The Doctor is In and She does House Calls.

Dear Dr. Hazel Thompson, 
Your services have been needed frequently lately.  We call the doctor and you find Daddy's work key for a stethoscope and you find your plastic odescope and get to work checking Daddy out head to toe.  The stethoscope makes its way down Daddy's chest and back.  Typically you find he has a problem in his arm and gently take off his splint and rub lotion on his arm.  
You check his eyes and make your way to the ears to let him know that they are sick. You poke at it and all is well with Dr. Hazel taking over.  

This is such a sweet and detailed interaction between you and Daddy.  I had to capture it last night.  Love, Mama     

Hazel's 1 year Check Up

Dear Peach, 
You're growing strong!  You had your one year appointment and shots last week.  It is really your 13 month but that didn't save ya from getting poked.  You've made a lot of progress in your PT and OT.  While you're still a bit behind in your strength, endurance and motor skills you're above on track for your cognitive and problem solving.  You're a funny little cat.  We've caught you multiple times trying to write on the walls!  Lucky for you and us you can't get the lid off the markers just yet.  You like to play keep away games and give the dolly that WW brought you for your birthday snuggles.  Though you may still be learning some motor skills, like walking, you are a super on beat dancer with interesting moves.  

Today you showed a lot of love to some hardcore punk songs.  Daddy and I weren't too proud of your natural head banging skills.  Any beat you hear you make yours and start moving.  The other day Grandpa Tim and Bahboo were beating on the wall trying to figure out an electrical issue and you liked that just as well.  When you're not dancing you're getting Mommy to help you stand up.  You like when I count and as your legs start to melt you propel yourself for me.  

You're also using some signs; all done, more, night night, I love you.  Knowing a few signs doesn't keep you from using your voice; mama, daddy, Hi Daddy, bye, night night, duck, I love you, and one day you said bye grandma when Grandma P was leaving.  You're a smart cookie.  One day the remote fell on the floor and the batteries popped out.  I made my way to pick it up and you had put the batteries back in.  You know what every day items are used for too.  If you ask where the eyes, legs, mouth, and nose are on your dolly you will point them out to me.  You still only have two teeth by I think my next month you have the edges of your two top front teeth poking down.  So, at the doctor, you weighed in the 25th to 50th % and your height is in the 50th to 75th %, a study curve this far.  I know one thing, you are the most lovey baby lady.  Your joyfulness brings us and so many such happiness. 
Love, Mama

Hazel's Waxy 4 Month Check Up

Dear Skittle, 
 Your 4 month check up yielded more than just your weight or height update; you had a waxy right ear.  The doctor had to dig out junk.  You didn't like the nugget excavation and I didn't like it when he discovered your first ear infection.  I wasn't completely surprised.  Conveniently just the day before your appointment you were junky nosed and sounding like a pug half the night, occasionally choking on your thick sticky phlegm.  A good and gross example of this occurred just before the doctor came in, you were on your tummy squealing exuberant smiles at me as I snapped pictures of you and two seconds later and one snapped frame like a cat coughing up a hairball you choked on the stuff.   

The bottle I fed you to keep you satisfied at the doctor's office poured out.  Just after, you were back to smiles.  You're amazingly flexible and resilient!  You were in happy spirits though and smiled radiantly seconds after the assaults to your tiny ear (I did take a picture of the crap pulled out but I'll spare ya) and to your tiny legs when you were a pin cushion for vaccination needles.  With in two hours later you had a 101.9 fever and a whimper of misery.  Here ya are just before bed, insert my sad face here...

The medicine hasn't really touched the fever yet but you're sleeping well.  I can't seem to go to sleep because I am worried about you and just now I am hearing your brother in the next room with a barking cough.  What is a year without a little visit from Croup?  I don't know either because we've not had one.  Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.  The bummer sick stuff aside you are growing great, nearly 14lbs! and 24".  You charmed everyone too.  I hope you feel better soon baby lady, I don't like seeing you so unhappy.  

4 months old

Love, Mama 
You can see your past check ups and growth here and here...and here 

Here is the scene this morning by my side as I finish typing this update.

