6 Month Stats

Claire had her six month well baby appointment last Wednesday, and she is a growing machine since her OHS!

She weighs 13 lb, 12 oz.  (50% on Ds chart, 10% typical) and is 24.5 inches long (35% Ds, 18% typical).  She weighed 11 lb, 8 oz before her surgery just 6 weeks ago. While I am absolutely thrilled with all this weight gain (she didn't gain anything in the 2 weeks prior to OHS), it means that I bought WAY too many size 1/2 diapers!  I knew she would take off after surgery, but I didn't expect an almost 2.5 lb gain in 6 weeks. 

Claire got two shots at the appointment and did as well as can be expected with them.  There were the usual tears, but I was able to get her calmed down pretty quickly.  One of her poor little legs still has a knot in it from the shot, but it doesn't seem to be bothering her.  The appointment wore her out and she crashed on the floor after just a couple of minutes.

Other six month stuff:

• We tried cereal for the first time last week after her well baby appt.  It went ok and I have lots of cute pictures to share.
• Claire's favorite toy is her Octoplush.  She clutches him to her chest causing him to cycle endlessly through his songs.  Some other favorite toys include her Oball Rattle and Crinkle Book.  Links and her mirror are still hits as well.
• I'm going to have to move Claire out of our room soon.  The weight limit on her bassinet is 15 lbs, so I probably only have about a month left before she's at that weight.  Our house is a bi-level, so she'll be on a different floor, and I think she's going to sleep on her stomach in her crib, neither of which I'm crazy about.
• Claire is eating about 20-24 oz a day. She still sleeps through the night (9-5:30), but isn't on a good nap schedule.  Some days have one nap, some days four naps.
• We had a follow up appt with an eye Dr a couple of weeks ago to talk about her nystagmus.  The Dr did a VERY quick exam, said everything looked perfect with no peripheral vision loss like we were concerned about, and sent us on our way.  Yes, I'm thrilled her eyes look great (back in a year for a check up), but I wasn't excited about a 4 hour round trip drive for a 15 minute appt...We still need to do a swallow study and hearing test to finish up her 6 month appts.
• Gravity has finally worked its magic on her hair and it no longer stands straight up.  I'm going to have to get used to putting barrettes in her hair though because it's long enough that it's ALWAYS in her eyes.

Whew, I think that catches me up for now!

Need Toy Recommendations and Happy Things

I recently got Gross Motor Skills in Children With Down Syndrome and have started doing some of the exercises with Claire.  One of the things I've been working on with her is reaching.  She has no problem getting her hands off the floor and into her mouth when she wants to, but most of the time her arms are flopped out at her sides. 

I'm having a hard time finding a toy that motivates her to reach or to lift her head off the floor for very long.  Maybe she's not quite ready for it, but the toys I have don't seem to hold her attention very well.  She likes the lights and sounds on her activity gym, so I think something along those lines might be good.  She also loves soft things.  She always has her hands grabbing her clothes, burp rag or around my shirt.  I think these are easy for her to grab and hold onto, so maybe a soft small toy would be good.  If you have any recommendations for toys your kiddos enjoyed around 3-6 months of age I would love to hear about them.

Erin from Unforeseen Gifts was kind enough to bestow the Happy Award on me. 

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. Name the person who gave the award to you and link to their blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blogs to let them know.

My Happy Things:

1.  Sleeping in.  Granted, I don't get to do this anymore...but the thought of sleeping in someday still makes me happy.
2. Coconut shrimp from Red Lobster.  Yum!
3. Warm weather and sunshine.  I am so ready for summer.
4. A good book.  Preferably enjoyed in a hammock, in the sun.
5. A white chocolate mocha with caramel.
6. Traveling.  I love seeing new places, and would love to mark a few more locations off my "would like to visit" list.
7. A bargain.  I'm not much of a shopper, but I love getting a good deal on something I was going to buy anyways.
8. A massage and a pedicure.
9. My wonderful family and friends.  I am truly blessed to be surrounded by such loving people.
10.  And most importantly, Claire.  Her sweet smile brightens every one of my days.

Since I'm terribly behind on my blog reading (as usual), and not sure where this has been, I'm not going to pass it on.  But, if you haven't done your list of happy things yet, please join in.  It's a great way to get to know a little more about each other.