Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Jacob's "6 month" appointment

About a week from his seventh month-day, the J-monster had a check-up. First, the tale of the tape: our resident bruiser weighed in at 21 lbs 5 oz, and stretches out to 28-1/4 inches long. Both measurements are in the 95th percentile. We snigger a little hearing these numbers. One of Jacob's best buddies, 19-month-old Ella, had her 18-month check-up at the same time as he. Guess who weighs more? (Hint! It's not Ella!)

This time I actually asked my pediatrician if there was a concern with Jacob being such a big man, with his constant dwelling in that "uncharted" 95th percentile area. She said that concern would arise if he was not growing according to the all-controlling Curve, if he was shooting off into the growth stratosphere or if he was flatlining. As he is following The Curve like a champ, she has no worries at all.

She was impressed to know that he had been crawling, like real crawling, no more of this army-nonsense, for a couple of days. In fact, while we were waiting for her in the examination room, the two brothers and I enjoyed a rousing game of Let's Crawl Like We're Kitties to pass the time. His crawling is the main reason for my lack of blogging lately. After a whole day of chasing Sir Crawlyfoot from room to room, and keeping his little pudge-hands out of the cat food dish, I am just beat and want nothing more than my own soothing teat of Project Runway reruns. Like all parenting challenges, this new existence wherein one juggles not one but two mobile children will take a bit of getting used to.

After a discussion of Jacob's eating habits (summed up in three words, "a lot" and "Cheerios"), Dr. M then launched into a minor tsk-ing of me that I am not trying to sleep-train Jacob yet. He should be sleeping through the night, she said. He doesn't need to eat in the night, she said. Because I am a weenie, all I said to her is, Okay, lady. BUT he is just like his brother. AND we tried ev-er-y-thing to get his brother to sleep through the night, and nothing worked.

What I really meant was: You want me to let him scream, this baby whose room's door is 4 feet from his perfectly-slumbering older brother? This baby whose insomniac father awakens when Jacob screams, even if they are on different floors of the house? It's all fine and lovely that you could sleep train your two children, Dr. M, in your palatial doctor-style mansion. We will not be doing that here at the O'Neal Trailer of Love.

But she does bring to mind that he is almost seven months old and is nursing to sleep almost every night. We could at least try to help him fall asleep without the boobie. But please, first let me work on mastering these new skills thrust upon me, that of feeding Jacob twice a day, and the whole chasing-the-crawling-baby thing. Then we will talk about the sleep issues.

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Allow me to pass on the fruits of my massive experience with four littl'uns...

IGNORE THE SLEEP TRAINING FASCISTS!!!!!!!!

He will be happier. You will be happier. Dada will be much, much happier! You will NOT make him "overly dependent" or any other such nonsense. Use the sling. Use the breast/bottle. Do what works best for him and for you. *grrrrr*

Ahem. Sorry about that. Stepping of my pile of soap boxes now.

12:43 PM  
Blogger Claire said...

Dude, I am SO with you. My only sleep-training experience yet with my eldest non-sleeper ended only in mutual misery. He now sleeps through the night every night on his own.

7:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hate the term "sleep train." Like they are pets. Glad he is growing with the curve and SUCH a mover and shaker. You must feel like you are in a constant workout.

10:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh and I just looked up Liam's chart and at 6mos he was 24lbs. It's the boobmilk I swear! He had rolls for his rolls for his first year - then once he moved he thinned out - so Jacob's WAY ahead of the game. I hope Liam always is a big guy - I like the idea of being a boy's "little mum."

10:06 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, my husband ran across your blog today and pointed it out to me. We live around the corner from Milburn Orchards. I don't know any bloggers in the area, so seeing yours was fun.

Your kids are just darling. I love the pictures.

We have a 4 year old boy, Reilly. We have him enrolled in the Goddard Preschool across town and we just love it there.

11:20 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

He is crawling? NO WAY! Gavin was almsot a year before he actually crawled. But he is a bit slow lol.
As for him eating in the middle of the night, so what? Keaton still takes 3 bottles in the middle of the night. Sure its a pain. But it is better then hearing him scream. Keaton also has to eat his way to slumber. Gavi nwas the same way and is sleeping fine now. Ped's are allowed to tsk you because they don't have to deal with a crying baby at 3am.

2:21 PM  

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