Our Strong Willed Child...

My mom & I took Page to the doctor yesterday. She had been sleeping more, playing less, & fussy the last couple of days. Monday night she kept touching her right ear, so Cole & I thought she might have an ear infection. Page doesn't have an ear infection. What can I say....she doesn't talk so we had to make sure :) She is probably going through a growth spurt & found her ears! We did have a productive visit with Dr Valenzuela. We talked about Page's dry head, tummy time, the waiting room, & what to do about Page not taking the bottle.

Page really doesn't do much during tummy time. Most of the time she just lays there sucking on her fists. Dr Valenzuela did some tummy time with Page & tried a few things with her. Page was not happy about this & really didn't cooperate. However, Dr Valenzuela isn't concerned since Page is so strong & is able to hold her head. She says it's behavioral. Isn't it too early for that?! On a related note, Page is really maturing socially & doing great with her fine motor skills. She loves to smile, mimic, & interact. She also enjoys holding her rattles & shaking them around.

The respiratory season will soon be here, so Page will start using a private entrance when she visits the office to avoid unnecessary infections. What a relief!

Dr Valenzuela tried to give Page a bottle while we were there. She has lots of experience working with NICU babies & thought she might be successful. Unfortunately, Page did not cooperate. Dr Valenzuela thinks this is behavioral as well. Really?! She called Page a strong willed child & mentioned that she hasn't seen a baby with such a strong preference for mom. With me going back to work next week, Dr Valenzuela doesn't want Page going more than 4 hours without eating. Page is already on the smaller end of the spectrum & eats small amounts frequently, so her not eating is a concern. I will be coming home during lunch to feed her and Cole & my mom will keep trying the bottle. We have a weight check scheduled in two weeks to make sure Page isn't losing any weight.

I am super anxious about going back to work. I wish I could stay home forever. I just love my strong willed child :) At the same time, I am thankful to have a flexible job & my mom taking care of Page. Praying for a smooth transition & successful bottle drinking!