2 ~ 9 ~ 86

Ellie had her 15 month appointment.

My little chunk was up to 18lbs. 5 oz (with a diaper on), keeping her right around the same 2-3% range in weight.

She's grown almost a whole inch since her one year check up, to 28.75 inches or the 9th percentile.

And her head kept on track in the mid-80 range, at 86%. Our doctor laughed and said, "Well, she's still teeny tiny, really short, and has a gigantic head." That about sums up my babies.

The doctor is hoping she hits 20 lbs sometime around 18 months, but really isn't worried either way, since "she's healthy, active, smart and stubborn, just like I like them." Ellie showed off her communication skills by angerly batting away whatever medical instrument came her way, with an accompanied growl or snarl towards the doctor. "She sure lets you know when she doesn't like something, doesn't she?" Yes doctor, yes she does.

I love our doctor 'cause she seems to be completely smitten with my children. She gushes over their wit, charm, beauty and sheer amazingness in a way that'll forever endear her to me. Annie charmed her with her cute stories, like how she likes to cross the ravine to go to Grandma's house (the doctor was thrilled by her use and pronunciation of 'ra-been', thought it was the cutest thing ever, the whole time I'm thinking, "Crap, is she gonna think I'm a bad Mom for letting my kids play in a ravine? Isn't that like a drowning hazard? I suck.")

On top of the 40 minutes she spent with me discussing all of my questions about both of my girls, she also laid down some seriously cool advice on getting rid of fruit flies (which have been a particular problem in our kitchen lately). That's my kind of doctor. Tell me what to watch for with flu symptoms, reassure me that it's OK my one year old won't take milk, and treat me to some home-remedy bug killing solutions. Sweet.

Ellie freaked out when she got her shots. For about 15 seconds, 'til the nurse asked, "Can she have a sucker?" To which Ellie immediately stopped screaming and sobbed out the words, "Yeah! Yeah!"

She also randomly threw in comments to Annie about what a good job her Mommy was doing.
Cool, I get my ego stroked, and my kid vaccinated, all for the bargain price of a $15 co-pay.

Going to a good doctor who takes her time with us, and fawns over my children like a long lost Aunt, makes the never ending doctor's visits seem totally worthwhile.

Plus, I now have proof that Shrimpy McBaby is over 18 lbs. And that makes me happy.

(Just for comparison sake, the 15 month appointment was when Annie finally hit the 20 lb mark. But at least part of that was the fact we went on a cruise the week before her appointment, and she put on nearly TWO POUNDS (or TEN PERCENT of her body weight) in that week. It's true, everyone gains weight on a cruise. Especially one year olds who had never had white bread before, and are now chowing down on multiple croissants in the ship's dining room each day.)