Busy Day

Yesterday Jack had two appointments. In the morning, Jack got his last RSV shot for the season. YAY!
In the afternoon, Jack had an appointment with Children's Medical Center Developmental Preemie Clinic. At this clinic, Jack sees a nurse, an audiologist, a dietician, a physical therapist, and a physician, Dr. Gus. The nurse weighed him, and at 10 months he weighs 12 pounds, 7 ounces. His hearing checked out just fine, like always. The dietician suggested that we not start any solid foods. She said that the reason to start food before one year of age is to teach feeding techniques and get the baby used to taste and texture. There are no nutrional reasons to start feeding solid food before one year. All he needs is formula. She stated she was afraid he may have some aspiration problems and that we need to wait until after his appointment with Dr. James Phillips before we make a decision about starting solids. The physical therapist was very surpised at how well he was rolling over and reaching for toys. She ranked him in the 25th percentile for his chronological age. Dr. Gus came in and had the best news of all. First, he commented on the fact that Jack blinked quite a few times when the light was on. He said that Jack is photophobic and that if his retinopathy was that bad the light wouldn't bother him because it wouldn't get to his retina. He said the reason that Jack is so photophobic is because his skin and his eyes are very pale, which is related to the fact that we live so far north. People that live near the equator have darker skin because they get more sun exposure, thus more exposure to Vitamin D. We in the US have lighter skin because we don't get as much sun exposure, so our skin has to be lighter to soak up as much of the exposure that we do get. I laid Jack on his back and he immediately flipped over and started scooting across the exam table. Dr. Gus then confessed to me that when he evaluated Jack in the NICU, he didn't think he would ever be capable of the milestones he is reaching today. He said we were very blessed and that he can't believe how well Jack is doing.