A Hales Life: 9 Month MD Update!

We found our new doctor in Illinois and saw her for Kayla's 9 month well check up today, we'll call her Dr. H. She was great and very impressed with Kayla. I hope we don't end up living too far from here so we can just stick her her because I liked her! Here's our monthly update!

Weight: 18 lbs 1.8 oz (36.72%)

Height (Length): 2 ft 5 & 1/4 in (also known as 29.25 in, but it sound so much cooler in feet) (94.47%)

Head Circumference: 45.5 cm (87.92%)

Dr. H said even thought she's never seen Kayla before, she looks great and very healthy. She continues to be long and skinny with a big head. :) Dr. H commended me for continuing to breastfeed, even if it's only partially. (It's nice to be recognized for my efforts, even though the efforts are mostly for me and Kayla.) She also asked, "Is she crawling around?" To which we replied, "Um...walking." She was a little surprised. We told her that Kayla can do some pinching to pick up her snacks instead of a full hand gripping and she is babbling. Kayla was not a fan of Dr. H (she's definitely got the whole stranger danger mentality going on right now) but Dr. H said that she is obviously way ahead on her motor milestones and looks great.

She got a flu shot and her last Hep B shot today. At this doctor's office, they let me hold her in my lap while getting the shots. I tried to distract her with my iPhone and some lullabies, but she wasn't fooled. She cried some serious tears for a few minutes, but she quickly gets over it. It's hard for us but she's a little champ.

Here's some updates from this month:

Milestones:

Gross motor: Obviously the biggie is walking. I'm calling last Tuesday (10/19/11) her first day of walking. When I got home from work, Daddy and Uncle Brendan were telling me they had been trying to get video all afternoon. I picking this day because she had been taking anywhere from 5-7 steps prior to this, but this day seemed different. She started taking smaller, more careful steps and she could go a further distance. She also now sometimes chooses to walk instead of crawl to something. She also learned how to clap this month which is such a cute thing to see. She loves when we praise her for all the things she can do!
Fine motor: Can use a pincer grip to pick up her cheerio shaped snacks. Often "wrings" her hands together. Has been using the sign language for "milk" but not consistently to signify that she wants milk. She uses it when she wants something, which I guess is a first step!
Eating: We are slowly transitioning her from purees to table foods. Dr. H said that was find just to stay away from fish, honey and nuts. But otherwise we could give her small portions of our table food.
Sleeping/Napping: She actually has finally gotten on more of a schedule. She take two relatively consistent naps each day around 9:30 and 2:30 for about an hour or two, depending on the day. She is now consistently sleeping through the night. Some nights she fusses a couple times and needs some consoling, but I actually feel like a normal person now in the mornings!
Talking: She babbles a few syllables now, like bah, mah, meh, beh, etc. She's pretty funny when she talks!

I've decided to save my official 9 month photos for Hawaii so they can be a little special, but here are some pictures I took with my new 50 mm lens over the weekend.

Happy 9 month birthday Kayla Marie, I love you more and more each day!