Why can’t my doctor tell me that?
Sabrina had her 1 year check up today. Her ped continues to be pleased with her adjustment and progress. He feels she is right where she should be developmentally. He had only 1 criticism. I apparently feed my daughter too healthily. I thought I was being a good mommy. She gets lots of fruit, veggies, and proteins. She gets some starches and a very little bit of sugar too. Her ped was slightly concerned that she only gained 1/2 a pound in the 6 weeks since our previous appointment. She moved up in the %tiles for height and head circumference but didn’t move much on the weight chart. So he wants us to include more starches and fats in her diet – bread with butter, potatoes with butter, pasta with butter. I’m so brainwashed by our fat is bad, starch is bad society that I wasn’t feeding my daughter properly. I feel awful! I thought I was doing a good job. (Wish my doctor would prescribe more fats and starches in my diet.) So Sabrina will be eating well and we have to go back in 3 months for him to check in on her weight gain.
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Okay, more about the interview I referred to earlier today. I wasn’t looking for a job…but I decided if I came across something part time that I could either do from home (and didn’t involve a webcam and nickname like Bambi) or do in the evenings I might consider it. With the house in PA not selling, maintaining 2 households is a little less than comfortable financially. I wasn’t under any delusion that I would make enough to significantly contribute to the household but picking up a few bucks to keep me in shoes would be nice. So I saw an ad and applied.
Basically, the job is teaching prep courses for standardized tests – specifically in my case the LSAT. They claim you need no background in teaching because they will teach you how to teach their course. First step is disclosing to them how you scored on said tests (LSAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, GMAT, etc) back in the day. Then if your scores qualify you, there is the audition I mentioned in my earlier post. If you do sufficiently well in the audition, they ask you back for an interview. If you do sufficiently well in the interview, you have a chance to revisit the comedy of errors that was your college life. What does that mean? Because I took the tests more than 5 years ago (more? ha! I can do multiples of 5 with the years since I took a standardized test), I have to re-qualify by retaking the test I want to teach. Not only do I have to retake the test, I have to score in the 90th %tile. I managed to do it back when I was 21 but I could also drink football players under the table back then and I wouldn’t attempt that these days either. Don’t they know about mommy brain? I’ve lost more brain cells since starting this adoption than I ever did from drinking a football player under the table.
They sent me home with a practice test and told me to call when I have 3 hours and am ready to take the real thing. Pass the Clearasil…and has anyone seen my retainer?
Seriously, I think this job sounds like great fun and a great way to keep mommy brain from setting in permanently. It fits in well with our lives right now so cross your fingers that I can ace this test for a second time in my life.
We are in the same boat with Alex. He has dropped to the 5th% in weight. Our doctor hasn’t said anything yet – but I’m concerned. Needless to say – DH and I could lose a few pounds (ok – in my case more than a few pounds) so it’s kind of funny to feed Alex pasta and mashed potatoes at every meal!! 🙂 Alex is a good eater – he just isn’t putting on the weight. We go back in a couple months and I’ll be interested to hear how he’s doing then.
The job sounds fab. I’m looking for something like that to possibly quit my part time job – but shhhh – don’t tell my boss. 🙂
Gabriella only gained like 5 oz. since her 15 mo appt, but the ped wasn’t concerned. Then again, she does eat bread and fats. He said to me, if you cover the charts and just look at her, she looks great and in good proportion. She only grew 1/4 inch too.
The job does sound fun. But, I’m quite sure there is no living way I could score the 90th percentiles on the SATs nowadays.
I need to put on my thinking cap and come up with a way to earn some $$.
Regarding the weight thing…Emily turned 3 years old in July and is STILL not even on the growth chart for weight and she is in the 1 percentile for height and head circumference. I used to obsess about this. I literally used to follow her around the house with a spoonful of peanut butter and she got ice cream with practically every meal. Eventually, I realized that being little is not a disease and as long as she is healthy and happy so be it. I am not by any stretch telling you to disregard your ped’s advice but don’t drive yourself crazy. You are doing great and you are a great mom!!!
I cannot imagine having to take the LSAT again. That was almost as stressful for me as the actual bar exam. But you seem to have kept your mind more nimble than I (plus you are a teeny bit -okay a lot bit – younger) so I’m sure you’ll do great!
And don’t feel bad about the weight gain – we got in trouble for the same thing and Amelia is my 4th. I wanted everything that entered her body to be so healthy (b/c she was malnourished when we picked her up) that I neglected starches too. Now she’s getting pasta with olive oil at dinner every night and she’s in heaven – and not eating her veggies like she did, unfortunately.
