Dev Ped

We made our almost annual trip three-ish hours south and slightly west to visit with Olivia's developmental pediatrician.

She is just so wonderful. She was great the first time we met her when O was two years old, a non-walking, sickly, 23 pound little bundle of sweetness.

This is the doctor who looked at sick little Livie when I mentioned 5p- and said, "Well, I'd be really surprised if she has the syndrome, but something is obviously wrong with this baby, so let's test her."

And we did and that was that.

Today, O's doctor was so happy to see her. How awesome is that? She walked into the room with a smile and said, "I was so happy when I saw that I was going to get to see you today!"

We saw Dr. S over a year ago and whether she really remembered us or not, she pretended to and that's enough for me. I think Olivia is her only 5p- patient, so she probably is memorable for that reason alone.

She gave O a physical, asked me about any concerns and basically said that Olivia is amazing. Which, duh!! But it's nice to have a professional diagnosis of amazing, huh?

Anyway, Olivia's growth is wonderful, but not so fast as to be alarming. She weighed 34.6 pounds and is 41 inches tall. She was so very cooperative with the nurse who weighed and measured her. The nurse said, "You've done this before, haven't you?"

Can I stop here and say that every single person we encountered at the North Hospital of IU Medical Center was just amazing. They were so kind, so sweet, so helpful.

Anyway, O even sat still long enough to get her blood pressure. 86 over 55 is good for four year olds, apparently.

We discussed potty training and how we have backtracked in the past year. We discussed possible solutions (a wetting monitor that screams when wetness is there, which...yikes.) versus rewards for going in the toilet. We'd been doing most of what was suggested but the doctor did send us across the street for a renal ultrasound just to make sure our potty training issues are behavior (my bet) rather than physiological. Just knowing that her kidneys and bladder are fine will be a relief.

Once again, Olivia did amazingly well during the ultrasound, laying quietly while the tech (again SUCH a nice person) ran the wand back and forth over O's stomach, sides and back.

My mom went with us, which was a nice change. It's usually just me and Olivia, so the drive can be tedious.

As the appointment ended, I brought up Olivia's hair-pulling. Her doctor recommended an amino acid supplement. She first asked if O is on any type of medication at this time (no) and confirmed that she has no respiratory or cardivascular problems (again, no) and said that there is no reason to try the amino acid therapy. She said we should see results in four to six week and if we don't see results, to just discontinue the supplement. But she definitely wants me to share with her if we do get positive results.

I'm hoping to find the suppliment at the health food store tomorrow so we can get started on this.

Dr. S did ask if Olivia eats the hair that she pulls out. I've read on Facebook about a few parents of 5p- kids having issues with their kids eating their hair. This can cause digestive issues.

Olivia doesn't eat her hair. It actually drives her nuts to get a hair in her mouth. Her doctor was relieved to hear this.

We don't have to go back for two years unless something comes up between now and then. So yay for that, right?

The best part of the day? Olivia repeatedly glancing over at the seat Alyssa usually sits in when riding in my mom's car and saying longingly, "I miss Lyssie."

Heart? Melting.