It has been reconfirmed that Elijah’s head is small. It’s growing, but growing very slowly. We already knew this of course. It’s difficult, though, to have to tell the nurse who measured him, that yes, she measured correctly. Yes, his head isn’t growing like most of the kids she measures. Yes, it has only grown half a centimeter in two months. Yes, he’s below the charts.
We thought Elijah would remain at the top of the charts for weight because he’s always been a big guy. We’ve been excited to find out how much he weighs, but were a little concerned to find that he now weighs 17 pounds. He has only gained six ounces in the last two months, which isn’t much at all. When the doctor came in to talk to us, he explained that Elijah’s head size is the reason for the lower weight. Most children Elijah’s age have huge heads, which add a lot to their weight. Based on looking at Elijah, he is healthy and is gaining enough weight, so the percentiles don’t really mean anything in regards to his health.
There is one area that Elijah is at the top of the charts, though: length. He is almost 28 inches long, which puts him in the 90th percentile. We have a tall boy!
The doc also went through a development chart with us. Elijah is doing well, but he is showing some developmental delays. I can deny it all I want, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is behind his peers. The area of concern is his fine motor skills. He seems to be doing well in all of the other areas…social, self-help, and gross motor. But, he should be able to pick something up from the floor at this age and he should be reaching for things. Again, this isn’t really new news. It is still difficult to have our fears confirmed and to see on a chart that he is lagging in the fine motor area of development.
The doc also thought Elijah’s soft spot has gone away, which might be an indication that his skull is fusing together early. This brings me to the rest of our week. Tomorrow Elijah will be having a CT scan and will be seeing the neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon. We’ll be finding out definitively if his skull has fused prematurely and will be discussing if Elijah could benefit from a cranial cap to mold his skull. I know that Andy and I are both nervous about tomorrow’s appointments and could definitely use the prayers that everything goes well.
It’s going to be a busy week. On Wednesday, I am having minor surgery. I have a lesion on my leg that I am getting removed since it seems to be getting larger. I have been told that they don’t think it is cancer, but it should be removed because it is growing. I’m nervous about the surgery because I’ll have anesthesia and I don’t want to be away from my boy for long. I could use the prayers that the surgery will go well, that my recovery will be quick, and that Elijah will be a good boy for his grandparents in my absence. I would really appreciate the prayers.
What else is going on this week? Elijah’s Occupational Therapist is coming on Friday, which is now a weekly occurrence. It’s a busy week and honestly I’ll be glad when it’s over. After this week, the appointments in our “appointment month” will be over. Phew!
We could certainly use the prayers for our little dude. Pray for tomorrow’s appointments to go well, that his head isn’t fusing early, that his head will grow, and that his fine motor skills will improve. Overall, things are good. It is hard at times to ignore the statistics and focus on the positive. We know that the fervent, effective prayer of a righteous man avails much and we know with God all things are possible. Elijah is making progress and he will continue to do so. I remind myself that just because Elijah isn’t doing something now, doesn’t mean he will never do it. Our pediatrician is a really nice guy and as he said, “focus on the positive” and “he’s come a long way.” Elijah really has come a long way considering how he was doing on a rainy night six months ago. We’ll keep showering him with love and leave the rest up to God. Keep those prayers coming! :)
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