The Mitchell Family: Callie is 6 months!

I can hardly believe that my sweet baby girl is already 6 months old! Where does the time go?

When Callie was born she weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 21 inches long...a pretty good sized baby! She had a heart murmur, was mildly jaundiced, and dropped nearly a full pound in her first day of life. We ended up staying in the hospital for 4 days because the docs were a little concerned about our girl. We ended up having to supplement with formula (only a couple of times) until she got the nursing thing down. Her lowest weight was 7 pounds 13 ounces. The pediatrician reluctantly let us go home on Friday because it was Easter weekend, but we had to go straight from Bethesda North Hospital to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati to have an echo done on her little heart. The results from that were that she had Tricuspid Regurgitation which they were not at all concerned about. They said she'd probably outgrow it before the week was over. We had to schedule a follow up for 6 months just to make sure. On top of that, we had to make 3 separate trips to Children's Hospitals over the next few days to have her blood drawn to test her bilirubin levels. Of course our little girl was completely fine :)

By 3 weeks she was back up to over 8 pounds. Then at 5 weeks she was 10 pounds 12 ounces! What a jump! At her 2 month check up she had only gained 6 ounces and was 11 pounds 2 ounces. The doctor said that because of the big jump at her previous appointment, there was no reason for concern. Then at her 4 month check up she was only 11 pounds 4 ounces! She had only gained 2 ounces in 2 months! Then the docs became concerned. I was not worried about my girl because she is always so vibrant, alert, and happy. She fusses only when she's tired or hungry and has been sleeping through the night since shortly after birth. The doctor also did not think that there was anything wrong with her, but mentioned that slow growth can lead to problems later in life. The following weeks were crazy...I picked up on the nursing and we had to go to the doctor every week for weight checks. Then just before 5 months, the doc had me start her on solids and mix in a high calorie formula that is made for preemies. She continued to slowly creep up in weight only gaining a couple of ounces every week. She went from being in the 25th percentile to the 3rd!

Anyway, last Wednesday, Brandon took the day off of work for a day of doctor visits for Callie's 6 month check ups. We started the day off at Children's Hospital Cardiology Unit for a re-check of her heart. After spending the whole morning there, we left knowing that her heart is perfect and healthy and we were discharged from cardiology. That was a blessing! Then we had Callie's 6 month well check. She weighed in at 12 pounds 12 ounces which was a 10 ounce gain since her last weight check 2 weeks earlier. Praise God the doctor was happy with that and now we don't have to see him again for a weight check until her 9 month check up!!!

So, now that the doctor knows that she's fine (I knew all along!) here are some of the things that she's doing these days...

She's rolling ALL OVER the place! Blankets on the floor are pretty pointless now because she is off of it in 30 seconds. She's sitting up on her own for short periods, but still tips over pretty easily. She's been holding her toys and playing for a few months now and she's very good at maneuvering her pacifier into her mouth! She is a VERY happy girl! She's almost constantly smiling! She squeals a lot and is VERY loud...I'm hoping that she's developing her lungs to become a singer :) She says "Mama" and it melts my heart every time! Daddy is still trying to get her to say "Dada" with no success so far. For a while now, she will reach for me or anyone who puts their arms out to her...it's so cute! She's eating a variety of foods now. All kinds of baby cereal, about 4 different veggies and 2 or 3 different fruits. She LOVES her food! Mommy is probably going to regret it, but she still sleeps in the bassinet in our room. I am planning to move her to her crib very soon, but it's just been so nice having her right there and she sleeps so well! She's still wearing size 1 diapers and is slowing moving into 3 -6 month clothes. Her 0 - 3 month things still fit her well, but everything is for warm weather, so I've been buying 3 - 6 months to get her through the fall. Most of it is still a little big on her now. In comparison, Cameron was over 21 pounds at 6 months and was wearing 9 to 12 month clothing. I think he was in size 3 or 4 diapers. He was always at the VERY top of the charts (around 98th percentile!)

Here are some pictures of our little princess :)

Smiling for Mommy