More than Expected

Part 49

April 1, 2014
      He can't stop watching the video. Has probably replayed it a total of 150 times. The video is one Kate took of her and Royce as he completed an hour of tummy time. "Royce, say 'happy birthday, Dada.' Come on, let's sing to him. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Dada. Happy birthday to you. Say 'love you, Dada. See you soon.'" Today's his 20th birthday and he's spending it in the barracks room by himself. He was a little upset that he couldn't be spending the day with his girlfriend and son.
       But he was about make a phone call that would begin their future together. "Richard, darling, oh how I miss you!" "I miss you too, Mother." "And happy birthday, kiddo." "Thank you, Mother. I actually wanted to talk to you about something." "What's going on?" "I need Grandma's ring." He tells her and hears her gasp, "Richard, are you serious!? Have you asked her parents?" "Yes. I called them a few days ago and they both gave me their permission." "When are you going to do it?" "Sometime within the next month or so. I'm gonna take leave and surprise her."
      "Okay, dear, I'll find the ring and take it to the cleaner so it will be ready for you. Keep me updated, please. Congratulations, kiddo!" "Thank you, Mother. I'll call you in a few days to tell you all of the details." "Okay, darling, love you." "Love you too, Mother." He ends the phone call with a thousand watt smile on his face. He's one step closer to spending forever with the woman of his dreams. Now he just has to plan the actual proposal and pick a time to go up to New York and finally propose.

April 4, 2014
      Back in New York, Kate is sitting in an exam room with Royce in her lap. Her baby boy turned six months old two days ago. She cried most of the day. She can't believe how big he is getting. He's half a year old. In six months from now, they'll be in North Carolina with Rick, celebrating a whole year since she gave birth to their little surprise baby. There is a knock on the door and Dr. Swann walks in, "Hello. How're we doing today?" "We're good." "Good. I see he weights 15 pounds now which is perfect and he's 26.75 inches long. He's meassuring perfectly."
     "Yay." Kate coos as she gently claps her hands in front of the baby. "Are there any concerns you have before I get into the routine questions?" "Yes, actually, I will be moving to North Carolina to be with Rick in June and I'm gonna need his medical records sent to his new doctor down there once I find one." "Okay, we can definitely do that. I can also look and see if I know any of the doctors in the area and make a reference list for you." Dr. Swann offers.
      "That would be great. Thank you." "Of course. I'll email them to you. Now, for the routine questions. Has he started teething?" "Yes. None have cut through but he's very uncomfortable and is drooling like crazy." "Alright. They should cut through soon. Iced teething rings are perfect for discomfort and they also love when you run your finger across their gums like a little massage. Can he roll over and sit up?" "Yes on the rolling over. We're working on sitting up, but I think he'll doing it soon." "Okay, that's perfectly fine. Once he starts lifting himself up, start transitioning him into crawling."
       "Now I'm just going to do his physical exams before we give him his vaccines. He'll be receiving the PCV, DTaP, Hib, Polio, and Hepatitis B vaccines today." Kate nods. Dr. Swann performs a physical exam, "Alright. He looks perfect. Now, how's he been doing with the rice cereal?" "Perfect. He eats it once a day around lunch time, but he's still primarily fed through nursing." "Okay, that's good. I would recommend to start slowly transitioning him into solids and baby food. I would start around lunchtime like you are now but over the next few months I would try doing it to replace three nursing sessions a day." Dr. Swann advises.
"I would also recommend starting to fill a sippy cup with a little bit of water to get him into sippy cup training and to start getting his body used fo digesting water. The next thing is to brush his teeth. I know he doesn't have any yet, so just start brushing his gums just to get a head start on dental hygiene. Since he's going to start eating solid foods, I would cut back on his Vitamin D drops. I would only administer them about 2-3 times a week. This is also the stage where we recommend that you start reading to him to keep him engaged in things. My last recommendation is to start baby proofing because once they start moving, they don't stop. Do you have any questions?" Kate shakes her head 'no' as she tries to take in all of the information. "Alright. A nurse will be in to administer his shots and then you guys are free to go. It was so nice getting to know you and this little guy. I wish you the best." Dr. Swann says.
Part 49! Comment what you think!