Flu Shot

Dear Izzy,

We went in to the doctor's to get your flu shot today. Mommy got one at the same time as well. WOW! You did really well. Gu Gu was in the room with us and you didn't even notice it when the nurse gave you your shot. Good job, Izzy!

Love, Mom

18 month Baby Wellness Checkup

Dear Izzy,

Today we went in to see Dr. Scott for your 18 month baby wellness check up. You weigh in at 20lbs 7oz (4%) and you measure 31.75 inches in height (50%). Your head measures 47cm (64%), no wonder why your regular 12-18 month t-shirts without snaps on the side are difficult to pull over your head!! It's kind of hard to dress you nowadays because you still fit in 6-12 month old bottoms (although for pants, they are always too short as you are average height) but you fit in 12-18 month old tops.

Dr. Scott is happy that you are now in the 4th percentile in weight. We all think it's because you have started loving milk. You drink about 18-24oz of milk a day!

Your imaginary play has developed. You still talk to your stuffed animals but now you also pretend cook and feed them. It's the cutest thing ever! Seems like you are quite the maternal little girl.

Mommy and Daddy cannot stop talking about how funny you are right now. It's great when it's at night and when we are both in bed, sometimes we just burst out laughing just talking about the things you did during the day. You definitely complete us.

Love, Mom

15 month Baby Wellness Exam

Dear Izzy,

It's that time again...your wellness exam and your final vaccinations until you reach 2 years old. URGH! This time, Mommy is going alone with you and we have to hold you down while you get your shots. That is one of the hardest thing a mother has to do, see her little baby in pain. Today you got 3 shots: DTaP, HIB and Varicella (chicken pox). You screamed so loudly that everyone, even the receptionist was scared of you. What can I say, Isabelle, you are a little bit of a Hollywood drama queen!

Today you weighed in at 18lbs 4oz. (1%), you measured 30.5in in height (50%) and 45.75cm in head circumference (45%). Dr. Scott said you are growing well. He also tested your cognitive development by asking you to follow a series of simple instructions. He spinned a top on the ground and asked you to go and pick it up, change hands and then give it to him. You understood every word and he was very impressed! Even Mommy was impressed because half the time when Mommy asks you to do something, you don't! Dr. Scott said that is called "selective attention and hearing"...hahaha. He also said that you are moving around very well as he saw you running around the waiting room before you were checked in and then climbing up Mommy's leg. He also told Mommy to look forward to more talking from you. We should always narrate our day to you to expand your vocabulary. WOW!

The next time you go back and see Dr. Scott is at the end of August for your 18 month check up.

Love, Mom

First Dentist Visit

Dear Izzy,

We went in for your very first dental visit today! Boy, was it an adventure. When we arrived, you headed straight for the play area. You had so much fun, playing with the toys and coloring. Then when it came to your turn to see Dr. Robert Smith, you started to cry and clenched your jaw down so tight like an alligator! But Dr. Smith was able to make you open your mouth by giving you a toothbrush to chew on and he checked out the 7 toofers you have.

Mommy was a little concerned about the size of your teeth and asked Dr. Smith if they looked too big for your mouth and he said that right now, your mouth is probably too small for your teeth. With time, your mouth will grow but your teeth will remain the same size and so they won't look too big anymore. Dr. Smith mentioned an underbite because you flashed him your fake smile with your top teeth slightly behind your bottom teeth. He said he won't be able to tell right now and it might just be a habit. What has Mommy been telling you? Don't smile like that! I think you do it on purpose because it looks so funny.

Love, Mom

Izzy and her fake smile...

2nd Round of Shots

Dear Izzy,

We went in to the doctor to get your 2nd round of shots today. It's your last dose of Prevnar and you also got your TB skin test. We also had a weight check for you as well. You put on 1/2 lbs! You are now up to 17lbs 2 ozs and have tripled your birth weight.

You were brave when you got your TB skin test. You saw the needle go into your arm and didn't make a peep. But then you saw the bigger needle that contained the Prevnar dose and started crying even before the nurse gave you the shot! I think you are starting to remember events now. Poor baby. I hope you don't equate the doctor's office with shots and hate going to the doctor's from now on.

You also have a slight cold and have been having a few rough nights. I guess that fever was your body trying to fight the cold virus. Get well soon because next week we will be going back to Vancouver and Mommy doesn't want to bring a sick on the plane.

Love, Mom

Fever Again?!

