It's been a great couple of days. On Monday, at 4 and a half months old, Sami had her rescheduled four-month well-check-up. She got a couple of more shots, and got a glowing bill of health. The pediatrician said that Sami is doing things on the level of a six-month-old baby, and not a preemie, but of a six-month-old baby that was born full term. She said there is no reason for Sami to get an early intervention evaluation (a free state program that works with preemie babies since they often have developmental issues.) Sami grabs rattles and shakes them, rolls over, holds her head up, and is trying very hard to sit up. She leans forward and then holds it for a few seconds and falls back again. The doctor said she may be sitting up very soon, which is pretty early. When having tummy time, Sami props herself up on her arms so that she is upright from her waist up, and the doctor expects her to begin scooting very soon, which comes soon before crawling. I was advised to start feeding her a little bit with a spoon, and yesterday morning and this morning, Sami had a little bit of very watery rice cereal mixed with formula for breakfast, followed by her bottle. Once she is able to tolerate it when it is thick as hot cereal an adult would eat (I will be slowly giving it to her a little thicker every few days or so), we can start trying any baby food that is in the Stage 1 category, as long as we don't try more than one new item in four days, to make sure she doesn't have a reaction to one item. It was a bit messy, but Sami did really well, although it seemed I couldn't feed her quickly enough and she got really mad at me between spoonfuls. It was so exciting to feed her with a spoon!
Sami weighs 10 pounds and 11 ounces, and is 22 and a half inches long. And she finally officially on the chart! She is somewhere between the fifth and 10th percentile, which means that between 90 and 95 percent of all babies her age are taller than her and weigh more than her, but at least she is actually on the chart at all. This is the first month she made it onto the chart. She is still wearing newborn clothes, but I have started to dress her in a few things that are the 0-3 month size. They are a little big, but they are beginning to become wearable.
As for me, today Sami and I went for an hour long drive to meet the publisher of a business magazine for which I am going to begin writing. Work for me has been slower, and I'm still trying to make up for the money I lost from the publication I was writing for that declared bankruptcy. Also due to a tax increase, our mortgage payment has gone up about $150 each month this year. I am also expecting to receive pages either Thursday or Friday from the clothing catalog to proof during this weekend, and have two stories due for another publication on Friday. Working from home while also being a full-time stay-at-home mom is challenging, but we are not the position to turn down any work right now. Steven is working hard during the days at his full-time job, and he has also taken on freelance side jobs that he works on at home in the evenings and weekends. We are both working very hard and keeping very busy, but it's worth it to provide Sami with everything she needs, and it's worth it to us to be in the house we love, our first house that we bought more than a year ago.
Sami is starting to really love to play, and spends time on her activity mat every day laughing. I also read and sing to her daily, and work with her during tummy time watching her trying to scoot forward. I'm always reading and researching, as I have always done with everything in my life, about the best ways to help Sami achieve her milestones. But of course a lot of the things I am doing come from natural instincts, and I just do what feels right. I just hope that I make her even half as happy as she makes me.
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