Six-Month Appointment

She was a trooper! Ava was in good spirits when we went into the doctor today. I tried not to give-off any apprehensive vibes, and she seemed to remain full of smiles.

Weight = 17 lbs, 10 oz. / 79%
Height = 2 feet, 2 inches / 58%
Head = 17.52 inches

The doctor said Ava is very "athletic". I found that observation pretty hilarious. Our little 17 lb baby is athletic... :-) The doc said that Ava had very good back-control and seemed to be doing things that an eight or nine-month old would be doing (rolling, army-crawling, sitting up, holding onto things while standing with assistance). She is a very "busy" baby.

We found out Ava has an ear infection in both ears, although the doctor said she would never have guessed that, when walking in and observing Ava's happy demeanor. So, we're on some Amoxycillin to clear it up. Ava had been a goobery mess for a few days, but I contributed it to teething (she's chewing on everything in site). The doctor says that she doesn't think Ava will be cutting teeth within the next 8 weeks or so. It's a relief to know that, I guess.

The doctor said Ava will be needing lots of calories as she becomes more mobile. I'd say she's doing fine with her current calorie intake. For a while there, she was eating quite a bit, but that seems to have slowed-up in the past week or so. I think she was just going through a growth spurt when she was eating more than usual. I saw the other day that she has part of her neck "back". I couldn't see it there for a while. I wondered where it went... :-)

Ava also seems to have food "texture" issues. The doctor then suggested we hold off on solid foods and then reintroduce them in a week or so. When we got home from her appointment, I gave her oatmeal cereal w/mixed fruit and cereal crisps, and she loved it. So, I guess we'll stick with the bland stuff for now. At least she opened her mouth this time!

When she got her immunization shots, I had been tickling her a few moments prior. She was laughing pretty hard. Somehow I think that helped with her reaction to both shots. She cried for a minute, but didn't wail like she did at her last appointment. After I bounced her a little bit, she started smiling again, and was back to her sweet little self. She even smiled at the nurse who gave her the horrible shots. :-) So far so good; overnight she didn't get sick from these immunization shots...

A clean bill of health (minus the ear infection), and a prayer of thanksgiving!

With love,
Shelly, Doug and Ava