Birthday Bath Time

Lincoln is 5 months old! I can hardly believe it! He has now been home for half of his life! Since Lincoln no longer hates bath time, we "celebrated" with a bath before bed. I have never posted about bath time before since Lincoln always cried through the whole thing and it doesn't make for great pictures. It's great Lincoln is beginning to enjoy things more. He still doesn't get what I would call excited for a bath, but he does seem to like it and kicks his legs a little in the water. He only cries when I wash his hair. He has even begun to enjoy lotion application / massage afterwards!

 Relaxing...

(Linc's scar looks great. You can just barely see it where his bottom rib would be on the right. It almost looks like a wrinkle.)

 Kickin those legs

 I love that smile!

Since it has been a few weeks since Lincoln has been to the doctor, I measured him at home for a quick check.  He is over 12 lbs and more than 24 inches long. His eyes are still a strange color that Grandma has come to call "mystic." It's kind of a dark grey with brown and blue mixed in. Very unique. I'm hoping they stay that way. Lincoln is now in 3 month tops (but they are getting snug) and 3 month bottoms could probably fit, but he is still wearing 0-3 most days on the bottom. (He has the tiniest waist!) But he is on 6 month socks! He has also graduated to size 2 diapers. Lincoln has started to suck his thumb but still likes to chew on his pacifier and needs it to get to sleep. He seems to be off and on teething too, with so much drooling! He is sitting pretty well with assistance, and has begun to tolerate some tummy time (Finally, yay!) but still has a long way to go with head control. He has strong legs and loves to stand with help!

Lincoln is still waking twice most nights to eat. He actually has not been eating too well ever since I posted last. (I think I jinx us.) I called Children's last Friday to let them know that his feedings had increased for a few days but that they were back down again. At Linc's last Newborn Med visit, his doc asked me to call if his feedings did not improve within 2 weeks. They said they would be happy to see him in clinic if his respiratory status worsens (like increased wheezing which Linc does from time to time or desaturating) or just if I become concerned for any reason. At the time, Lincoln was not extra fussy or showing many other signs of distress besides his feeding volumes decreasing. They did change Linc's reflux med at my request to see if that could help his feedings. They said that the volumes he is taking (about 580 ml per day) should be enough to keep him hydrated, but if things get worse to give them a call.

Since his med change, Lincoln seems to be a little worse, which I expected since it takes a few days for the med to work, but man, has he been fussy! He doesn't seem to have symptoms of a cold or anything, besides some residual coughing and sneezing, which could be reflux and allergies. I'm going to try to give it a few more days before calling the doc again. Plus Linc will be going to see the pediatrician next week for his first Synagis shot, so I was hoping to hold out til then to express my concerns. Since I don't feel this is an emergent situation, I didn't want to make two trips to the doc, for probably nothing. I know it's better to be safe than sorry, and everyone one says to trust your instincts with CDH kinds, but I hate to make a trip for nothing. If things worsen before the ped appointment of course I will be calling / taking him in. I think we have only had one week home without some small complications, especially with feedings.

Overall though, Lincoln is just a different baby compared to when we brought him home 2.5 months ago. He has begun to play more with toys and is just so social. He love to smile and coo at anyone! Even strangers! He does seem to enjoy life when he is feeling well and does seem to be growing quite well overall despite his feeding hiccups. His OT has helped him tremendously with tactile desensitization. Like I said above, he actually enjoys bath time and lotion now. He also doesn't mind a diaper change, and can be put down for up to an hour to play by himself! We are working on sleep habits now and self calming to get back to sleep on his own. He does sleep in his crib in his room at night, but wakes at least twice (sometimes more) and has difficulty getting back to sleep. When Lincoln gets his feedings back up, I will work on getting him through the night without feeding every time he wakes. As of now, though, I gladly take the opportunity to give him some extra calories.

Lincoln was evaluated this week for the Missouri therapy program. I have not heard back about if he qualifies or not. The evaluation was basically a therapist sent to our house by the Missouri program who filled out five questionnaires in different developmental areas. Lincoln slept through most of the visit, so the questionnaires where completed by parent report, which the therapist said was fine. The coordinator is supposed to call me soon to let me know if Linc got in. I started this process just in time. His OT through the private agency was denied by our insurance, so as of now he is only getting physical therapy once per week. It is not too hopeful that Lincoln will be accepted since he is not that far behind developmentally. Which is great. It will be nice though if the MO program could work out though just to help Lincoln along and be sure that he catches up completely.