Hello Baby Shark

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Major kudos to our wonderful friend, Brian Hoover, for introducing Josephine to the “Baby Shark” song!

This song was sung to me within a few moments of knowing Brian and I always thought it was cute and entertaining.  Then again, it doesn’t take much!  Ha!

When Little Sheldon came into the picture, Uncle Brian started singing it to Sheldon.  So, it seemed natural to sing it to Josephine as well, especially since she has such a love for music and singing…

Josephine and Baby Shark (CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO)

Now Josephine is hooked!  And we just giggle watching her.

One for Me, Two for You

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The sharing milestone, while great for Josephine, does NOT do wonders for my figure!  However, I will take one for the team.

Seriously, though…Josephine has discovered the idea of sharing snacks with Mama, mostly, and an occasional Daddy.  Goldfish crackers are a new favorite, as are Cheerios (the ole’ standby) and cookies of any kind.  She gets a real kick out of turning toward me and putting the food in my mouth, belly laughs and all.

Another milestone achieved.  Now to get her to eat Weight Watchers snacks instead…well, maybe not quite yet.

Weight Check at 20 months

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Last weight check was 3 weeks ago when I took Josephine in for an ear infection.  She was 16 lbs, 14 oz, which was a loss of 1.5 ounces from her weight check at the beginning of April.  But Josephine was sick and had a pretty bad infection, so I will just toss it to that.

Happy to report Josephine is back on track and is now 17 POUNDS even!

Every ounce is a celebration.

As an aside:  I must take this time to say I just found out about a big loss at our pediatrician’s office.  Becky Larsen, a fabulous medical assistant, passed on to Heaven on April 24, 2010, as a result of a blood clot to the heart.  She was 36.

I feel the need to mention her on this blog because she was a true fan and supporter of Josephine in so many ways.  She brought a smile to my daughter’s face, to mine and to every other patient and staff member that had a chance to know her.  I know she will be cheering on “Josephine-A-Bean” from up above.

Rest in Peace, Lovely Rebecca.  You will be missed more than you know.

Hop on Board, Dr. B!

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We have a new Pediatric Ophthalmologist!  Her name is Dr. Anita Breckenridge and I love her (www.kideyedoc.com)!  We have seen her in the past for Little Sheldon’s eyes and were very happy at the time.  However, Dr. B was no longer taking Oxford Insurance (and I can’t say I blame her), so we were forced to go elsewhere.

As you have read from my previous post, I was not happy with the level of service with Dr. Wagner’s staff.

The same day I received poor service from one doctor, I received the opposite from Dr. B’s staff!  Not only did the receptionist say they DO give reminder calls, she booked Josephine for an appointment within 3 days.

Josephine and  Dr. B met this morning and are now buddies!

The diagnosis is the same:  Mild exotropia in the left eye.  The treatment is to patch the eye for 2 hours daily for the next 3 months and Dr. B will see us again in August.  Excellent optic nerve and no concerns for glasses at this point.

At least the patches are adhesive and look pretty cool, I must say.

And I know I will get a reminder call in August – from a doctor that takes time for her patients and goes out of her way to keep them.

Check out her practice at Pediatric Eye Associates, LLC., http://www.kideyedoc.com.

Wheels on the Bus

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Wheels on the Bus by Josephine (CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO)

What can I say?  This video says it all for me…

While talking with Carrie (the Speech Pathologist), Josephine started to make the motion for The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.  This is NEW.  Between the therapists and Stepping Stones, we have been singing the song to her, but Josephine has never done any of the movements, until this morning.

We think she heard Carrie and I talking about objects and songs that motivate her and Carrie mentioned the song title.  That’s it.  Then, about 30 minutes later, she makes the motion.

Just when I start to wonder when she will move to the next level, Josephine pulls another gift out for me to gush about!

Eye Doc Does NOT Score 20/20

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Let’s go back to mid-October 2009…whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…Are you with me?  Good.

After many accolades about Dr. Caputo and Dr. Wagner (the Pediatric Ophthalmologist Gods of Essex County, apparently), Josephine was scheduled for an initial visit.

Dr. Wagner was wonderful, no doubt.  But there wasn’t much to go on.  Just initial observations that were to be followed up with in 6 months.  Josephine had exotropia in both eyes (when the eye wanders outward, like a lazy eye).  But because of her hypotonia, Dr. Wagner wanted to wait 6 months, after Josephine improved her muscle tone through natural development and EI therapy.

Now…let’s travel to early April 2010…whoosh, whoosh.  Wait, I think we left someone behind…nope, they’re here…

Without going into detail, let’s say Mommy accidentally damaged her phone (hey, the coffee got in the way!), thus rendering the calendar and all contact information unavailable.  I knew Josephine had a follow up with Dr. Wagner sometime in April, just not a clear date.

Now…a short trip to Tuesday, April 27…whoosh.

I called Dr. Wagner’s office at 8:30 AM to confirm if Josephine had an appointment THAT day and if so, the time.  I left a message asking these questions, along with my cell phone number.

No return call.

It’s now 10:00 AM and no call from the office.  I make another call.

“Yes, her appointment was at 9:30”, says the receptionist.

“Oh, sorry.  I called at 8:30 this morning and left a message, but nobody called me back.  Can I reschedule for next week?”

Slight laugh of irritation from the receptionist.  “Uh, no.  The next appointment is June 15 at 12:00 PM.  Would you like that?”

“Why didn’t anyone call me back?”

“We have too many patients to call and remind them.  Would you like to schedule that time?”

Really?  No, really?

So, I took the appointment, with obvious hesitation for the lack of consideration from this lovely receptionist.

Needless to say, I am now searching for a different doctor.  A doctor that actually cares about the patients and not about the numbers.

A Pivotal Move

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Josephine surprised us all on Easter Sunday with a present better than Cadbury Cream Eggs and stale Peeps…

Josephine has figured out how to pivot on her bottom using her right arm, legs and abdominal muscles!  In fact, she can move in a complete 360 degree circle.  Just give her the right motivation and watch her go.

For now, it’s just turning toward the right.  Eventually, we will work on the left and getting that side stronger.

The exciting parts of this new milestone are 1) She is using her balance to stay up while pivoting; 2) She is strong enough to move with her arm; 3) She has great abs to keep her balance and 4) She has the cognitive ability to recognize if she needs to see something, she needs to turn to see it.

Could scooting be in her future???