Mattie's 9 Month Check-Up

Today was Mattie's 9-month check-up. I was fearful of what the doctor would say about her weight, because to me, comparing her to the other babies she is around (and yes, I know you should never compare children because they all grow at their own pace) she is huge. Walking to the scales with her in her little homemade Mattie-Moo onesie felt like it was a long walk down the plank. We sat her on the scales, which is a milestone in itself, because she is now sturdy and strong enough to sit like a big girl to get her stats taken. I was figuring on her being about 22 lbs, at least. I was wrong, she was 19 lbs, 12 oz. So that made me feel a bit better. Then the height came, and she was 28 inches. My little girl is a giant. :) She is a long girl and when you go to measure her, she points her toes downwards, almost like she wants to squeeze every centimeter out that she can. It's cute.

Mattie was a good girl. She sat on the table and was just in love with the sanitary paper they put on it. It was a riot to watch her crumple it up. When Rita came in to do her exam, she basically had to yell over the noise of her playing with it. She said to Mattie "You really like that paper don't you?" and then Mattie got quiet and smiled, then continued on with the destruction. As I suspected, Mattie had yet another ear infection. That brings us up to a total of 3 so far. Mattie is a trooper. I have been giving her Tylenol, because I have heard that most ear infections go away on their own. But she still wasn't feeling good with her cold, and things were leaking green (sorry if that is too much info) and she was tossing and turning in her sleep while pulling on her ear. Enough was enough, and that is when we called to bump up her 9-month exam to today, and kill 2 birds with one stone. My motherly instincts were right, her ears were bad enough that she needs some Ammoxicilan, which I hate to give her, but Rita said it really needed to be given, especially with the green stuff draining. My friend Lisa (http://www.lisaszone.blogspot.com/) is so good at using homeopathic remedies, and suggested that every time Mattie goes on an antibiotic, to give her a probiotic. I really think that sounds like a great idea. I asked Rita about it, and she doesn't suggest giving them to babies under one, but she said that you can give her yogurt that has a natural probiotic in it already. Good news for me, because that means not having to drive an extra 30 minutes to the heath food store, and Mattie loves yogurt. So we will try that this time, hopefully she won't get a yeast infection from the antibiotic this time.

Mattie was great up until the time she had to get the shot. That is where Scott steps up to be the big dad, and I step back and try not to think about the sharp poke that my baby is about to get. To my surprise, Mattie didn't scream as much as she did last time. Phewwwwww. We have to go to the lab to make sure she is getting enough iron and to test her for lead, so I am sure I will have to do that one by myself, and I am dreading that.

Rita was very please with Mattie Amelia's progress, she is in the 75 percentile in both height and weight. She gave us some good CPR tips, since now Mattie is starting table foods, and picking up anything that is within her reach. I really enjoy bringing Mattie to Rita, she is the best "doctor" that we have brought Mattie to. She is attentive, proactive and a great listener. She puts us first-time parents at ease, and lets us know that there are no stupid questions when it comes to your baby. It's about time that we found someone in the medical field that calms us instead of stresses us out.