Ashtyn's 4th month baby check-up!

Ashtyn had her 4 month Well-baby check up today.

Her stats are:

Height: 24 inches @ 41%

Weight: 13 lbs, 8 oz @ 46%

Head Circumference 40.1cm @ 26%

Peter & I were shocked about the head circumference percentage. We think her head looks "big", but apparently, that is not the case. I'm interested to see the differences (if any) at her 6 month visit.

We also found out that the "bruise" I thought I kept seeing on her right shoulder blade is not a bruise at all, but a birthmark. A "Mongolian spot" Dr. Stephens called it. These particular birthmarks are common in Asians and in Native Americans. Funny...Ashtyn is both!

From Wikipedia: "Mongolian spots are most prevalent among Mongols, and other Asian groups, such as the Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans. Nearly all East Asian infants are born with one or more Mongolian spots. It is also common if only one of the parents is East Asian. They also occur in 90-95% and 85-90% of East African and Native American infants, respectively."

The most common color is blue which is why we thought she had a tiny bruise. Her spot is about the size of a "bb", like from a "bb gun". Honestly, I thought she may have a bruise b/c she is somewhat spoiled & we pick her up so often! Silly me! The doctor did warn us though that some may mistake these birthmarks for bruises and therefore...you guessed it..."child abuse"! So...we will let our friends, family, & day care workers know about this so no one will be alarmed. Even funnier...she may also have a tiny one in her tiny little "crack" so to speak! Shh! Don't tell anyone!

On another note, Ashtyn has now tried the baby food version of rice cereal, sweet potatoes, and green beans...in that order. I say this b/c today Peter and I were informed by her pediatrician that we were to start GREENS (green beans, peas), then ORANGES (carrots, sweet potatoes), then YELLOWS (squash), then later move onto fruits! I don't know...something about how rice cereal is like Frontier City... great unless you've been to other places...like Six Flags (vegetables), then finally Disney Land (fruits)!!! Okay??? So, we'll try the "order" as he prescribed, but Ashtyn doesn't seem to mind. So far, she'll eat anything!

Hug & kiss your little ones today...I won't (& quite frankly CANNOT discuss w/o crying) the reasons why I suggest this.

Peace to you and yours!

Bethany