Doctor's Appointment

Today we took Emma to see the Dr. She has been a lot less fussy the last couple of days, and today seemed very happy and talkative. She seems to talk less when her reflux flares up, which worries me. The dr. reassured us that she still looks good (she's somewhat small, but very healthy) and that he believes she just has bad reflux. But he is going to get her in to see a pediatric gastroenterologist in Nashville. I think Nick and I will both be relieved to have her seen by someone who specializes in reflux and other similar issues. We are praying that the dr. will be able to change her meds or formula, so she won't have to undergo any invasive testing. I am still eager to get her on solids, as she is always hungry now and I know she's ready for solids. Unfortunately, her system doesn't seem to handle them too well right now. So until we get in to see the dr, I will be researching pediatric gi's, possible tests and procedures, medications, and creating a document of questions and her history to take with us. This is when my journal of all her activities will pay off (Nick has been asking me for months now when we could stop recording every last poop). Hopefully this new dr. will be able to get Emma all straightened out. Other than the reflux (and the really terrible gas she's been having, which I'm assuming is related), she's an awesome little girl. We've finally managed to drop the swaddle, and she seems to love having both of her hands out. I'm finished with her Christmas shopping, although I keep finding cute things. We bought her the Charlie Monkey book (there's a link on the right side of my blog), and she absolutely loves it. I'm ordering a few more like it from Amazon. I'm really hoping she will take after me and love to read. We read to her every day and she'll grow up seeing me read. We think she might be a little Tom Glavine (a lefty), but obviously it's too young to tell. Overall, we are having a blast with her. Tonight after we got back from the doctor's, we all laid in the floor and played, even the dogs. She babbled on and on. This is such a fun age, and she's so close to sitting up on her own. Today we got some mother-daughter cuddle time, which we don't do enough of. We just stared at each other, and she stuck her hands in my mouth. She's all about sticking everything in her mouth. Please pray for her as she goes to see the specialist. We know how blessed we are that she is more or less a perfectly healthy girl, but we hate to see her suffer in any way. And of course I feel guilty. Could something I did or my genes have contributed to it? Is there something more I could be doing now? Probably not, but apparently as a mother, I'm required to worry and feel guilty...it's a rule.