9 Month Doctor Appointment!

The last couple of weeks have absolutely flown by. Autumn keeps me constantly occupied and by the end of the night, I sit and think... Hmm, I really should update my blog. And as we all know, that never happened.

This past week has been challenging to say the least. Autumn is officially teething (again). The last time the 2 bottom teeth came in, we never even knew that it was happening. She didn't even give us reason to think that they were on their way and one day, they just appeared! This round, however, I think she's making up for it. Since Autumn is such a good baby normally, fussiness in this household is so frustrating! I haven't been able to keep her happy for long periods of time, she's wanted constant attention, and for the last couple of days has run a low fever. A couple of days ago, I saw the first hint of a new tooth (the little tooth to the left of one of her 2 front teeth) and thought the end was near. There was no luck in that department, as even after the tooth was cut, the symptoms continued. I feel so helpless sometimes since I know she doesn't understand why her mouth hurts. I've just tried to keep her a little closer and cuddle a little more these days.

I had it in my mind that her 9 month appointment was this Thursday for some reason, and planned my week around it. I couldn't remember the time of the appointment, so I called the Pediatritian's office this morning to check. They couldn't find Autumn's name on Thursday, and just started to look for her this week. The woman on the end of the line informed me that the appointment was today! Thankfully my boss is very understanding and we headed off to the doctor's office!

When we arrived, Autumn charmed everyone with her smiles and personality as usual! We got her new stats when we got in to our exam room! Autumn now weighs 20 pounds 15 ounces (a long way away from her original 6lb 7oz!) which puts her in the 85th percentile. She's 27 3/4 inches long and is in the 65th percentile for height. The shocking number is that her head circumference is 45.8cm which puts her in the 90th percentile (it's got to be all those brains in there)! My interpretation of these numbers supports what I see, that I have a little butterball :)

I was asked the normal questions about Autumn's development. I happily reported the things about her that I love the most. She laughs constantly, she plays peek-a-boo, she crawls (kind-of), she's very curious, she says "da da" (but no ma ma, dang-it), she repeats noises that you make, she's trying to pull up on everything but can't quite make it yet, and she changes every single day. I also happily reported that she loves to sing, and even though she may not be on key yet, the doctor informed me that singing was a very advanced still for a 9 month old.

We went through our feeding schedule and I learned about what's to come. Basically, she's no longer needs "baby" food and she can eat almost anything. I'm very excited to introduce her to some of the things that I love most! I can't help but wonder what her favorite foods will be and what she's going to refuse to eat (anyone want to introduce Autumn to seafood for me?).

We talked about teeth and I told her about all of the recent fussiness. She asked me if she could look in her mouth and I warned her that Autumn wasn't going to like that very much! While I literally pinned her arms to her side and her head to my chest, the doctor was able to take a peek. She told me that not only was the one tooth coming in, but she saw the front two teeth that should be making their appearance shortly! I can't even imagine what Autumn is going to look like with all of these teeth!

At the end of the appointment, she was cheerfully playing with me and lying on the table when the mean nurse stuck 2 huge needles in her chubby little thighs. This ain't my first rodeo and I've been very proud of how Autumn has handled shots in the past. With all of her changes, has come one very big one. SHE DOESN'T LIKE SHOTS. Autumn cried a cry that I have never heard before. I'm not sure that she's ever heard the screams that came out of her perfect little lips. I was so shocked by these noises that I had to show her to the nurses to make sure she wasn't having some sort of allergic reaction to the shots. They just pouted their lips and said "awww, her little face is so red!".

I took my little one home and just cuddled with her a little bit extra tonight because she just plain needed it. That's one thing in the world that's never going to change. She need me and I need her. Forever. And while I have no idea what kind of woman she's going to be, I know that I will always need her and I will always be there for her.

Everyone tells you that when you have a baby, the love that you immediately feel for that little one is indescribable. What they didn't tell me is that this indescribable love grows exponentially every single day. I absolutely adore this new-found love and have no idea how my heart is going to hold all of this love, but I can't wait to find out!