2 month check-up

Today we took Liam to the consultatiebuereau, which is where he goes for all his "well visits." We go to our "huisarts," or house doctor, if/when he gets sick, but all the well visits are done down the street at our local consultatiebuereau. This was our second visit and we were much more prepared -- we had no idea what to expect the first time we went, and were a little caught off guard with their procedures. Although maybe it's the same at the pediatrician's offices in the States? Being our first child, we obviously didn't know what we were doing!

When we arrive, we are to change Liam out of his clothes and into a robe or blanket or something to keep him warm . . . the first time we went we didn't bring anything so they loaned us a towel to wrap him in. Oh the embarrassment! ; ) So this time we brought his cute little robe that says "Mommy's Prince" with a bunch of frogs on it. In the waiting area there are little open stalls, kind of like at the bank or something, where we can keep his things and change him in. So after we get him changed, they first weigh him naked (he peed all over us and the weighing station the last time we were there!), and then lay him in a wooden cradle type thing to measure his length. They also measure his head circumference at this time. Then we wait in the waiting area to see the doctor. We get called back a few minutes later and spend time with the doctor discussing how things were going, his progress, how we felt as parents, etc.

Right now Liam is:

• responding to our smiles with a smile (and sometime a giggle that sounds like "huh, huh, huh" -- SO cute!)
• responding to outside noises like a bell or bark
• cooing and making lots of noise other than crying
• lifting his head while on his stomach, definitely at a 45 degree angle, and sometimes even 90 degrees
• holding his head steady when upright (which he's been able to do since birth, but has much better control lately and stays up longer and longer)
• raising his chest while on his stomach
• scooting around (not really crawling, but just wiggling around and moving to a different part of the crib or playmat)
• following us or different objects with his eyes (he always watches one of us when we leave a room, like, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?")
• sleeping through the night, usually for 6 hours, but up to 7 hour stretches
• sleeping less during the day and taking quick naps, but is happy and alert when he's awake (so we spend more time playing and learning about the world around him!)

Liam's stats at 2 months are:

weight : 13 lbs. 12 oz.

length : 23. 6 inches

head circumference : 16. 5 inches

He falls into the 90th percentile for weight, and the 70th percentile for height. However, this is all by Dutch standards, who are literally the tallest people in the world, so his height percentile would probably be different in the States. They also took my height and Keith's height and projected how tall Liam might be using his current stats (she said around 5'11"). 

During today's visit we also discussed vaccinations, which Liam was supposed to start today. I was surprised at how open they were about delaying vaccines because I thought we were going to have to fight for it. Keith and I discussed what we thought was best and also talked with the doctor, and decided to give Liam one set of vaccinations, but wait on another one until later. The fact is, we will be getting on a plane in less than two months, and I will also be taking Liam to school in December, so we thought it would be best to start him with some immunizations. If, however, we weren't planning this trip we probably would've waited longer. And the doctor agreed that we could wait on vaccines, including the one that we chose not to administer today, since Liam is not in daycare, not exposed to many children, and is 100% breastfed. He is a growing, healthy boy and it was up to us when to start the immunizations. I'm glad we were able to make an informed decision on our own without pressure from the doctor.

So then came time for the shot. I laid him on the table and held his hands while she administered the vaccine in his left thigh. I watched his face scrunch up and I got ready for the scream . . . but he only whimpered. And then it was over. He looked at us and I scooped him up to soothe him, but he was fine and even smiled at the doctor! I was totally relieved and completely shocked. I was really prepared for the worst, but I'm so glad he did ok.

After that, we said our goodbyes to the doctor, got Liam dressed and headed out for lunch! The weather here is beautiful right now, cool and very fall-ish. Out come the boots and sweaters! : )

Blog soon,
~Jessi