The Romaezis

Day of Doctor Visits

With a new age comes new appointments. The phrase “call me crazy” applies here. I must be a crazy person to schedule 2 appointments in a row at the end of September–a very busy work month for me. To put the icing on the cake, the serve engine light is on in my car–again. I think this is the 4th time my car has been in the shop since I got home.

Our morning started by dropping my car off at the shop at 9 am. From there we went to the hospital where appointment #1 was. It made no sense to go home. We pulled into the parking garage and Kayvan’s favorite attendant was working. He smiled a huge smile, put his hands together and bowed at us. Kayvan and I giggled. One nice dude that man is. He and Kayvan exchanged many “hellos” while I was in the hospital. We visited with our HRP family first since we had an hour before our appointment at the NICU follow along clinic.

All of the HRP gals oohed and aahed over cutie Kamran. Everyone commented on his huge cheeks and if course made the obligatory “he’s so cute, adorable, etc.” comments. He IS all of that. Kamran was, of course, a total ham. A little sleepy but that didn’t keep him from grinning at all of the ladies. Kayvan and I shared all of the hugs we possibly could, showed our boy of proudly and headed down to the testing center where we were told two of our doctors were for the day.

Dr. N came out to visit first. I’m pretty sure she didn’t remember me…or us for that matter. She was the doctor on call the day the “poo hit the fan” and I was transferred out of my old hospital and doctor’s care and into hers–in labor at 23 weeks. She is a very quiet, observant woman who can certainly remain calm under pressure. I mentioned that we would love to see Dr. A too if she was free. She was. I love Dr. A for her no BS and at times no filter ways. She peeked around the corner a bit apprehensive then shouted to everyone who could hear, “OH MY GOD, Jamie!!! Of course I remember them!!!” they both came back out and a med student tagged along as did one if my HRP nurse buds who is gonna be a momma herself soon! We chatted for a while, heard how cute Kam is and how great I look (thank you breastfeeding). Then Kayvan and I got out of there before they started charging us.

We stumbled around the hospital to find the follow along clinic, waited for a bit, fed the kid then moseyed on in for his 6 month assessment. The appointment was fun for Kam. Jill his OT from the NICU was on duty. First we started with Kam sitting in my lap and Jill across the table. To him it was just play time. There were 2 others in the room in addition to me and Kayvan. They checked things like does he recognize toys, how to get them, how he grabs them, what he does with them once he gets them (banging, dropping, pass hand to hand, etc.). Then we moved to the floor where they put him on his back to see what he would do. Then they added toys to the mix to see if he tried to get them and how. Kam is rolling very well both ways so they were happy about that. They also checked his abdominal strength and put him in the sitting position. Jan sat the longest he has ever sat unsupported. Jill said it won’t be long before he sirs unassisted.

The overall report is that Kamran is developing on track for his adjusted age. We got a few suggestions like stretch his thumbs (he keeps his right thumb tucked) and keep him away from tv.

Kam’s 6 mi appointment went well. I mentioned the rash he keeps getting after shots so we just did one vaccine for now and will go back for the other in 6 weeks. We talked about solid food and showed the dr what Kamran can so. He was very impressed with Kamran’s growth since august 7th. Put boy has gained 3 lbs!!! 17 inch head circumference, 25.1/4 inch length and 16 lbs 5 oz weight. That is 30th, 10th and 25th percentiles respectively. Kamran is the size of an average baby his age!!!

Our boy is doing so well!!

6 Month Update

Kamran turned 6 months old this past week. Everyone told us when we were struggling with our teeny baby that it would get easier. It has. We still don’t sleep through the night but we have gotten pretty used to that. If there were spectators in my house for the 3 am wake ups I’m sure they would say I resemble a zombie when I get out of bed. With Fall well on its way it is SO hard to get out of bed and feed the baby. But I do and Kayvan steps in when I need him to. Gone are the days of me laying next to Kamran’s bed crying, “I just don’t know what to do!” because I could not put the child down without him screaming bloody murder. Yes–both of those really happened.

Despite being a preemie, Kam seems to be hitting his milestones or somewhat close to it. He has certainly found his voice and will often yell from his crib. He seems louder every day. We’ve gone from what used to be sweet, quiet, song-like coos to an all out blabber mouth (more like momma). I love his little voice. He is still trying hard to get his feet. He grabs them but isn’t bendy enough to get them in the mouth. If you sit him up he immediately leans forward, mouth agape for the toes. He can keep his balance for a good few seconds before he flops over.

He is growing tons these days. Kam was only in 3-6 month clothes for a few WEEKS and is now really filling out 6 month clothes. We got a hand me down exersaucer last week and Kamran was on his toes on the lowest setting when we sat him in it for the first time. They have to be flat footed in the exersaucer so of course, I took him out. I put him in tonight and his feet were flat and legs bent. Kayvan and I were SHOCKED. No wonder he has been a cranky butt the past few weeks. Boy is a weed!

Here are a few photos that really sum up just how far Kam has come.

Kamran's first time in real clothes. Off the bili lights and no more picc line!

Kamran at 6 months being all sorts of bouncy next to the preemie outfit in the above photo. Yes, that really fit him once upon a time.

Week 24: Breastfeeding (and Other Food Stuff)

If you’re one of my mom friends, the title of this post probably didn’t phase you. You were likely intrigued about which aspect of breastfeeding I might discuss. I’ll spare the details for those of you who are not my mom friends–possibly even poke fun at you.

I have mentioned before that Kamran is a breastfed baby. I decided when I was pregnant that I would at least try nursing. The benefits are endless. In addition to all of the things that make breastfeeding good for Kam’s health, it’s good for my weight loss, and it’s cheaper than formula. It’s pretty much forced on you when you have a preemie. I anticipated the pressure from medical professionals. On my end it was ok.

I built up one hell of a supply of breast milk when Kam was in the NICU. I surprisingly still have it and have been able to keep up with Kam’s needs by pumping at work. We even had to go buy a deep freezer.

When the meteorologists started talking that hurricane Irene might hit the northeast, I panicked. When Isabel came through in 2003 we lost power for 3 days! Something like that would for sure destroy my stash.

I was on the phone with my dad talking about the storm and I mentioned that I was worried about losing power. He started to talk about that would affect us since we have a baby. I responded with, “Kam will be fine, I’m just worried about my frozen breast milk defrosting.” He immediately said “Hey, gotta go.” I laughed to myself at him. My family is not a breastfeeding family in general. Most of the kids, myself included, were formula fed. That is absolutely fine but it amuses me that it is such a scary topic. At least I know how to clear a room should I need to. My dad is not the only one Weirded out by the mere mention of how I feed my child–just a recent example.

A while back Iwas not sure how long I would breastfeed for. I decided that I needed to set a goal for myself so I didn’t get disappointed in myself for having to stop. I decided that my goal would be to make it 6 months and anything beyond that would be great. Ultimately I decided to let Kam tell me when he wants to stop nursing. So far he doesn’t seem to want to stop anytime soon. I’m good with that but look forward to the day I no longer have to pump.

We did start Kam on rice cereal about 3 weeks ago and this child loves it. He was a pro out of the gate. Good with the spoon, ate all of his food and was a neat eater so long as mommy was feeding him. Daddy was a messy feeder. It’s better now that Kayvan has gotten practice. Kam now gets frustrated if we don’t shovel food in fast enough and will open wide when he is ready for the next bite. He gets wide eyed and kicks his feet in excitement after each bite. We are so proud and will start him on baby food very soon. I can’t wait to see how he reacts!