not to us

We visited Dr. Miller this moring, and Ruby was not prepared for what she encountered.  They have stripped the waiting rooms and exam rooms of all toys, books, crayons, and other sorts of child-entertainment.  Thankfully, I had been previously warned about the H1N1-prepared offices, and I brought some stickers, a book, and a lollipop.  :)  Ruby was a trooper, and she showed off for Dr. Miller like always.

It wasn't Ruby's appointment, though.  :)  It was Burke's One-Year Well-Check.  We started off by getting his measurements.  We found out there's a reason that he fits comfortably into 6-9 month old clothing.  He weighs 19 lb., 5 oz., and he's 28 inches long.  Below the 5th percentile for a one-year-old, and somewhere between the 10th and 25th percentile for a 10 month old.  :)  It's all good.  He's a full two pounds bigger than Ruby was at this age, and we know he'll catch up eventually.  Plus, Mommy doesn't mind having him a little smaller, since he's my last baby.  ;)

(Here he is wearing a 12 month shirt and 9-12 month jeans.)

When we finished with the measurements, we moved onto developmental milestones.  Burke is currently waving hello and goodbye intermittently.  He crawls (the normal way), and he pulls up to standing on his own.  He can stand independently, as long as he's got something to hold onto for balance.  He's eating table food, and he's drinking from a sippy cup.  He has weaned down to 2-3 nursing sessions each day, and he's sleeping a solid 12 hours through the night.

Those are all great signs...right on target!

Burke is a little behind with his speech, though.  Even when evaluating him according to his adjusted age, he's quite behind in this area.  He doesn't have any words, and he very (very) rarely babbles.

Dr. Miller noticed how quiet he was during the exam, and she asked me if that was normal.  I told her that it was extremely normal, and she decided to try to illicit some responses from Burke.  After a few minutes of making silly faces, talking with Burke, and trying to initiate some "conversation", Burke still hadn't uttered a sound.

She turned him around and started to say his name.  He didn't acknowledge her at all.  She asked me if he normally responds to his name, and I told her that (after thinking about it), I realized that he usually doesn't respond unless I raise my voice or clap my hands when I say his name.  She said his name a few more times, and then she clapped and said his name loudly, and he finally turned around and smiled at her.

This is a fairly strong indication that Burke's hearing is somewhat decreased.  However, he passed his hearing test with flying colors when he was in the NICU, so we know he can hear something.  Chances are that his hearing is simply muffled, due to fluid in his ears.  So...she's treating him with antibiotics to clear up any fluid in his ears, and then he will be having a hearing evaluation with the audiology team in a couple of weeks on the 27th.

Depending on the findings of that evaluation, he may need tubes put in his ears.  (She's already considering tubes, since he's had several ear infections.)

Burke has also been referred to First Steps (a developmental intervention program) to try to work on the speech delay.  I have worked with the First Steps program during my time in college, and I'm very comfortable with it.  I simply never thought I would have personal experience with the program.

Anyway, we don't think it's anything serious or permanent.  But it's still a little bit of a shock.  We appreciate all of your prayers for a smooth ride.  :)  Be it a perfect hearing test, an easy successful surgery, or something more complicated, I'm sure we'll make it through just fine.  God has already proven himself over and over again during Burke's lifetime, and I have no doubt He'll show up again this time!  :)

Take it away, God!  This show is yours.  Our boy is yours!  We commit him and his life to you!