she was underweight for her age and wanted to check her again a week after her 2-month check-up. During the week we added rice cereal to her formula and increased the amount of formula we were giving her - we weren't sure she would drink it all, but it made calculating the amount of cereal we needed in each bottle a whole lot easier.

Well, she did drink all of it every time, and probably would have eaten more if we gave it to her. Since she has been at day care this week we have only been adding the cereal to the bottles we give her at home. The day care needs a note from the doctor to have anything added to the formula, which today she said she would write if we wanted her to.

But with her weight now at 8 pounds, 12 ounces, we decided to stay on the course we have been following. We feed her 4 ounces of formula and anywhere from 1-2 tablespoons of rice cereal added in every time we feed her, day care feeds her 4 ounces of formula only each time they feed her, and we make sure she eats right before bed time.

The doctor was so excited today that Rachel weighed 8 pounds, 12 ounces. She was much more comfortable with this weight than the 7 pounds, 12 ounces, she weighed last Friday - yes, she gained a pound in one week!

She asked when our next appointment for Rachel was - not until November 14th for her 4-month check-up and shots. She seemed hesitant about waiting that long to weigh her again. So we agreed I would come back in 2-3 weeks to have her weight checked again. That's a little less than halfway to the November appointment - just in case. Her goal for Rachel at that appointment - to weigh 10 pounds.

It's crazy though - she might be about 21 inches long and weigh almost 9 pounds, but most of the clothes we have still don't fit her. David and I went through her clothes tonight to see what realistically fits and what doesn't. Since she is going to day care every day she needs to wear some real outfits. Sure she'll be on a playmat or in her crib or in a bouncy seat, but she will still need to wear onesies and pants, or dresses and bloomers, or one piece outfits. What we realized is that this weekend we need to pick up a few things to supplement the ongoing wardobe dilema. See, this crisis for girls can start at any age!

Sizes are so different dependant on the brand. We find Carter's to run big, Old Navy to run big, Gap is pretty much on target. Plus since she was born early and smaller, the clothes are off a few months - so 0-3 months we thought she could wear through October if she were born in August barely fit - but by the time they fit, it will be too cold to wear them. There might be a number of items she never gets to wear that will be put away with tags still on them.

So, we'll see how the clothing situation goes. But the main point and good news is that Rachel is growing and thriving and doing very well. She is smiling, laughing, holding her head up, just about sitting up on her own, "talking." It really is a joy to watch her change every day. Stay tuned for the update on October 6th when she has her next "weigh-in."