Meghan's Nine Month Appointment

Today we had Meghan's nine month appointment!

Great Things from the Appointment:

1. Meghan's nurses and doctor were surprised by how well she is able to self-feed for her age. They were also shocked to hear how much water she is able to drink from a straw cup! Especially against the backdrop of all of  her struggles with eating, this is an awesome milestone for her! 
2. The doctor was so proud of her round belly and all the rolls on her thighs. He opened her diaper to finish her physical exam and laughed aloud when he realized that she has even more thigh rolls hidden within her diaper! 
3. Meghan has gotten tall! She will be moving out of her infant carrier this weekend. Unfortunately this comes just as the weather is getting cold and I will no longer be able to carry her into places bundled up in her carseat :)
4. Because of her awesome growth, the dosage of her reflux meds will need to be increased slightly. It is hoped that this will help with some of the concerns that were noted. 
5. Meghan has met all of the fine and gross motor milestones expected for her age.

Concerns at the Appointment: 

1. Meghan is slightly congested everyday. Since we are out of allergy season, it would seem something is causing that extra fluid build up. She has no fluid on her ears (yay!). He did notice an anomaly in her ears (has no effect on her ability to hear) that is very likely caused by the congestion. Increasing her reflux meds is hoped to decrease the fluid build up and normalize her ears. If not, we will likely go see an ENT at 12 months to be sure there is nothing to be concerned about. For now, he said to continue diffusing eucalyptus essential oil in her room as that keeps the fluid moving and consequently allows her to continue drinking bottles (as her method for taking bottles, due to her tongue struggles, requires being able to breathe through her nose). I love that my doctor supports using natural methods to help her wherever possible. 
2. Meghan's speech skills have regressed. A month ago she was making vowel sounds, b, d, and m as well as starting to experiment with p. She now makes vowel sounds with an occasional b (in the past week I've heard d once). Any regression is concerning, so this is something that we will be talking to ITS about. It's possible that she's just taking a meandering path of gaining/losing sounds as she's learning to talk - but we want to be sure to monitor is closely.