9 Months Old

Officially 9 months old already.  I can't believe where the time has gone.  Three months ago we were still in the hospital.  In these last three months we've had a few scares, but Baby GL has battled everything with a smile on his face.  His most recent weight is 10lbs 12oz and still around 21 inches.
This week we visited the GI (Gastroenterology) clinic.  It was a good visit and one that opened our eyes a bit.  I went in concerned they were going to make us put the G/J tube back in with all the problems we've had with reflux and vomiting.  The GI doctor is most concerned about his weight. He made me feel better about the reflux.  I knew it was a typical problem in babies, but I didn't realize how common it was.  The recommendation to add rice cereal has improved his reflux greatly.  It's actually helped him sleep more soundly at night, too.  He's sleeping so well we can start using the Nap Nanny for play time.

One thing I've been struggling with is Baby GL's feedings. He hasn't been gaining weight as well as he should be.  Because of that I've not known how to feed him.  During the day he hasn't wanted to take a bottle very well.  I think he's had a stuffy nose.  Without a good amount through the bottle I'm left to feed him more at night, which results in him getting full.  At the GI clinic I was able to speak with dietitian who put together a feeding plan for us.  I didn't realize how wonderful it was to have that help. We used to have a speech therapist coming to the house to work with him but she just stopped coming.

The new feeding plan is 4 feedings during the day, 20z each. If after 15 minutes Baby GL doesn't finish the 2oz then we bolus the remainder into his g-tube.  Over a 9 hour period overnight we will feed him with the pump a little over 1oz an hour.  It amounts to 18.5oz a day. We still add the 2ml of oil and the rice cereal, also.  It's helped really push us to stay on schedule.  I posted the feeding schedule on the cabinet so there's no excuses from my husband or myself as to why a feeding didn't happen.  So far we've been pretty successful.  We'll hope for some good growth this week.

Aside from GI we did go to the pediatrician.  Baby GL was due for his second Hep B shot and flu shot.  He immediately started screaming with each shot.  He made it through the evening without a fever, which was very good.  However, he was a little restless leaving restless as well.

The pediatrician is somewhat concerned about his growth as it's charting.  He recommended we see a genetics counselor to maybe see if something genetically is happening.  We actually already had a time set up for July in our plan of specialist appointments. 

Baby GL is a small baby.  As much as we want him to grow, it's been nice to have a small baby for a little while.  He spent 6 months in the hospital, but we still brought home a newborn.  Baby GL's corrected age is just about 6 months, but he still in the tail end of newborn clothes.  I think we'll come to a point where he'll grow so quickly that he may skip a size.  We'll be hoping for the days when he was small.