My Little Guinea Pig

Alex had his 2 month check-up this morning, despite his not being quite two months old yet. He got a clean bill of health from Doc Silvey and seems to be growing and developing as he should be. He now weighs 10lbs. 8 1/2 ounces, putting him in the 50th percentile for weight amongst boys his age. He also measured in at 23 inches long, which puts him in the 75th percentile for height. The real shocker was that at 15 1/2 inches, his head is only in the 40th percentile for head circumference. We really were expecting him to be off the charts in this area, but I guess he inherited Granny B's petite little head instead of Daddy's big one.

Poor baby, he had to get his 2 month shots which was no fun for any of us. He got various immunizations for various strains of various viruses. The clinic was conducting a study for one of the shots that currently covers 7 strains of the virus that causes pneumonia but will be switched to one that covers 13. The study is simply testing for consistency between different lots of the drug coming from three factories and a successful study was already completed last year, so safety was not really a concern. They asked if we would like to participate and explained that the drug company would cover all of our wellness visit and immunization costs for the course of the study, as well as provide a $100 bonus for completing the trial. Before we had kids, Timothy and I agreed that any opportunity to exploit our children for money, food, high heels and consumer electronics, or the general well-being of the family would not be an opportunity missed, so we eagerly agreed to take part. As a result, we have to monitor him pretty closely and watch for various symptoms, such as excessive back hair, spontaneous combustion, and superhuman strength.

Not really. We just have to observe his behavior and take his temperature (you know where) every day for a week and record our findings, which then have to be sent electronically to the clinic via the phone line. This process will be repeated each time he gets his immunizations over the course of 18 months.

So far so good. No fever or symptoms other than him being a little more restless than usual. Overall we had yet another good visit and are thankful for a healthy, happy baby.