Cooper is 4 months old!

OMG it's so hard to believe Cooper has been here for 4 months already (as of 10/21)! He had his 4-month wellness appointment today and here are his stats:

Weight: 12 lbs, 11 oz (unchanged since last visit a week or so ago - not unexpected due to the antibiotic side effects (see "poopatorium" post LOL). (FYI, his birth weight was 5 lbs, 7 oz)

Height: 23.5 inches (FYI his birth height was 18 inches)

Head circumference: 41 cm

Doc comments: Cooper is still on the low end of the curve due to being born premature, but his growth RATE is excellent for his place on the curve. Cooper is very strong and is ahead of schedule with some social and developmental milestones. He's not rolling over yet but that's to be expected since his acid reflux requires that he sleep and rest in an upright position using equipment like the car seat, swing, etc. He will probably be rolling over very soon though based upon the doctor's evaluation of Cooper's behavior and strength when she placed him on his tummy on the exam table. She was also thrilled that Cooper didn't lose weight this past week from the side effects of the antibiotics - he kept his weight stable which is amazing considering we've changed a diarrhea diaper nearly every hour for a week now (she was expecting a weight loss).

I have to say I was totally relieved that the doctor felt he was showing great strength and agility and that she thinks he'll be rolling over really soon because I must confess that I've been terrible about giving him tummy time. Cooper hates tummy time - he screams and drools and screams a bit more whenever I place him on his tummy on the mat. However, he does enjoy being on his tummy when he's on my chest or on Bob's chest so we try to substitute that for tummy time on the mat. Apparently that's just as good, at least it has been for Cooper - I had no idea.

Vaccines received today: DTAP, HIB, PC

Vaccines scheduled for next week: Polio (we're separating this one out to reduce the overload of his system in one visit and because he got a fever from the first Polio vaccine shot he received at 2 months and we want him to receive it separately from other shots to see if he has another reaction and if so then we'll know for sure it was due to this particular vaccine) and dose #3 of the Rotavirus vaccine (The Rotavirus vaccine is usually given at 2 months, 4 months, and again at 6 months, however Cooper's docs have agreed to my request to get him these doses as quickly as is permitted (4 weeks apart) rather than waiting til 4 and 6 months since Cooper will be in daycare fulltime and I don't want to take a risk that he's not fully protected against this illness which runs rampant through daycare centers. The baby has been through enough trauma and hospital visits already at just 4 months old. So, Cooper has already had the first 2 doses and will get the third next week).

On Wednesday we bring Cooper to a new pediatric GI specialist (whom we have given the name Dr.Beverly Hills) for a consultation. Bob and I have agreed that our current position is that Cooper seems to be doing MUCH better (eating better, in better spirits, not spitting up too much, not choking, not vomiting, hasn't aspirated again, still refluxing but acid controlled well with the Prevacid) since we took him off of the thickened formula and we'd like to avoid any unnecessary invasive tests or procedures since he's already been through so much. We'll go with an open mind though, recognizing that we don't know everything about the risks and issues involved now that Cooper has had aspiration pneumonia (which as the pediatrician says "ups the anty"). Stay tuned for an update later in the week.