The girls and I suffered through a horrible 18 month well baby visit yesterday. Yes, I suffered too! I had to hold them down, catch them when they jumped off of the baby scale (that was a sight to see) and I had to be weighed. Thank God Grammy and Aunt Molly were there to help or I might have lost it.
It all started to go downhill when, on the way to the doctor's office, I hear Grammy, who was sitting in the back, exclaim, Oh Anna! You threw up. All I could think was vomit and vaccinations do not mix. The girls were scheduled to received their Hep A and DTaP shots after the check-up and I wasn't about to inject anyone with anything if they were sick.
Anna flipped out as soon as we hit the elevator. She knew. After filling out stacks of paperwork, I decided that Anna should be first. She was clinging to Grammy and I believe in just getting it over with. She screamed through the whole appointment but she was nothing compared to the other two.
The situation continued to slide downhill when Anna was weighed. She came in at 19 pounds 9 ounces, which means that she has only gained 10.5 ounces in 3 months. Her growth curve for weight has fallen below the 3rd percentile and I was left standing there feeling like the world's worst mother. Meanwhile, the growth curve for her head circumference increased. Again. And then I start mentioning some Anna items to the pediatrician.
Anna seems to breathe heavy. Could it be a communication gap between her nerves and her brain?
Anna puked in the car. I would like to hold off on her shots.
The next thing I know, the doctor is suggesting that the shunt is malfunctioning and I should bring Anna to the ER for an emergency CAT scan. WHAT??? We finally came to an agreement that if she continued to puke and/or act fussy, I would call him and he would set up for us to take her to the hospital. He was half-tempted to give her the vaccinations anyway but he didn't want to give her any unnecessary reasons for puking.
Onto check-ups for Emily and Allie. Neither would sit on the baby scale long enough for it to register a weight. I did see 20 pounds something ounces pop up for Allie before she grabbed the wall and box of Kleenex to make her escape. I asked the doctor if he would take that. Nope. So he ended up "fake weighing" both of them. I had to stand on the adult scale holding one and then I had to be weighed alone. The difference being the baby's approximate weight. I was pissed that my weight came in at a 109 pounds. I am NEVER going to lose those last 10 pounds. Please note that I am allowed to eat candy every day and drink Cherry Coke (the non-diet kind.) It's in The Triplet Handbook.
Both Allie and Em weighed in at approximately 20 pounds but the doctor wasn't concerned with their lack of weight gain. I'm sure that if we had "fake weighed" Anna, it would have come in at approximately 20 pounds as well. So now I have to bring Anna back in three months for a weight check. I would rather bring in all three.
Anna was not vaccinated. Here's the conversation that followed:
Me - Since I have to bring Anna back for her shots, can the other two only have one shot today and the other one when I bring Anna back?
Doctor - No.
Me - Ahhhh.
Doctor - Wouldn't you rather have one bad night instead of two?
Me - Yes. But is it safe for them to receive both of those vaccinations at once?
Doctor - Yes.
Me - Ahhhhhh
Anna has not puked again and after further investigation, I discovered that the first incident was a very very minor one. Just a few spots of puke. I believe that she gagged herself trying to gnaw on either the car seat clasp or her jacket.
And poor Em. Every time she caught sight of the band-aids on her legs, she would cover them with her little hands and start whimpering. That baby can be quite a character. I had to laugh when the doctor was trying to exam her. During the light shining in the eyes part, I was holding her and she had her head on my shoulder. She was screaming as loud as could be and holding out her hand trying to block the light.
Here are the girls' stats for 18 months (even though they will be 19 months old this week):
Allie
Weight - approximately 20 pounds, 3rd percentile
Height - 31" 25th percentile
Anna
Weight - 19lbs 9oz, under 3rd percentile
Height - 30 1/8" 10th-25th percentile
Emily
Weight - approximately 20 pounds, 3rd percentile
Height - 30 1/8" 10th-25th percentile
Here were the girls' stats for 15 months (even though they were 16 months old at the time):
Allie
Weight - 19lbs 2oz 5th percentile
Height - 29 1/2" 25th percentile
Anna
Weight - 18lbs 14.5oz 3rd percentile
Height - 29 7/8" 25th-50th percentile
Emily
Weight - 18lbs 12.5oz 3rd percentile
Height - 29 1/2" 25th percentile
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