You, Daddy and Mommy had a rough night last night, Izzy...you came down with a fever again. Not sure why? You slept from 6pm the night before but woke up at around 1am. You couldn't fall back asleep till 3am. But your sleep after that was very fragmented with wakeups at 3:45am and again at 5am. You were up for the day at 7am and today you are restless and have lost your appetite. Poor baby. We really hope that you put on weight since your last doctor's visit because next week we will be going in for your other round of shots and also a weight check and Mommy doesn't want you to get any unnecessary tests due to a lack of weight gain.

I hope it's just teething or some viral infection and not another UTI. Get better soon. Mommy misses the cheeky Isabelle.

Love, Mom

Video taken a couple days before getting sick...
Your walking is getting better and better!

Red Spots!

Poor baby...

Mommy feels so bad for you right now. We have figured out why you've been super cranky these few days. The MMR vaccine symptoms are finally showing up! You had a slight fever on Tuesday and some red spots started developing on your body. Yesterday, more spots appeared and today your whole front and back are covered in red spots! You must be sooo uncomfortable because you couldn't sleep well last night. You cried a few times and the cry was different. Mommy knew at once that something is bothering you.

We made a call to Dr. Scott and the nurse at the doctor's office said that it is normal for you to develop these spots and have a slight fever 7-10 days after your MMR vaccine. She said this will last till Sunday and taper off.

You usually don't have any reactions when you get shots but I guess the MMR vaccine is one of the big ones. Mommy is trying hard to keep you happy with lots of snuggles and hugs. Hope you feel better soon.

Love, Mom

Spots on Wednesday

Spots on Thursday

1 year Baby Wellness Exam

Hey there skinny minnie,

We went in to see Dr. Scott for your 1 year baby wellness exam today and guess what? You've only put on about 1 lb since we last saw him! Ah Ma and Mommy had a bet that you would be 18 or 19 lbs respectively but we were both WRONG! You didn't even reach the 17 lbs mark! You weighed in at 16 lbs 10 oz. (1%), measured 29 inches in length (47%) and have a head circumference of 45.25 cm (56%).

Dr. Scott has OK-ed shellfish, honey and peanut butter. Actually he says you can basically eat anything at this point now. That's awesome! Daddy cannot wait to feed you a whole bunch of stuff. Mommy has tried to feed you whole milk for the last month but you always spit it out! Dr. Scott wants you to get at least 16-20 oz. of whole milk a day but it's gonna be tough! Mommy has even started incorporating milk in your food so you don't see it. We will try to feed you more yogurt and cheese too.

Usually at the 1 year checkup, babies get 2 vaccinations (MMR & Prevnar) and a TB test. But Mommy has been reading up a lot on vaccinations lately and since the MMR is such a controversial vaccine, we have decided to postpone getting the Prevnar until we are certain that you don't have any reactions to the MMR. So today, you got the MMR vaccine and you cried a little bit more than normal because it stings (as per the nurse). Mommy really hates it when you have to get shots!

Other than your weight, Dr. Scott said that you are on point developementally-wise. We go back in a month to get the Prevnar vaccine and also the TB test. Dr. Scott also wants to monitor your weight and make sure you gain more the next time he sees you.

You better start packing on the pounds!

Love, Mom

Daddy reading to Izzy in the waiting room

Mommy trying to calm Izzy down in the doctor's office

Happy 50 week birthday!

You turn ONE next week, Izzy!!! Seriously, where has the time gone? Somedays Mommy feels like she is trying so hard to slow down the sands of time slipping through her fingers. But alas, you are growing up so fast in front of my eyes. Some people tell me that you are lucky that Mommy stays home with you but I think I am the lucky one. You are a different person everyday and I am so lucky to be there to experience your growth.

Last week you had a mild fever and immediately Mommy thought that you came down with a UTI again because there were no other symptoms. Thank God that after a visit to the doctor where we did a urine test, the results came back negative. Daddy thinks that you are going through another round of teething. Your night sleep for the next few nights were not very good. You were constantly waking up at around 3:30 am and not able to soothe yourself back to sleep. Last night improved a little. Hopefully you are back to your sleeping through the night schedule!

You are learning to share! You offer to share your finger food with Mommy these days. It's the cutest thing! Even though sometimes your cookie is all covered and/or soaked in drool, Mommy still takes a bite of it because you are so sweet to want to share with me!

We will be celebrating your BIG ONE this weekend! We are all busy with preparations...the day is coming too soon!

Love, Mom

Just enjoyed a cherry-flavored macaroon from Godpa Dan

10 month Baby Wellness Exam and Happy 41 week birthday!

