This morning Elizabeth also went to a Growth and Development clinic at MAC, which she attends on periodically. She was weighed, measured, and her development assessed. She is now 13 pounds and 5 ounces, and is 60 centimeters short, which places her in the 3rd percentile for height (she is now on the chart!). The doctor was extremely happy to see that she is meeting most of her milestones, and was impressed at how well she was doing. Elizabeth still needs to spend more time on her tummy to strengthen her arms and get used to rolling around.

Last night was Elizabeth's first night without her apnea monitor and she slept until 5:30 when she woke up for a little snack. Until now, every time she had a nap she had to wear a strap with two leads on each side of her chest, which probably wasn't too comfortable.

Bring on the solids! According to the books, we were expecting Elizabeth to spit up her baby cereal... that didn't happen.

mouth hygiene is very important!

Elizabeth is 7 months old (31/2 months corrected). She spends her days playing with toys, kicking her legs and smiling at herself in the mirror. She also smiles at her parents and has even began to laugh.
She is about 11 1/2 pounds and is in the 10th percentile range for weight. It seems that she is taking after her mother and is not even on the growth chart for height.
At the most recent growth-and-development clinic (at McMaster), the doctor said that she is not showing any neurological deficits.
Another hearing test was completed, this time at Sick kids hospital, with similar results. She was diagnosed with "Auditory Neuropathy", meaning that her ears are working, but the sound is not being transmitted to her brain properly. As a result her brain may not be receiving the complete message or it's all jumbled. This means that she will have difficulties understanding speach. It appears that each case of auditory neuropathy is unique and treatments that have worked for some (such as hearing aids or cochlear implants) may not work for others. This disorder is not very common, and there's limited research. Elizabeth will have to go back for tests every six weeks to keep track of her development. She has began to learn sign and loves the sign for milk. Her parents will have to wait to find out what's in the future for her ears.

Miss Elizabeth is now over 5 months (2.5 corrected) and is getting cuter by the day. She was weighted at her doctor's office last week and was 10 pounds and 3 ounces (that's a gain of almost 2 pounds in one month).
She has been off the oxygen for about 3 weeks and is doing great. She only has to wear her heart monitor at nite. This is making it easier for her and her mom to get around. The nickname "busy lizzy" suits her well, since she is always on the move and rarely needs a nap. She likes to play all day, swatting at things and making all sorts of noises. She has also discovered her tongue and is making lots of cute faces.
Elizabeth has not had her ears checked since the last visit to the ear doctor but she has an appointment in early July.

Ready for summer...

On the move

Keep shaking me... I dare you!

Elizabeth is almost 5 months old (about 6 weeks corrected age). At the pediatrician office today she weighted in at 8 pounds and 5 ounces (3.77 kg). She has almost doubled since she came home.
She is still breastfeeding and keeps to a strict routine, she is fed every 3 hours, but enjoys an extra snack before bed in the evening. She is mostly awake and playing during the day, and only wakes up at 2:00 and at 6:00 to eat during the night. She is a wonderful baby.
Elizabeth's eye doctor told us that her retina have matured and she only needs to bee seen every couple of months (great news!).
She also went for her hearing test last week. The results were inconclusive, but were not positive. So far the tests have shown that her brain is unable to process electrical impulses from the cochlea (via the auditory nerve). She is waiting for another appointment at Sick Children's hospital to be seen by a specialist.