Dr Pixie says..

As you can see, I have my sister on board, with her very own section- no less!

If you have child-related medical questions to ask, please post them there! We will endeavor to answer as many as we (she) can.

Baby scans..

So we finally had our visit to Dr Gynea’s for a “complete scan” of our second little one (due in Jan ‘08).

When we were making the appointment for this visit, we were asked if we’d wanted to also do a “4D” scan. Immediately I recalled the 2 hour (or was it 3?) episode on National Geographic earlier this year, where this 4D technology allows ultrasound scans to map out a contour or a surface, another way to examine all the physical aspects of the baby’s development- limbs, digits, ears, facial formations (cleft lip or not), etc; effectively roughly showing what the baby might actually look like.

Most of the time baby was lying on the side, making viewing a little challenging. As if hearing our cue, baby starting rolling over just a little, enough for a proper exam-viewing of the essentials. We got to see the head / skull formation, spinal formations, facial, thighs, etc. We also got an over-the-shoulder shot of baby printout too.

It was all pretty amazing.

Image linked from National Geographic

My receipt for this extra scanning option is at home, but I think it costs around RM150 or less, with a CD thrown in. I have yet to view the CD, but thought this is a small amount for a(nother) once a lifetime event is definitely worth it.

One final point: We did ascertain the sex of the baby…

Successfully tested the Floaties in the pool

I have successfully tested the Floaties swimming costume I bought Caitlin!

It took a lot of coaxing for her to try it out in the adult pool- this wasn’t the first time we went for a dip in her new costume. I don’t have a picture of Caitlin fully submerged in the pool, because she insisted on holding on to me even if it was just my fingers!

I got this partly because her Pooh Bear round-float had already sprung a leak, but mainly because she was already kicking quite well in the pool- that I thought she should graduate to a more “serious” swimming aid.

A caveat I had made to myself was: The packaging did say the size I bought is meant for children ages 3-6; Caitlin is only 2.5 yrs old. Although she is taller than average, I went ahead with this “investment” as I didn’t want to get the 0-3 yr old one only to discard it in about 12 months or less.

So I asked for some help, & got another piece of velcro added to the shoulder straps, effectively shortening the whole costume (the fasteners are on the shoulder straps, to put it on). This would have void the warranty for sure!

I distinctly remember reading the packaging stating this is an Australian product; & I am wondering if this refers to the same product!

Okay this isn’t one of her best shots!

How do you explain the concept of “dreams” to a 2.5 year old?

One of Caitlin’s fave TV shows, Bear in the Big Blue House, had an episode where Ojo had planned a sleepover with her friends.

Halfway through the show, Ojo awoke with a nightmare, where she dreamt of monsters. Caitlin asked what was wrong with Ojo that made her cry & needing comforting from Bear.

How do you explain the concept of dreams, whilst skirting around the other concept of monsters, to a 2.5 year old?

“my point of view”

“these shoes are made for walking…”

.. and baby makes, four..

Yes, we are due for another come mid-January.

I think we have an appointment this coming week for our regular check-up, where we’d be able to scan & (hopefully) tell the sex of child #2.

While I have really enjoyed fathering a daughter, I do think I’d like a son as well; even though almost everyone I know who have boys have grumbled how difficult their son(s) can be / have been. I have a colleague who chooses to stay out late after work to avoid his son! To be fair, he hangs out in Starbucks using their free wifi for work, because he says there’d be no way he’d get any work done at home.

In some ways, even though I have a daughter, I tend to agree about not being able to get work done, too.

In a lot of ways I think mischief, whilst painful during, is an underlying trait or a symptom of curiosity & wanting to try new things. Frankly I have seen young adults who were considered timid (& thus “a good boy”) but whom are now afraid of the world.

So let’s see which happens first: That I bald faster or that I grey first.

Phlegmy cough

Last week Caitlin developed a cough. That means no swimming for a while young lady.

We were also out of the Rhinothiol syrup.

A quick trip to the chemist saw the pharmacist suggesting Rhinothiol with Promethazine. She claimed that while Rhinothiol alone breaks down phlegm, the added promethazine will ease the throat’s itchiness.

I decided to stick to the same prescribed dosage of 5mL, slipped into Caitlin’s milk feeds; once in the morning & once before bed.

Okay I shouldn’t say I slipped it in- Caitlin actually knows it’s in there, that it would do her good, that daddy can thus take her swimming.

Caitlin’s travel bag now contains the white & yellow packaging instead of the previous white & pink packaging.

In tune & not tone deaf after all

On our way home from an outing tonight, we were singing in the car. For the first time I think Caitlin was singing in tune!

I was certain that during previous car rides she was singing out of tune, albeit improvising on the lyrics to Twinkle twinkle little stars with some Caitlin-gibberish. I had thought to myself: Darn it, perhaps she has inherited my sibling’s genes & not mine

Tonight she had also actually pronounced the words quite clearly. Perhaps the adage of practise makes perfect does apply not just to remembering the words but also in improving ones tone-ness…?

Incorrect baby formula?

We have been fortunate & grateful that Caitlin, from about 5 months old, would be knocking off to sleep between 9-10pm, & would not wake till about 8am. She is 2 years 8 months now.

As she is a little older now & as-if-grown-up-ly allowed to stay up a little later, Caitlin thus usually has her final milk feed between 9-10pm- sometimes catching her favourite Bear in the Big Blue House on Astro’s Playhouse Disney channel. I can’t remember since when, but we have been giving her 9 ounces at each feed.

Since last week however, she has been asking for another feeding at around 11pm. Okay, so on those nights she was “allowed” to stay up even later, due to certain circumstances… In fact I do believe it was that same night that she awoke at 5am pleading that she was again hungry.

Which leads us to wonder: Are we feeding her the correct formula anymore? Could it be that the formula is actually “too thin” for her age now? She is after all about 6 inches taller than what is considered average for her age; & weighing around 14kg’s.