Gifts From Above: Dentists and Doctors and Checkups, Oh My!

The week before we left for AZ, my mom flew into town to help me fly back with the girls. I decided to take advantage of the extra help and schedule as many appointments as possible so that I could take the girls for their checkups instead of dragging all three of them to each appointment. SO, Eliana went in for her 5-year well check and Olivia had her 15-month well check at the same time (kill 2 birds with one stone, you know?). Thankfully I was able to leave Addie at home with Achi (Grandma) so she wouldn't have to witness Olivia getting her shots. Everyone got flu shots, Olivia had 4 vaccinations and an iron check, and all three girls had blood drawn at some point during the week. We received some good news and bad news at this appointment. We did allergy testing on all the girls and found out that Olivia is allergic to wheat, milk, and eggs. The bad news is we have to avoid those things in her diet which is a little tricky (particularly the wheat because it's in so many things!), but the good news is now we know what has been causing all of her digestive problems, so hopefully those days are behind us now. Since we have had so many problems with her diet, the doctor was slightly concerned with her growth since her last visit. She dropped from the 50th percentile in height and weight to the 10th, which is fairly significant. So, we're headed back to the doctor in six weeks just to do a weight check and make sure she doesn't continue to drop. Poor thing, she's so tiny! We thought she'd be our largest kid since she was the longest at birth, but she's still wearing some clothes that are size 6 months!

Eliana didn't pass her vision screening, so I have her scheduled to see a pediatric ophthalmologist when we return home. I think there's a good chance that Little Miss will be needing glasses, because I am certain that she knew all the letters and shapes they were asking her to recognize, and I could see them very clearly. Also, Eliana had to have her lipids checked since Miller has high cholesterol. They are starting to do routine cholesterol checks in little kids who are genetically predisposed. Yesterday I got the call, and her overall cholesterol and LDL levels were elevated, so we also have to go back in to see the pediatrician because they want to start her on a treatment plan. I'm pretty sure that just means making adjustments to her diet in order to prevent complications when she gets older. So between Olivia's dietary restrictions and Eliana's cholesterol (not to mention Miller's cholesterol and Addie's peanut allergy), it looks like Mommy is on an adventure to learn some creative and healthy ways to feed her family!

In addition to the doctor, the whole family (minus Olivia) had appointments at the dentist to get our teeth cleaned. This was Addie's first visit at the dentist and she was such a BIG girl. I was so proud of her for not having a scared-screaming-refusing to open her mouth-crying-tantrum-type reaction I was anticipating. :) The good news: the whole family is cavity-free! Please pray for these sweet girls and their health. We're so thankful that the doctors have the wisdom and medical technology to do all the testing that was necessary to discover what is wrong with them. May the Lord be glorified through all this. I didn't take any pictures at the pediatrician, but I managed to snap a few from my phone of the girls at the dentist...