The Stats:
Height: 28.7 inches 0.68%
Weight: 19 lb 11 oz 9.54%
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches 55%
Um yeah. Robin is on the small side. Not to worry. We are on top of it and are lucky to live relatively close to Seattle Children's Hospital. You may recall that we were referred to the Neurodevelopmental department after Robin's 12 month well child visit. While waiting for the referral to go through (it takes a while), I got in touch with the Wonderland Child Development Center.
At the beginning of December Wonderland came to our house and did an evaluation of our sweet Robin bird. Besides finding him utterly charming, they found that he was delayed across the board. At 14 months, he generally scored as a 10 or 11 month old. However, he came in at 8 months in gross motor, language, and adaptive. The good news is that his delays don't suggest there is an underlying cognitive impairment, but things are probably due to this growth restriction at birth and all those weeks of illness during his first year. Robin now has his own therapist who comes to our house once a week and works with him. His therapist, Hannah, has already taught him how to climb stairs.
Shortly after meeting with Wonderland, we were finally able to get into Neurodevelopmental. They agreed he is delayed and are talking to Wonderland. During our visit, it was noted that Robin seemed to have fallen off the growth chart for length. This indicates a possible problem with his endocrine system. They were also concerned about how often he got sick and the fact that he got an uncommon infection. These concerns meant a referral to both Endocrinology and Immunology. Wonderland and Children's also noticed possible hearing issues, so we get to see an audiologist at the end of January.
A bonus to making appointments in December is that lots of people cancel as you get closer to the holidays. Lucky for us this meant we were able to get right into Endocrinology and Immunology. There is nothing like sitting in a room full of pediatric cancer patients and severely ill children to make you feel grateful about mild delays and growth issues. Tests results back show that Robin's immune system is great. He was just unlucky his first year. The tests run by endocrinology show things are normal, but his growth hormone is on the low end of normal. The plan for now is to wait and watch. He will be re-evaluated in 3 months to see if his growth is still slow. Good news all around.
When he is not keeping us busy with doctor appointments, Robin is a silly little boy. Dave and I constantly just look at each other, hearts filled with joy, at all the cuteness exploding out of Robin.
At 14 months, Robin finally pulled to stand. He is now doing it consistently. After watching his cousin at Christmas, Robin is starting to walk holding hands. Having finally learned how to climb stairs, he now races over, giggles maniacally and starts climbing. We had to invest in new baby gate.
Robin thinks it is hilarious to drop stuff, especially from the changing table. Knocking things over is also fun. Robin likes to play peek a boo, using a wall or the screen of a lap top. He hasn't quite mastered using his hands yet. He usually can only cover one eye, or often just gets his hand up to the side of his face. He thinks he is being so tricky, it is hard not to bust up laughing.
He still loves putting things inside other things, Legos, Fisher Price Little People, Playmobil, Eileen's room, watching the laundry, applesauce, baths, wrestling mama (he will take the submissive position if I crouch down on all fours).
Communication is still not great. He recently started crawling over to me and pulling on my leg when he has a poopy diaper--thanks I think. He can wave bye bye and will do so if he sees someone grabbing a coat or shoes. He consistently signs "food", and will sometimes sign "more" or "hot." He is up to three words: app (applesauce), ball, and all done. He also loves to give high fives and will grab your hand to give you them repeatedly. We are still waiting for a consistent "mama" or "dada."
I'm glad Robin is my third. I can appreciate all his sweet babyness and not freak out about all his health and development. We've really just been taking it all as it comes. Babies are like a box of chocolate, you never know what you are going to get. I definitely didn't expect who Linus turned out to be, Eileen has been full of her own surprises. After two kids, I thought I had this parenting thing down. Nope nope nope nope. Thanks Robin for reminding me that you just really do never know what you are going to get.
