Babys First Year Blog
4 Months Old & Showing ‘Em Who’s Boss
And handsome, to boot!
Today was Arlo’s 4 month check up. I am crazy about our pediatrician and I love talking to her because I feel like she is a voice of reason amongst all of the news that we’ve been given with Arlo. She always puts things in perspective and reassures me that this little guy is gonna get through all of this just fine. One interesting thing she told me today was that Arlo is her first patient with Ocular Albinism in over 20+ years as a pediatrician- goes to show just how rare his condition is (it’s estimated only 1 in 50,000 to 60,000 people get it).
I found myself getting really anxious and panicky before she came into the room because it feels like every single appointment our son has gone to since he was 10 days old has given us bad news. For once, I was just hoping and praying that we would be told “Everything looks great!” and today, that’s exactly what we heard.
Arlo weighed 15 lbs 3 ounces and was 50% on heigh and weight. He also has a 75% noggin that I joke he acquired from my husbandWe were able to go down the list and check off all of the typical 4 month old milestones – rolling over, pushing up on his arms, jumping in Johnny Jump Up… but the milestone I am most proud of is that he is reaching for and grabbing toys within his reach. We were told that with his OA, we should expect a few months delay on this milestone since it often distorts depth perception. Arlo is tracking us across the room with his eyes and reacting to his reflection in a mirror. I think he is seeing way more than we initially anticipated and I am excited to see how his eye sight continues to improve as he develops. As a mother, I am so hungry to grab onto anything that gives me hope that our boy has a mild case of this disorder… and the fact that he isn’t missing a beat with his visual milestones absolutely thrills me.
I was nearly in tears when we left as I was so relieved and happy to finally have a doctor tell me that my son is doing great and nothing is wrong or needs to be “watched”. He is healthy, happy and so full of life and sweetness at the moment. It’s really nice to sit back, take a deep breath, and just enjoy the calm. A healthy check-up! I could get used to this.
~Melissa
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3 Comments
Danielle commented on Sep 17 11 at 1:48 amAwhhh. I’m happy for you.
Lauren commented on Sep 17 11 at 8:14 amYay Arlo! And yes he is so handsome!
Emily commented on Sep 17 11 at 11:17 amWonderful news! My baby boy Arlo is sending a high-five to your baby boy Arlo! :)
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