Oh well, she’s a carb-a-holic like her mama – but hopefully won’t have the hips to prove it like her mama! 🙂
I know what you mean Michelle. Our Doc and my husband always reminded me that some fat is good for kids-. Their brain needs it to develop. Doc said, get them whole milk nothing less.
Wait, that job sounds HARD! I’m panicky just THINKING about retaking those tests.
Good luck!
Good luck on the test!
Kerri and Ruby
Wow that is something! I would be terrified myself – once I finally graduated I swore I would do nothing school related for the rest of my life. GOOD LUCK!
And I hear you on the starch thing – seamonkey’s favorite thing is bread and I have to keep reminding myself it’s okay – he’s a baby!
As adults, we could eat the starches and fats we wanted, if we just were able to get off our butts more. Sabrina is obviously a very active baby(?) toddler(?) and needs the high octane stuff.
Hi Michelle. : )
Will Sabrina eat Yobaby? I think that Yobaby is really helping Emma. She eats a carton for breakfast along with fruit (because she won’t touch baby cereal)…it’s good for babies…fats, protein and calcium. I am going to try buttering Emma’s bread to see if she will eat it that way…that’s a good idea. I am glad that Sabrina will take milk…still working on that with Emma. : /
God bless.
My doctor had to tell me, too, that your brain is basically a big glob of fat. We had to have a “growth” appointment and added more eggs and fatty stuff to her diet. It worked like a charm.
dear michelle,
please to send me a webcam and let me know where you think I should start my site.
Im thinking I’ll begin by appealing to men who like showered but NOT shaved (legs I mean. get yer mind outta the gutter) always harried frazzled mominies.
Bambi
Okay… I am no doc but my experience with my kiddos… they pretty much stop gaining weight from 9 months through I do not know… say almost 2! It has rang true with ALL my kids. And my oldest was 30 pounds at 9 months and THANKFULLY stayed there until he was nearly 3 1/2. And Eliza basically has not gained any weight since she was in Guatemala… only about a pound since her 8 month visit with Dr. M. I think it is just slow down time… that and they are so busy they burn it off as they eat. I do try to force the carbs and mac-n-cheese but the girl loves her some manderine oranges and green beans!!!!
The job… sounds fun…all but the retesting part- that makes me nervous just thinking about it. I let my teaching license expire ( long, ugly story with false information) and to re-get it I have to retake my PRAXIS test which are teaching test… I told hubby sorry… my future must be meant to be at Ann Taylor Loft!!!
Good grief. i would die if I had to take an SAT again. Such misery! I even took the PRAXIS to be a teacher. Just shoot me if I ever even mention wanting to be a teacher again. I’m smart and all, but tests like that make me want to puke. Good luck to you. You totally have earned the right to brag on your score if you do well! (or not, anyone who takes those tests with mommy brain earns the right to brag in my mind!)
I have issue with the weight thing. I also feed my son “too healthy” as his percentile dropped at 6 months. He is still gaining, just not a ton. (He gets lots of healthy fats, whole grains and protein in addition to fruits and veggies.) For my 2 cents, Drs are not nutritionists and weight gain alone is not a problem. Gee I wonder why childhood obesity is an epidemic in this country and the type 2 diabetes rates are on the rise for kids as well. You have peditricians telling parents to give their kids grilled cheese with extra butter or milkshakes. (That’s what my pedi told me anyway.)
*getting off soapbox*
Good luck on the test!
That sounds like a great job!
The Boy was always tiny, too. But, he was a picky eater – no sweets really, and very little meat but always lots of cheese of any kind and yogurt. When I took him in before school, he was up to the 50%tile in weight. I don’t know when that happened! I do know that I had to let all of his adjustable waist pants out as far as they would go for school this fall. He’s just finally getting to what would be “normal” for most kids.
Eh, I usually give M complex carbs and not a lot of simple ones. Have you tried Mac and Cheese? She loves that – even with whole wheat pasta. I also scramble eggs in butter for her…and then try not to burn my tongue as I lick the pan clean. Cream cheese on toast or graham crackers is a big hit, too!
Oh, and YoBaby. Momma Mia I could lick that up, too! Nothing like a little whole milk yogurt-y goodness.
Good luck with the job!
Seconding Mama K and Priscilla…you can get fat and carbs into her diet AND keep feeding her healthfully! Brown rice stir fry with sesame oil and eggs, organic whole wheat mac and cheese, frozen banana and almond butter smoothies, quinoa with chicken and veggies, flax oil or cold pressed OG olive oil added to just about anything. Olive oil is the same number of calories as butter but NO saturated fat! I’ve got a zillion ideas if you want to email me. 🙂
-Samantha