Dear Isabelle,

You are getting skinnier and skinnier, little skinny minnie! Mommy and Daddy were certain that you would hit the 17 lb mark but nope, when we went to see Dr. Scott today, you were only 15 lbs 15 oz and that puts you at the 4th percentile! So it is quite obvious that you have the famous Ow genes because you eat like a horse but haven't put on much weight! Your height was measured at 28 inches (56%) and the circumference of your head is 44 cm (44%).

Dr. Scott said that you can start having citrus and egg whites but to still stay away from honey, shellfish and peanut butter (although you had some peanut butter cookies yesterday!). We also have to start some routine oral care so Mommy is going to try to remember to brush your teeth every day.

You were such a brave girl today. You had to have a toe prick to measure your iron levels and you didn't even feel that one! Then came the second dose of flu shot...ouch! You felt that but you only cried for a second or two. You are getting better at this and so is Mommy!

As for motor developement-wise, you have been doing the crab crawl and Dr. Scott said that since you have been cruising a little and slowly testing the waters by letting go of one hand, you should be able to walk by your first birthday. You are climbing up on things and using everything as a stepping stool! Mommy is kind of not really looking forward to it because I will not know what to do with you during your waking and WALKING hours!

You have become a better sleeper now as well, much to Mommy's delight! Today something happened that has never happened in your whole 41 weeks of life. You fell asleep in the carseat AND didn't even wake up when we brought you into the house. Not even with Daddy knocking the carseat on the entryway of the apartment building! You slept in the carseat for almost an hour afterwards. WOW, Mommy hopes that this continues and maybe you might even be a good girl and sleep soundly in the carseat for our trip back to Vancouver tomorrow. It's going to be just you and I and Mommy is stressing out about the flight!

Be nice to Mommy tomorrow, OK?

Love, Mom

Lulu keeps you brave at the doctors.

Using your animal zoo as a stepping stool.

URGH...Rashes!

My poor poor baby,

Not only are you fighting your UTI, now you have rashes to deal with! Mommy feels soooo bad for you. This morning you woke up with some rashes on your head and body and Mommy quickly called Dr. Scott. We thought you were allergic to the antibiotics you are taking but Dr. Scott said that it is probably the infection that is giving you the rash. So he told us to give you some Children's Benedryl.

You are so overmedicated that you are grumpy and cranky. I am so sorry you are going through such a tough time. Mommy is really praying that you get well soon.

Love, Mom

8 month Baby Wellness Exam and Follow Up Appointment

Dear Izzy,

You had your 8 month baby wellness exam today. You weigh 14 lbs 10 ozs (5%), your height is 27 inches (57%) and your head circumference is 43 cm (38%). Your weight percentile has dropped from 15% to 5%! Mommy is a little worried but Dr. Scott isn't too concerned. He said that by this time, babies usually slow down in weight gain and he thinks that because you haven't been feeling well and have no appetite, that might have contributed to a little weight loss. Dr. Scott also saw your 2 lower central incisors...probably another contributing factor for your loss of appetite!

Other things Dr. Scott told us to look forward to is cruising since you have already started to pull yourself up. He said you are a little advanced in your mobility milestones! He also warned us that we should remove crib bumpers as it can be used as an aid to climb out of the crib. You are such a violent sleeper though, Mommy's worried that you will be bumping your head all night! But once we see any sign of you using the crib bumper as an escape tool, the bumpers will be GONE!

As for the follow up to your urine sample results, they confirmed that you have a UTI and found the e. coli bacteria in your urine. Good news is that the antibiotics Dr. Karen started you with has already taken effect and is slowly killing the bacteria. You are definitely starting to slowly feel better. Bad news is that we have to go for further testing to make sure that this infection is just going to be a one time deal and not that something is wrong with your urinary tract. Mommy is not looking forward to one of the tests as it is somewhat invasive. But I would rather know now so we can correct it, if neccesary.

Although you are still a little cranky, Mommy is glad that the well Izzy is starting to pop in every once in a while after a good nap! Can't wait for you to get your appetite back because Daddy made you some really yummy food!

Love, Mom

P/S: We saw Mrs. Diamond, Dr. Diamond's wife from the show Dr. 90210, and her son at Beverly Hills Pediatrics.

