Big J Update

Big J had his pediatric GI appointment this morning - bright & early. In fact, it was so early that we beat most of the staff to the 3rd floor. Once the office was up and running, the nurse was kind and the doctor was great. She also sees the concern in his lack of weight gain and his initial treatment is to involve calories, calories, and more calories. Instead of formula, he'll be delighting in this scrumptious beverage:

It's sort of a souped-up version of Pediasure, and costs a fortune. The dietitian was kind enough to load us up with samples to get us started. I've also been instructed to add 1 Tablespoon of OIL into his daily diet. Yuck. I think I can sneak it in by buttering much of his food, and I even got him take a few bites of chicken salad with mayonnaise at lunch.

We talked a bit more about the possibility of Celiac, and I thought it was interesting that the doctor's take on it was opposite to his pediatrician's: it's more common than you think. Perhaps that's simply because by the time you get to a pediatric GI doc, the incidence is higher than that of the average pediatric population. Regardless, she also said that the initial screening for Celiac often offers false negatives. Depending on the outcome of his next visit we may go to the next step of 'scoping' his intestines, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

His current diagnosis is Failure to Thrive. Talk about a guilt-inducing statement! I realize there are both organic and inorganic causes of failure to thrive. While I may not get everything right when it comes to parenting, I do pride myself in keeping my children well-fed (although you might not think so if you saw Big Sis' lanky legs). As I talked about his diet, appetite, and eating habits, I found myself wondering "Does she think I'm lying?" I guess if CPS comes a-knocking at my door, we'll know the answer.

After a 3 hour visit we left with all veins intact and no tears, which was a bonus for all involved. BUT we do have homework:

Oh yes, I get to gather a "sample" and return it to the lab ASAP. I sort of wish they would have included a pair of gloves with the biohazard bag. All in the day of the life of a Mommy.

PS - Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words. While the Mama Bear in me thinks he's just leveling out to be on the small side (seriously, I looked at Big Sis' 2 year stats & she was barely over 21 lbs. at 2 years old!), I still appreciate your support.

PPS - He's army crawling now! He finally realized that mobility rocks & will now roll, shimmy, and army crawl his way around the living room.