What a pout!

Ava has every reason to pout. Last Wednesday we picked her up from day care and she had a high fever which continued through the weekend. We brought her in to see the doctor on Thursday and learned she had an infection in both her ears following a cold she had a few weeks ago. The poor kid was miserable. She was feverish, very clingy and very cranky, earning herself a new nickname "crab-cake" (to replace the previous moniker - "cupcake"). With a steady diet of Tylenol, Ibuprofen and antibiotics she's starting to perk up. We had to force fluids for a while when she abandoned eating and drinking. It wasn't fun! I'm happy to report that she's on the mend and we've even had a night or two of blissful sleep.

15 month well-baby

Ava had her belated-15-month well-baby appointment today. While sitting in the waiting room Ava was being hovered-over by two kinda creepy, silent older girls whose parents were oblivious to the fact that they were right in Ava's face and just staring and poking her. It was weird. I hope to have a "give people a little space, please" rule when Ava's that age. Evidently it upset Ava because she started shrieking and pushing them away. Then, (here's where it gets really weird) she start licking things. You read that right. She licked her arm, she licked my sleeve, she licked Mike's pant leg. Then she went for the chair..and then the floor. NO!!! Ick. Mike finally rescued her from the waiting room until the strange The Shining girls were called back for their appointment. What an odd experience. Can you Purell your baby's tongue?

On to the appointment...We were surprised to find that Ava's long-term memory is now activated! She wailed when the nurse invited us back to the exam rooms. She knew exactly what was coming! Poor kid. She got three shots and recovered as soon as we walked out of the office.

On to the stats...Evidently genetics is kicking in and Ava's growth is starting to taper off. Sorry kid, doesn't look like the WNBA is in your future.

Height: 31 inches (40th percentile)
Weight: 22 lbs, 7 ounces (40th percentile)
Head: 47.5 cm (60th percentile)

12-Month Well-Baby (with a big head)

Height - 28.5 inches (60th Percentile)
Weight - 21.0 lbs (50th Percentile)
Head Circumference - 47cm (92nd Percentile)

Ava talked her way out of shots today but had her finger pricked for lead. She did not care for that procedure one bit! The consolation gift of 4 princess stickers hardly made up for the trauma.

Update on sick baby...

Ava continued to feel crummy on Sunday. She spent most the day laying on my chest, lifting her head to look around every half hour or so, and then slumping back down again. It was pretty pathetic. She had a fever of 100.2 under the arm and that continued throughout the night. Each time the Tylenol wore off she woke up miserable. I couldn't stay home with her today. I had two meetings I couldn't cancel so Mike was on baby-snuggling duty. She clung to him all day in the same way. He took her to the pediatrician this afternoon and learned that she has a sinus infection AND an ear infection! She seems to be doing better tonight but we may simply be in a Tylenol window. What on Earth did mommies do before Tylenol? Fevers would be awfully scary without it.

Who you callin' "healthy"?

Check up time! Ava weighed in at 19 lbs, 6 ounces. She's once again in the 60th percentile for head circumference, weight and height (28 inches long). The doctor said "MY that's a healthy baby, I thought for sure she'd weigh more than 20 lbs!". She went on to "assure" me that Ava would lose her chub once she starts moving. *Sigh* That isn't reassuring to me! It's devastating! I love her squishiness but I suppose I'll adjust. Just a few weeks ago I lamented that I didn't want her to get teeth because I adored her toothless grin. Now that she has two little front teeth halfway in I just love it! She looks like a little bunny. I suppose the presence of teeth will help her fit in amongst her peers in the future as well.

Ava had two shots today and was once again a little trooper. She cried for about 30 seconds but as soon as the nurse let me pick her up she was quiet. She was a little shy around strangers for the rest of the day (particularly those in white coats), but who can blame her?

Another round of antibiotics

As it turns out, Ava's fussiness may have had less to do with the transition to the crib than I thought. She continued to be an incredibly light sleeper this week. She had to cry herself to sleep every night, refusing to be soothed in any other way. By Wednesday afternoon she had a runny nose and wasn't acting like herself. That evening she had a fever of about 99.0. My guess was that she might be teething as low-grade fever, runny nose and fussiness are symptoms. Thursday she had a rough day at day care and barely ate. We took her to the doctor Thursday afternoon and learned Ava has another sinus/ear infection. We got her antibiotics, picked up at Wise Guys "Beat the Clock" pizza (seems an important detail to interject here), and headed for home. Ava had another fussy night. At day care today she ate less than 1 ounce of milk! She's just too stuffy to suck on anything so we gave her extra cereal tonight and she fussed herself to bed. I think now that she's had three doses of the drugs she'll start improving. I hope.

We'll try the crib transition once she recovered. I unknowingly timed the previous attempt very poorly!

More shots!

Well Little Bear had her four-month check up today. She now weighs 14 lbs, 5 ozs. and is 24 inches long. She's in the 75th percentile for height and weight and the 90th for head circumference. I'm not really sure what all that means but I thought I'd share for those interested.

She was such a great sport, as usual. Her appointment was at 2:30. I left work at 2:05, picked her up from day care and got to the clinic at about 2:20. The last time I remember looking at the clock in the waiting room it was 3:30 and we got home at 5:00! Argh! Oh well, I'd rather be playing with her in a waiting room than away from her and sitting at work. She was a trooper through it all. They checked her ears and said her infection had cleared up. They gave her Tylenol and then the shot. She screamed but recovered quickly. When we got home we had to give her another dose of antibiotics. I hate that she had all that stuff (Tylenol, immunizations and antibiotics) in her system in such a short period of time. Yuck. She went to bed very early tonight with a bit of a cranky demeanor. Can't really blame her.

I couldn't help but reminisce about this photo: Can you believe how much she's grown?

My tough little cookie...

Closing in on 12 pounds! Ava is 23 inches long and 11 pounds, 15 and 3/4 ounces.

Today Ava had her first round of shots. She was such a brave little girl! She was sound asleep when it was time for the appointment so I had to wake her. She was all smiles getting ready to go. Once in the office she was smiling at all the nurses and really enjoyed the scale. I didn't want to take her off. She was looking around and was clearly very excited. Then, the nurse administered some yummy grape Tylenol which sealed the deal. This place is great! Sadly, things took a turn for the worse when the nurse came in with a bucket of vials. Ava screamed bloody murder. It wasn't fun. I grabbed her, wiped her tears, fed her, and took her home. She stayed asleep in the car seat once we were home. I couldn't bear to disturb her again. She woke up about 40 minutes later and here she is:What a brave little pumpkin! The zebra is giving her lots of kisses and making it all better! We may just be seeing the glorious effects of acetaminophen but I am pleasantly surprised. I was expecting a much rougher afternoon.

Almost into the double digits!

We had a pediatrician appointment today. Ava weighed 9 lbs, 9 ounces. I'm also happy to report that contrary to what the mean pediatrician told me in the hospital, I CAN eat peanut butter (a.k.a. sweet nectar of the gods) while breastfeeding. She said that unless we have a strong family history of PB allergies (we don't) then I can go ahead and eat a little and see how she does. This news came just hours after having soy-nut butter on my toast. Yes, it is just as disgusting as it sounds. I have also been enjoying almond butter which isn't bad but costs about $8 a jar! If anyone has any use for soy-nut butter let me know! I don't think I'll be needing it anymore.

Big Outing

We left the house yesterday with Ava for the first time. We headed to her first pediatrician appointment and then went to meet with the lactation consultant. Ava has already grown! She weighed 7 lbs 1 oz at the doctor on Friday! She's doing great so far! She won't have chicken legs for long!