Fever, Fever, Go Away

Dear Isabelle,

Today is day 3 of your fever. It comes and it goes...Tylenol and Motrin have helped with getting it down but once the medication wears off, your fever comes back in full force. My poor, poor baby...seeing you in so much discomfort is just so heartbreaking for me. And to top it all off, your gums are so swollen. Mommy thinks your other lower central incisor is coming in but you won't let me near your mouth to check!

We went to see Dr. Karen today and she did some tests on you. First was the flu test and that came back negative. The second one was the urine test. Your urine test came back with a small trace of bacteria and therefore Dr. Karen says that most probably you have a urinary tract infection. They are sending the urine sample into the lab for further testing so that they can tell for sure if you have a UTI or not.

We hope they can find out for sure what you are suffering from because apart from the fever, you have no other symptoms. We will hear back from Dr. Karen on Wednesday. Till then, we were instructed to continue using Tylenol and Motrin to keep the fever in check. Mommy hopes you get well soon because we miss the cheeky Izzy with that infectious laughter.

Love, Mom

My poor little sick baby

Trip to the ER

Dear Isabelle,

You were running a temperature and sick with your first bout of fever today. It all started at around 2:30 pm on Saturday when Mommy realized you were burning up. We took your temperature and it was 102.5°F. Mommy quickly called your pediatrician but since it was a weekend, we left a message and the doctor-on-call, Dr. Beth, called back to instruct us on what to do. She said to start giving you a dose of Infant Tylenol in hopes of bringing the fever down.

You took a dose of Tylenol and fell asleep at around 2:50 pm. You woke up 40 mins later and the fever had subsided. Mommy was relieved. You were even playful. We fed you your full dinner, took a cool bath and put you to sleep around 5:45 pm. By about 6:15 pm, you woke up crying and Mommy went into the room to check on you. You were shaking like a leaf! You had the chills and Mommy didn't know what to do for you but wrap you up and gave you another dose of Tylenol.

You were shaking for 15 mins and Mommy started to panic so I had to call Daddy to ask him to quickly come home from work. Daddy came home and we put you back to sleep. Again at around 10 pm, you woke up with chills. This time your temperature started to spike. When we took your temperature at around midnight, it was up to 103.2°F. Mommy decided that it was time to go to the ER because your fever did not seem to be letting down and we didn't want to risk any permanent damage.

By the time we got to the ER, your fever was up to 104.1°F. They stripped you down to your diaper and gave you a dose of Motrin. 1 hour later, your temperature went down to 101.8°F and we waited for 2 hours before being admitted to a room. The doctor checked you out and said that everything looked fine. By this time, your temperature went down to 98.6°F much to Mommy's relief. The doctor wanted to do some invasive tests on you but Daddy decided that since you looked OK and also since you've been through so much already, we will avoid the tests and wait to go in to see Dr. Scott on Monday.

When we got home, it was 4:30 am in the morning. What a night. This is the scariest night that Mommy has ever experienced. Mommy and Daddy are exhausted. We hope you get better soon.

Love, Mom

First Visit to the Eye Doctor

Dear Isabelle,

We went for your first visit to the eye doctor today. Dr. Scott referred us to this eye doctor because we have noticed that you have been a little crossed eyed since birth. The eye doctor said that what you have is called pseudostrabismus and nothing to worry about. She said most Asian babies have this and will eventually grow out of it when the bridge of the nose matures and narrows.

She also checked your vision. It took 3 drops of pupil dilation drops before she could check your eyes. Your eyes just refused to dilate! At the end, you were crying hysterically because you were getting impatient and tired and it was WAY past your naptime.

You have perfect vision and your follow up check up is in 8 months.

Love, Mom

6 month Baby Wellness Exam and Vaccinations

Hi baby,

We went in to see Dr. Scott for your 6 month baby wellness exam and vaccinations today. You weigh 13 lbs 14 ozs (15%), your height is 26 inches (60%) and your head circumference is 41.75 cm (32%). Your growth is slowing and will stabilize as you get older.

You got your 3rd and final set of shots! Yippee...no more till you turn 1. Again, it was 3 owies but this time, no oral vaccine. You were brave, only screamed when they poked you and stopped once Daddy carried you. Mommy still cannot bear to watch you getting poked...I get all choked up!

Hopefully, just like all your other vaccinations, you don't get any reactions or fever. You are asleep now and it's been almost 1 hr 15 mins. Sleep it off, baby, sleep it off.

Love, Mom

Checking yourself out in the mirror at the doctor's office...

Weeeeee...supergirl!

Happy 22 week birthday!

