Good morning!

Here's Rose wearing one of my favorite outfits that she borrowed from her friend Norah :)

nine-month pediatric appointment

Rose is 9 months old! She got a clean bill of health from the doctor today, although I'm still dealing with the lingering guilt for not being there since I had a meeting at work that I couldn't miss. Good thing she has such a wonderful daddy (and I have such a wonderful husband!). Thanks, Mike!

Here are her stats:

Two months
weight:  12# 6.4 oz (85th %ile)
height:   23.5"  (86th %ile)
head:    15.5" (66th %ile)

Four months
weight:  15# 10oz (86th %ile)
height:   26"  (95th %ile)
head:    16.75"  (85th %ile)

Six months
weight:  17# 7oz (78th %ile)
height:   27.25"  (93rd %ile)
head:    17"   (72nd %ile)


Nine months
weight:  19# 9.6oz (65th %ile)
height:   28.75"  (87th %ile)
head:    17.5"   (66th %ile)

I know it looks like her weight has been taking a massive dive (based on percentiles), but I want to mention again that these percentiles are based on the CDC norms, which are predominantly formula fed babies, so this pattern is common for breastfed babies. The CDC actually recommends using the WHO norms (especially for breastfed babies), but our pediatrician's office doesn't have those in their EMR. Based on my really rough calculations and comparisons, however, it looks like Rose would be at the ~75th %ile for weight based on those "correct" norms.

In other news, things still aren't settled at my job. I still have an "interim" promotion, and it's looking like it will become definite soon. But now there's talk that the role I'm being promoted to will change and will entail some additional responsibilities that are a little intimidating to me, so we'll see what happens. It'll be interesting and exciting either way, but I'm still nervous about it. Sigh.

Finally, sorry for all the trouble with my blog the last couple days. I tried to get all fancy by uploading a short video for our weekly update earlier this week, and apparently every blog that included videos from the google+ instant upload also had their blog crash! I'm waiting on a fix from google and then I'll repost our weekly update.

Have a great week! (Sorry for a photo-less post!)

39 weeks / 9 months!

Rose turned 39 weeks old on Sunday and 9 months old today. And, best yet, she is finally on the mend from the yucky influenza and ear infection!  Thank heavens for antibiotics, ibuprofen and probiotics - I would have made a terrible pre-21st century mom - thank you, modern medicine!

Now that she's back to her usual chipper self, I had such a hard time winnowing down the slew of photos I took this weekend. :)

I have to come clean about my moment of parenting "fail" that followed this next photo.Just after I took this shot, Rose lifted up her beloved teapot and then promptly dropped it on her foot. She now has a huge bruise on her big toe, and I feel so guilty! Ouch!

In addition to her portraits above, here is photographic proof from later in the day that she loves my Camelbak water bottle. She really prefers it over her sippy cup ,so we just ordered her a kid-sized version to have to herself. (No, she's not spoiled at all!)

We've been working on some baby sign language for the past couple months. She is getting really good at signing "all done" when she's finished eating! (Yes, that is carrot on her forehead!)

I'm coming to terms with the fact that we're coming down the home stretch with breastfeeding. After all the trouble we had in the beginning, I still can't believe we made it this long. But I think we're getting close the end for me. So for now I'm going to savor this view while it lasts.

 

Finally, here is Rose showing off her new "bye bye" skills! :)
(Mom and Dad, you'll need to go to the actual blog to see the video since I don't think it will show up in the email notification.)

Hope you're having a great week, everyone!

Sunday morning

Nine months later, I'm finally getting back to my Sunday morning tradition of reading the paper. And now I have "help!"

recovering!

I ended up calling Rose's pediatrician yet again on Thursday (I had called Monday and Wednesday as well) and finally they took me seriously and scheduled Rose to come in. Well, it turns out that the fever (104!), vomitting, diarrhea, body aches (we presume), lethargy, and poor sleep wasn't due to "just a cold," as they originally tried to tell me. (Go figure.) It turns out that Little Miss had both influenza and an ear infection!! Poor Rose! No wonder she was so sick and so miserable. We started antiobiotics for the ear infection on Thursday (along with some probiotics to counteract the antiobiotics), and she is feeling so much better already. Whew!

Today (Saturday) Mike had to go in to school since he had stayed home with Rose on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, so she and I took advantage of the last of the warm-ish weather. (Highs of -8, anyone? That's what our forecast is looking like for the next few days.) We walked to the library and got to play with the fun puzzles and watched the big kids play with the toy kitchen. Then we walked over to Byerly's to get more distilled water for her humidifier. By that time we were both starving, so we picked up sushi for lunch - Rose's first sushi! (Don't worry, mommy police, we just had a california roll so there was no raw fish involved!)

So loved it! Well, mostly she loved the sushi's "innards" (crab, avocado, cucumber) dipped in soy sauce, sucking the flavor off the gari (pickled ginger), and all the little old ladies who stopped by to marvel at her adventurous eating. :) She was the star of the Byerly's cafe!

In other news, I taught Rose how to use the bite valve on my camelbak water bottle. She took to it almost immediately, and now seems to prefer it over her sippy cup. But perhaps I should have thought that decision through a bit more before acting on it, because I now realize it is almost completely incompatible with breastfeeding now that she has six huge teeth! (Ouch!) D'oh! At least she's now learning what "no" means.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Still sick :(

Apparently we jumped the gun on Rose returning to school today, because she got sent home only a couple hours later. Poor girl! Get well soon, Rose!

38 weeks!

Work has been super busy again, so sorry for the delay in posting. Here she is on Sunday, before she got super sick on Monday. Isn't she a cutie?!

She's still not crawling forward, but she is super mobile at scooting herself in circles and getting up on her hands and knees to reach (mostly) whatever she wants!

This next photo cracks me up. Rose isn't deliberately pointing (yet!), but this picture sure makes it look like she's showing off her tea pot!

Maybe next week I'll get a picture of her waving "bye bye," which makes my heart melt it's so cute!!!



In case anyone is curious, this has been Rose's daily routine (give or take, and when she's not sick):

5:15am - Steph wakes up and pumps (ah, Bertha, your days are numbered!!)
6:30am - wake up, morning fresh bottle
7:30am - Mike drops Rose off at school
8am - breakfast
9:30am - second fresh bottle, 30 minute nap (roughly, because the timing of her school naps is so variable!)
11:30am - lunch
1pm - frozen milk bottle, 30 minute nap
3pm - snack
4pm - Steph picks Rose up
4:30pm - nursing, another 30-minute nap
5:30pm - dinner
6pm - "family fun time" (usually we just hang out on the bed and read a book, let Rose play with her egg and cup, and practice standing/sitting or other gross motor skills)
6:30pm - bath time
7pm - nursing, lights out
7:30pm - Mike watches TV, Steph reads, and we go to sleep by 10am at the latest


I can't believe Rose will be 9 months old next week! Time to start planning a birthday party...

Have a great week, everyone!