9 Month Well Visit

This afternoon Josh, Eli, and I went to see Doctor R. again for Eli's 9 month well baby visit. We had originally scheduled this visit earlier in the month, but things got kind of busy at the doctor's office and we had to reschedule. Technically, Eli's about to be 10 months, but since he wasn't going to get any shots during this visit, it didn't really matter when we came.

I took off half a day and came home to  get Eli ready for the doctor. He didn't get to go see Hayden and Ms. Ashley today because Ms. Ashley got her wisdom teeth removed last Friday and she's still not doing well. Say a prayer for her, please! Josh's grandmother came and kept Eli until I could get home. She said that Eli had played his little heart out all day and had been so good. That's my boy!  :)

He is getting so very close to walking. Most babies that I've seen will just stand in one place and work up the courage to take steps. Eli's skipping that part. He's taking steps and falling all over the place. Luckily, he has great reflexes and always braces himself before he crashes to the floor. I think my entire head will be full of gray hairs before this is all over :)

We got him ready, gave him a bottle, and let him take a quick nap and then made our way over to see Doctor R. Luckily we didn't have to wait very long for them to call us to the back. While we waited Josh and Eli had a serious conversation about why he was at the doctor's office again. We got called back to the room and the nurse weighed and measured Eli. Then we got to wait again for Dr. R to come see us. Eli had been going crazy the entire time we were waiting for Dr. R. He wanted down on the ground to play, but there was no way in the world that was going to happen. He and I danced, ate puffs (yes, I had some too!), read books, played games with Daddy, zoomed around on Dr. R's stool, looked out the window, played peek-a-boo, and anything else that would keep his attention. Dr. R came in the room and all the activeness ceased immediately. Eli polished his halo and was the picture of perfection as she checked him. He didn't budge at all when she examined him. He sat watching her every move the entire time without moving a muscle. Josh and I were astounded!

Eli's 9 Month Stats:
Weight: 18 pounds 12 ounces (25th percentile)
Head: 17 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
Length: 28 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

Dr. R told me to not worry about this weight. She said from what I told her, he is getting plenty of food during the day; he's just working it all off quickly, since he NEVER stops. Seriously, if he's awake he is in constant motion. She said to continue to do what we're doing and to keep working on the sippy cup. He will drink from it occasionally, but would rather drink from the bottle instead. Imagine that, Mr. I-Used-To-Hate-My-Bottle actually prefers the bottle over something else! My how times change :)

She said everything looked great and that unless he got sick (please NO!) we wouldn't need to come back until his 12 month well baby visit. Oh my gosh! Are we already that close to the 12 month well baby visit? I need to start planning a birthday party :) He didn't need shots today, but they did need to check his blood levels for anemia and lead, which meant he was going to have to get a finger pricked. Josh and I cringed because the after hours clinic did this a couple weeks ago and Eli was not a happy camper. They could barely get the blood out of his finger, poor thing! Today went much better though. The nurse came in, grabbed Eli's hand, wiped it down with alcohol, pricked his finger, collected the samples, and then left. Seriously, I don't know if it took more than 2 minutes. And get this...ELI DID NOT CRY ONE SINGLE TEAR! Josh and I were expecting him to get really upset, but he acted like he didn't feel anything. He's such a strong and tough baby :) His blood results came back great, sobarring illness, we won't see Dr. R until he's one years old! I can't wait to see how much he's grown and changed by then!

Being such a BIG boy at the doctor's office!

He didn't even cry!! :)