Three-Quarters of a Year!

Well, James has been 9 months old for two weeks now, but he just had his check-up last Thursday. He is 27.5 inches tall (20-30%) and 18 lbs. 2 oz. (11%). Our doctor was slightly concerned about his weight. She attributed it to his active nature and distractability when nursing (which is what I attribute it to as well). Since he fights the bottle (from what I've been told), she said he could have pumped milk in a sippy cup when away from me. She also recommended he start dairy consumption (cheeses and yogurts) to get some fat ingested. He's had whole-milk yogurt for lunch every day since. I've also bought more avacados, since they are fatty and he likes them.

Otherwise, he did just fine. We have an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist next week. This is the doctor who has read his two echocardiograms. The check-up is just to be able to talk with him first hand regarding James's heart murmur. Again, our pediatrician was not worried about it at all, but this is just a cautionary measure (to make us all feel better).

No major shots this time. Just a half-dose of the flu shot (he'll get the other half in October). During this shot, James smiled at the nurse and watched her the entire time. No crying. Seriously! Both she and I were AMAZED! If I hadn't seen him cry after bonking his head before, I'd be worried that he couldn't feel pain or something.

Oh, the other thing we discussed was his sleep habits. I admitted that we either nurse or rock him to sleep, and she said we need to stop that. We can nurse or rock him to almost sleep, but then he needs to be put into his bed. I knew that; it is just easier said than done. I mean, back when he didn't roll, crawl or stand, it was no big deal: turn on the mobile and he'd fall asleep. Now he crawls around and stands up no matter how tired he is. We're working on it, and it is getting easier.

For those who are curious, James's latest culinary experiences: yogurt, flounder, lamb, chicken, cheese, bread, bagel, chicken. He still loves Cheerios and many different fruits and veggies.