They’re finally on a consistent nap schedule, sleeping three times a day, and we have far less crying. Nights are also much easier. They both go to bed around 7:30 with Rita waking up twice before morning and Rosie usually only once. During their brief waking hours, they both love to look into people’s faces, tickling, walks in the stroller, and patty cake. They both hold rattles and bring objects to their mouths to explore. They’re both rolling over from stomach to back and are much easier to carry around now that their necks are stronger. Rita is especially fond of music and Rosie loves interacting with people. Rosie has caught up with Rita sizewise. They both weighed exactly the same, 13 pounds 11 ounces, at their four month check-up. They’ve caught up with the rest of the baby population as well, exhibiting height and weight above the 50th percentile. Just as we felt the worst was behind us, however, Rita’s nephrologist hit us with a new diagnosis. Previously, he thought that her kidneys were steadily improving and that we could expect a full recovery. He now believes she has a condition called ARPKD (auto recessive polycystic kidney disease). This is a serious genetic disorder for which there is no cure. Most patients need dialysis or transplant before adulthood. Some undergo kidney replacement as toddlers, others make it well into their teens before experiencing kidney failure. We’re still learning a lot about the disorder. If you’re interested, visit http://www.arpkd.org for more information. On a lighter note, tonight after dinner, Rita was beginning to fuss—her signal that it’s time for a bottle. As usual, the moment the bottle was in her mouth, peace was restored to the household. After a couple minutes, Frankie said “Sippy cups keep me from crying.” Andy said, “That’s interesting, what keeps the girls from crying?” Frankie said, “Bottles.” Andy said, “What keeps Daddy from crying?” Frankie said “Mugs.” (Frankie knows mugs are for coffee.) Andy and I both said, “You got that right!” |
