Sayin' Cheese

So we finally found a new pediatrician here in PA and we are getting more into the swing of things. Adalynn had her 15 month check yesterday. She weighs a whopping 19.13 lbs and is 31 1/4 inches tall. That puts her at the 5th percentile for weight (which is slightly lower than where she has been) and at the 75th percentile for height. She is still very long and super skinny. The doctor isn't too concerned about her weight-because she is staying around where she has been, but because she has gone down some, she is going to monitor her. A lot of her 6-9 month stuff still fits her! The bad thing is that it is all summer stuff and the warm weather is definitely long gone here in PA. Blue jeans, pants, and jackets have been her wardrobe for the past several weeks. The below pictures are of Adalynn this week and of her at 8 months old. She is wearing the same outfit...she is still small enough to wear it.

Adalynn at 15 months

Adalynn at 8 months

She got four shots yesterday (two in each arm) and has been a little fussy. That, along with the two new teeth, means that she has not been sleeping well at all. One tooth is right in her cleft area and is facing completely sideways. We hope to meet with the dentist again in a few months. The pediatrician said she was right on track developmentally. We have been concerned about her speech and I have already made an appointment with the Early Intervention Team, but I don't think she is as far behind as I once thought. She still doesn't make /b/ or /p/ so she can't say book, ball, or plane but boy does she try. She loves saying 'mama', 'dada', 'more', 'choo, choo', 'doggie', and 'woof-woof'. She can also say 'cheese' and does so EVERY time she sees a camera. You can really tell that is these two pictures. She tries really hard to say Camden and Broderick and the intonation is there, but not the actual words. The Early Intervention people will come to our home on the 16th of this month. I will let you know what they say.

Other news this week....well, as you can tell from the photos, Broderick is loving Boy Scouts. He had his first pack meeting and was very excited to get some awards already. He went on a 2 mile hike at Hawk Mountain and held doors for parents at Meet the Teacher night. He loves his arrowhead neclace and is more than anxious to start adding beads to it for various activities. One MAJOR thing he is working on right now is popcorn sales. He really wants to be able to turn his Den Leader into a human icecream sundae :) as well as earn a popcorn sales patch for his uniform. I hope to have the online code soon for people to order. By ordering online with Broderick's code, he will get credit for it and you will get delicious Boy Scout popcorn mailed directly to your house. You can't beat it! Please let me know if you are interested and I will get you the code as soon as I get it. I really want his first Boy Scout experience to be great and we need your help!

We finally got an appointment scheduled with a plastic surgeon here at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia or CHOP for Adalynn. I am going in with an open mind, but definitely not getting my hopes up. When I contacted them, they must have just scheduled me with the next available surgeon. This is not the main one that we wanted (who is FAAP and FACS). The person we are scheduled with just finished her residency and fellowship. Also, instead of just being interested in cleft lip and palate, she has a whole list of interests include breast/chest wall deformities. Not that this is a bad thing, I just don't know if this is the type of doctor I want working on my daughter's face. I know several people who travel to Boston for cleft lip/palate surgeries (one even being from GA), so that is still in the realm of possibilities-it is only 5 hours away-as is continuing her treatment at Scottish Rite in Atlanta-about 14 hours away. Lots of decisions to be made. Her appointment at CHOP is not until November and according to her surgeon in GA, we still have several years before her next surgery. This could all change though. Please keep us in your prayers as we make decisions concerning Adalynn's future.

Also, please continue to pray for my buddy Ryan. He has had a rough few months. Not only has been worn out and tired from the chemo and all his meds, but his house was also broken into and his puppy was stolen (as well as his mom's laptop with lots of photos). I know, I know, who in their right mind would steal a dog from a little boy fighting cancer (and most likely the people knew them), but also steal the family's computer. UGH! I am so mad. Ryan's parents also need a lot of prayers as they work on his new course of treatment. He will be participating in a study and will be traveling back and forth from GA to NY several times over the next couple of months. I really hope to be able to see them on at least one of their trips. Please be sure to check out his blog and let him know you are praying for them.

I think that is it for today. I hope this finds everyone happy and healthy. I thank God for each of my blessings including YOU!!! Thanks for all your support and checking in on us. We miss you and love you all.