9 month doctor visit

Gloria had her 9 month doctor's appointment on October 29 - so really it was her 9 1/2 month appointment.

She had her finger pricked to check her hemoglobin level which was 12.4. Anything over 11 is great. She also had a flu shot in her thigh. I was holding her and she barely knew what happened. We have to go back at the beginning of December so Gloria can get a second flu shot. Since this is her first flu shot, they do it in two doses.

And now, here are her stats!
Weight: 21 pounds 4 ounces (80th%)
Height: 30 1/4 inches (off the chart)
Head circumference: 18 1/8 inches (90th%)

They said Gloria is looking great, progressing and developing wonderfully. I asked about Gloria's few short catnaps and was told that some babies take catnaps and there's not much to do about it. Between 9 and 12 months the babies that take catnaps start to take fewer naps, but longer...so we'll see. Since Gloria is sleeping about 12 hours straight through at night, she is getting sleep and we can't really complain. They also told me that Gloria can start eating whatever food we eat - except for honey (wait until 12 months) and peanut butter (wait until 2 years).

The nurse said that Gloria would probably be getting her top two front teeth next but that it could be awhile. It wasn't that long because a few days later, on Nov. 3, I saw both of her top front teeth had popped through!

Gloria has been enjoying eating foods with more texture like pieces of pear, mandarin oranges, crackers, hard-boiled eggs, and peas. We also introduced her to tuna this week, but she doesn't really care for it. Tonight I'm going to make her a butternut squash pasta with tomatoes and cheese. It's from a book that Rob received for Christmas from "Baby Harbin." The recipes sound really good, so hopefully Gloria enjoys them. (If not, I might just have to eat them!)

Now for a bit of comparison!

March 6, 2008
(almost 2 months old!)

November 5, 2008
(almost 10 months old!)