Lightweight monkey

This morning we caught a few photos from Maren's bath. Just seconds earlier she had been smiling at the monkey in the mirror, but it is nearly impossible to catch that on camera :-)

This past week we went to see a paediatrician for the second time. I have been worried about Maren's weight gain for quite some time. When she went for her nine month check up in June, she hadn't gained any weight since I last weighed her a month prior. In early July, I convinced a doctor in our family doctor's office to refer Maren to a pediatrician. Here in Saskatchewan babies don't go to the paediatrician unless there is a problem – everything is generally taken care of by the family doctor. Since it was considered a low priority case, we did not get an appointment with the paediatrician until November 2.

We saw the family doctor a couple of times before going to the paediatrician, and even had blood work done twice. Maren continued to not gain weight, but the blood work came back totally fine, so we were told not to worry. When we finally had our appointment, we were told to try feeding her higher calorie foods, and come back in three weeks. We have tried over and over again to feed her high calorie foods, but she just doesn't eat that much.

By the time we came back for our follow-up last week, Maren had not gained weight for six months. She has continued to get taller, and is meeting all of her developmental milestones, so all that is good, and her blood work is good. However, at this point the paediatrician let us know that she is worried about Maren's lack of weight gain. I was actually relieved to hear her say this, because I have been worried for a long time and have felt like no one else seemed to think there was a problem. So at least now there is someone else paying attention.

The doctor prescribed an appetite stimulant, which is actually just an over the counter antihistamine that has a side effect of increased appetite. The prescribed dose is lower than is generally used for antihistamine use of the drug. We have the drug for three days, and so far it actually seems to be helping. Maren is eating quite a bit more, and more high fat foods.

At this point we are hopeful. We are seeing a dietician tomorrow, and will have a follow-up appointment on December 16 with the pediatrician. Fingers crossed that this solves the problem, and that there is no new problem discovered!

Exercise and a little bit more

First, I have re-uploaded the video of Maren walking, because apparently it did not work. You are all too polite – liking the blog post without being able to watch the video, and not saying anything about it :-)

I have been doing my best to get outside most days. In the past, that was quite tricky – walking is too much of a challenge for me to go out for a walk most days, and it has been hard to find an alternative that works for me and is also convenient enough to go out for a quick twenty minutes or half hour when that is all the time there is. But my new tricycle has been working really well. It really feels like the equivalent of going for a walk, and is easy enough to go out on that we are able to go for a tricycle ride as easily as for a walk. When I say we, I mean either me, Jeff, and Maren, or just me and Maren. When it is just the two of us, I put Maren forward facing in the carrier, and wear her like a front facing backpack. It works well.

One slight downside to going out on the tricycle is that it does attract some attention. A lot of men men, a few women, and actually most children, think the tricycle is very cool, and ask me where I got it, etc. However, unlike with some things, like my scooter, I don't feel the need to explain that I have a disability, and that that is why I am riding a trike. Sometimes I do, and I did feel the need to explain at first, but I am getting better about just saying "thanks" when people say "that thing is awesome!," or something similar.

Not too long ago, I was riding the trike with Maren. There was a family out in front of their house raking leaves – a mom, a dad, and two kids who were probably about six and three. The dad said in a thick Indian accent "Oh I like this! We should get this! It is exercise and a little bit more!" There are times when I feel down about the fact that I can't go for long walks. But riding the trike is fun. There are lots of people that I pass who are walking, who wish they were riding my trike. And when I wish I was walking, it is good to remember that the trike is "exercise and a little bit more" :-)

Walking

Maren took her first steps this week!

Things have been quite busy around here, so blogging hasn't been so consistent, and hasn't been top priority. But the last day of classes for the semester is less than a month away, so hopefully things will settle down soon!

In the meantime, I am enjoying Maren as much as possible, and am so excited to see her starting to walk :)