Weight Check
Greetings to everyone.
Thank you all for your prayers. Xavier had his weight check today. This was a "special" weight check; surprisingly, no length measurements were taken. Dr. Abbey wanted to see how well Xavier was doing rather than take Rebecca's word for it over the phone. As previously noted, we denied the three suggested surgeries and the liver biopsy, which agitated some doctors and made other doctors nervous.
Dr. Abbey performed a simple exam and asked us a number of questions while taking note of our answers. I think his greatest surprise was the revelation we engaged a chiropractor; Dr. Abbey seemed concerned that the chiropractor may have prescribed pills or drugs rather than just simple adjustments.
In the end, Dr. Abbey was still a little cautious about Xavier's weight gain. He did note that Xavier looked better and showed more life in his eyes, and liked how active he was. We asked if we could change to regular formula, but Dr. Abbey thinks not yet. He does not want to change Xavier's primary source of nutrition just yet. Dr. Abbey was not able to answer the question of how many calories per day are appropriate for Xavier, however, so we are still shooting from the hip. Xavier has been averaging 600 calories a day from the time we started keeping track. Dr. Abbey will speak with Xavier's speech therapist, Miss Robin, as a follow-up on the exam.
So, what did Xavier weigh in at? Not what our bathroom scale has suggested, for sure. Xavier has gained 20 ounces from his one-year checkup in mid May, bringing him up to 14 pounds 4.4 ounces.
A few hours after Xavier's weight check, Rebecca and I left him in the care of a babysitter, then went on a date. Rebecca had never been to Casa Bonita, a local landmark and something of a rite of passage. It has been some 25 years since I was there last. The ambiance has greatly changed; long forgotten was its original charm and uniqueness when it opened 40 years ago. Still, we had a fun time, and Rebecca can say she has had the "Casa Bonita Experience."
The famous fountain outside Casa Bonita. Of course, the experience would not be complete without a photo of Rebecca with the fountain in the background. On the right, Rebecca has just finished her meal. Not clear in the background is the waterfall and the twinkle-light lit palm trees.
With Xavier (and parents) learning the proper way to eat "age-appropriate food textures" (I used quotes here because my keyboard doesn't have a "roll-your-eyes" character), things can get a little messy. Rebecca found these long-sleeve, full-body bibs with a food-catching pocket and purchased a couple. No more do we need to hose Xavier down after a meal, we just need to hose down the bib! At 14.25 pounds, Xavier has a double chin and chipmunk cheeks. Under the bib, he's developed a bit of a belly also.