6 Month check-up

Brennan had his 6 months check up today.  His growth was good, he was in the 25th percentile for weight and length and 50th percentile for his head. 

Weight 16.14 Height 26in Head 17.5in

The doctor discovered that his neck is stiff on one side which could later affect his posture so we have to do neck stretching exercises.  Also he had fluid on both ears but they weren't infected, so the doctor told us to speak louder to him so that he can hear the sounds and doesn't have trouble with his speech.  Hopefully the fluid will resolve on its own.  I told him that Sara has that covered, she likes to shout at him in his ear.  Also, his left eye gets goopy and the doctor said that we just needed to watch it and hopefully it'll improve as he approaches a year, that it is most likely a blocked tear duct.

The doctor used all kinds of toys and rattles to distract Brennan and check his eyes.  It was pretty entertaining.  He used a parrot flashlight that squawked and flashed to check Brennan's hearing and startle reflex.  Sara was entertained by it too.

The doctor seemed to think that Brennan should only be just starting to come off rice cereal and eat green veggies and nothing else.  I did not confess that Brennan eats the whole kitchen already.  Also he suggested we give him fluoride even though he has no teeth.  I've always been opposed to fluoride because it's basically a chemical.  My kids don't eat tons of sugar and so far we haven't had any teeth trouble so I don't see the need to add fluoride if you don't need it.

We also talked about Brennan's sleep habits.  He sleeps on his stomach more now and I think he's much happier and he sleep much more soundly.  He still has trouble taking naps during the day but he's a professional at sleeping through the night already.

Sara said something funny to the doctor.   I like that our doctor asks Sara questions  about Brennan too, he is very engaging.  He asked what she though of Brennan and she said, "He pukes all over everything, all over my stuff!"  The doctor thought that was funny.  Also, when he was showing me the neck stretches, he had to really pull Brennan's neck to the side a lot and Sara said, "Don't pop his head off, be careful with our baby".  The doctor said he would always remember that and he laughed really hard.  He told her that she was a good big sister for being so concerned.  We went ahead and got Brennan his flu shot today as well even though flu season is not that bad.  I had a hard time deciding what to do though.  Mostly because I didn't want him getting 5 shots today, it was sad but he didn't cry as bad as Sara did.

Lastly, Brennan is trying to sit up by himself.  He can sit half way up.  It's so exciting to see him going through the stages of development.  He still hasn't crawled yet but at least we have a nice child gate up now for when he figures it out!