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Ooops! Spoke too soon!  Just after I finished typing I heard Henny coughing I got up to check on you to find you sprawled in the door to our room with the lights on screaming and coughing and shaking sick as a dog.  Luckily I had an inhaler and it helped calm you down along with misty dragon.  We are camping out on the couch today.

On The Curve!

Dear Hazellie, 
We had your two month appointment on the 9th!  You are growing!  That's a good sign!  You were 10 lbs 8 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long.  Your current trend puts you in the 50th on height and 50/75% in weight.  On your tummy you're holding your head straigtht up and peepin' around.  You scoot on your tummy across your planet to nock down the bowling pin, just like your big brother.  The shots this visit phased you for less than five seconds.  You cried real loud then just stopped.  Like a baby, "YEEEEEOOOW!"  Other than the shots, you're just as calm and sweet as ever.  

A small detail about you I want to share in hopes it could help other babies out there is a unique feature about your deep brown eyes.   A couple of weeks ago Mama noticed that your right eye had a little line and white dot in it.  I tried not to worry, you had a doctor's appointment coming up in a week.  I asked about it.  Your doctor didn't know what it was so wanted us to go to Riley in Indianapolis to try and get an answer.  Mommy had already gone into research mode and found many benign things and many very scary things so when Riley called two hours later wanting us to 

come the next day for an evaluation I felt a bit more on the worried side.  We went to the appointment.  Your eyes were dilated.  You weren't so excited about this, especially since you were struggling with the low fever you had after vaccinations the day before.  Two techs and two doctors took a look.  They decided that our sweet Hazel has a baby cataract with a piece of iris attached...and luckily it is the best possible kind you can have.  It isn't too deep or too on the surface of the lens, it isn't too big.  For now it doesn't appear to impact your vision at all.

the big bright one is flash in your eye, the cataract is at little right of 12:00.

If it were any bigger or it grows then you would/will have to have surgery to remove it.  I am glad I said something.  I am glad I had looked closely enough to see it.  I am glad to know it is not retinoblastoma, although if it was retinoblastoma it would have been caught super early and had a good outlook.  I think it is very important to get things checked out early with our babies Hazel.  I will be watching that dot for growth.  It may not grow just because it is afraid of the threatening look I'm givin' it!  You have a follow up in February.  So just as we thought, you're just perfect!  I love ya so much little miss.
Love, Mama  

2 Week Doctor's Check Up

Dear Zellie, 
Your 2 week check up was great.  You are doing all the right things and growing all the right way.  You established your growth curve with this second appointment and you went from 6lbs 4.2oz, 18.5" (you measured 19 at the hospital) and a head of 32.8cm to 7lbs 8.8oz, 20 inches long and your head was 35cm.  

That put you in at the 50% for weight and 50% to 75% in height.  You gained way more than was anticipated but that's okay, you demand 4 oz bottles every three hours or so.  Glad to know you're growing. Yay!  We are doing something right.
Love, Mama

What's Up Doc?

Dear Zellie, 

We had your first doctor's check up the day after we brought you home from the hospital.  You did great.  Since you've pooped a lot already you were way past the tar poopies and into the regular curdled yellow gunk.  A crazy thing to be excited about but...hey, you're growing up already baby girl.  You were so chill and let the doctor do what he needed with little fuss.  Like your big bro Henny (click to see Henry's first appointment pics) I will take a photo of you at each of your first appointments in the baby scale basket.  We've learned already that you like to be held closely, a switch for us as Henny really liked to be held then promptly wanted his space.  You checked out perfect and healthy.  Your birth weight was 6lbs 11oz and you were in the acceptable range for weight loss at 6lbs 3oz.  

Can't wait to see how much you've grown at your two week appointment!  Henry commented just this morning that Boingy Furry is starting to get fatter  (this is what he has taken to call her, I'll address that matter in a later post, just don't know if I am up for it yet.)  I can't wait for ya to start interacting with us more.  You're a spectacular present wrapped in lots of layers of pretty papers we are waiting to get open.  2 weeks off the wait to really start to meet you!  I can't wait!
Love, Mama