Dear Isabelle,

You are getting to be an expert with your hands now. Your ability to reach and grasp your toys has improved dramatically. Whenever you see an object you want, you will reach for it with your fingers outstretched, ready to grasp the target. You also utilize your dexterity to transfer toys from one hand to the other and are starting to learn to put the pacifier back in your mouth. Mommy is so proud!

You are sort of pseudo-crawling. Your legs/knees keep on moving under you but you go nowhere...be patient, you have to tone your back and shoulder muscles first! You really like it when Mommy "helps" you by giving you our hands as a push-off board...then you go off lunging around the floor!

Mommy loves to hear your squeals of joy and I melted when you greeted me with outstretched arms for the first time the other day. You are capable of giving different responses to people based upon the level of comfort you have established with that person. You love laughing at 爷爷's funny faces!

We went for your 5 month wellness check up this morning and everything is on track. You are now 13 lbs 6 oz, you have put on about 1 lb since the last time you got weighed at the doctor, that's about ½ ounce a day. You are a hypermetabolizer and an active baby with a persistent, motor-driven personality so you tend to burn more calories and are quite lean although your Daddy and your 爷爷 say that your thighs resemble the lotus root. Don't you worry, Mommy says it's all muscle!

Love, Mom

Tummytime with Zoë

At the doctor's office

4 month Baby Wellness Exam and Vaccinations

Hi Isabelle,

We went in to see Dr. Scott for your 4 month baby wellness exam and vaccinations today. You weigh 12 lbs 7 ozs (27%), your height is 25.5 inches (92%) and your head circumference is 16 inches (48%). Dr. Scott said that you are on the skinny side but he's not surprised because Mommy is also skinny. Mommy thinks you have the same high metabolism that I have. You are growing so tall! No wonder Mommy was wondering how come you fit in your 6 month old onesies length-wise. We need to find a brand of onesies that are made on the longer-side since you are growing so long! Daddy hopes you will grow up to be at least 5'9".

You got your second set of shots...yikes. Again, it was 3 owies and 1 oral vaccine. Mommy couldn't bear to watch but you were a brave girl. You took the oral vaccine like a champ, even chatting with the nurse while swallowing. How many times does Mommy have to tell you not to talk with your mouth full?? You do it when nursing too. Then when she gave you your shots, you howled but only for about 2 mins. Daddy picked you up and you were comforted.

No fever again this time around but you were super fussy. You didn't want to take ANY naps by yourself and so Mommy had to put you in the sling again. You were so tired by the end of the day, you fell asleep at 8 p.m. instead of your normal 9 p.m. bedtime.

Hopefully tomorrow is a better day!

Love, Mom

Owies on Isabelle's thigh

Poor Little Sick Baby

Dear Isabelle,

Today is your first sick visit to the doctor. My poor baby, you came down with a minor cold. Last night you didn't sleep well at all. You have a slight cough and a congested nasal passage.

We went to see your new pediatrician today. He is Dr. Scott Cohen, from Beverly Hills Pediatrics. You were so good at your appointment despite being sick. You were all smiles when you saw him and Dr. Scott was so gentle with you. He was very thorough with your examination, we like him alot! He recommended that you sleep on an incline and we use a vaporizer in our room.

After finding out that you were breech when born, Dr. Scott recommended we go for a hip ultrasound to check your hips for any sign of hip dysplasia. Apparently there is a very small probability for breech baby girls to have it so we want to make sure your hips are fine. He manually checked your hips and said they felt normal. We are glad that we switched pediatricians and are able to make this ultrasound before you turn 4 months. We will be scheduling that appointment soon.

I hope you feel better soon, baby!

Love, Mom

2 month Baby Wellness Check-up and Vaccinations

Dear Isabelle,

We went in to see Dr. Pang for your 2 month baby wellness check-up and vaccinations today. You weigh 10 lbs 5 ozs (44%), your height is 22 inches (44%) and your head circumference is 15 inches (40%). Dr. Pang said you are growing very well! You were in the 25 percentile at 3 weeks and now are in the 44 percentile.

You got your first set of shots today...OUCH! 3 shots (2 in one thigh and 1 in the other) and a squirt in the mouth. Mommy cried with you when you got your shots and Daddy was there to hold you still. You are such a brave little girl. Mommy nursed you right after your shots and you calmed right down.

You didn't get a fever and wasn't fussy the whole day...you are usually fussier on normal days! Your next set of shots are when you turn 4 months. We are so NOT looking forward to that!

Love, Mom

One owie on this thigh...

Two owies on the other...