One Year Update

I'm a little late posting Virginia's one year update. We saw Dr. Oken for her one year checkup on April 14, and all is well with our little Worm! She is 20 lbs, 4 ounces, which isn't much of a gain since last time - but never fear. Dr. Oken wasn't worried at all with this result because weight gain really tapers off at the one year mark and also because Virginia had just recovered from stomach flu and had probably lost quite a bit due to sickness. Virginia was 45% for weight and 55% for height. Right in the middle!

Virginia was really POed to be getting her shots this time around. She had tolerated them quite well up until this point, but she had missed her afternoon nap that day and was already a bit of a grump. She also got two big shots this time - the MMR and the chicken pox, and those are tougher. Poor little thing sobbed the whole way home. Not a sad sob - it was more of a "I'm so mad at you, Mommy" sob.

At one year, here are some tidbits about what Virginia is doing:

• Virginia is taking her first steps! She's still a speed demon crawler, so she is choosing to crawl to reach anything that is more than an arms length away.
• Virginia has mastered the baby sign for "more" - but with her own special flair. The sign is made by tapping fingertips together, but she misses every time. So it looks like she is trying to clap her hands and misses the point of contact. She does "more" for everything - we've created a monster!
• Virginia loves her books and knows to turn them right side up every time. Brilliant!
• Virginia babbles very loudly. It sounds like yodeling sometimes. She especially loves to babble in the bathrooms because she can hear the echo.
• Virginia LOVES seeing other babies - in person, in the mirror, and in photos on diaper and toy boxes.
• Pointing is the new obsession. She points at everything she sees. Her favorite things to point at are quite eclectic: a plastic Bob's Big Boy figurine and the photos of Teddy Roosevelt and Pee Wee Herman in our hallway.
• Virginia is a fan of stuffed animals. We line them up at the base of our couch and she crawls happily over to them and snuggles face first into the pile of them. When we say "Snuggles," she grabs a stuffed animal and gives it a big hug.
• Although Virginia is still fiercely independent and prefers not to be messed with, she has gotten a little more snuggly in recent weeks. She'll sometimes give me a big hug around the neck. And she'll occasionally kiss (a.k.a. "lick") my cheek.

10 Month Checkup

Virginia had her 10 month checkup with Dr. Oken last week, and she got a great report. As we suspected, she had done lots of growing since her 8 month appointment. She gained nearly 2 1/2 pounds, clocking in at an impressive 19 pounds, 10 ounces. She was 28 1/2 inches long. Height and weight were both 55%, so she is right on track and we have nothing to worry about. She handled her TB test and three shots with relative ease and was back to her old self in a couple of minutes. She also seems to have gotten over most of her stranger anxiety. Last time, she just cried and cried at Dr. O, but she seemed to tolerate his presence this time.

At 10 months, Virginia is crawling masterfully and is quickly speeding up her cruising along furniture. She also has just now started letting go of the furniture while standing up and can balance for a few seconds before plopping down on her rear end. She babbles a lot, and occasionally gets an accidental ma ma in there, but we don't think she has any real words quite yet. She loves books, and insists on turning the pages herself. Bathtime continues to be a hit - we are planning on enrolling her in swimming lessons next month so she can get more water time. She also loves the swings and the slide at the park.

Great Eight!

Virginia is now 8 months old! On her birthday, she visited Dr. Oken and had a great checkup. She's 17 pounds, 4 ounces, and is 50th percentile for both height and weight. She's mastered sitting up since she last saw Dr. Oken at her 6 month appointment, and she has also started pulling up. She's still doing a "commando" crawl, but she's getting her legs into the action much more, so we think that she is on her way to doing the classic cross-crawling soon. She's extremely mobile at this stage - we are childproofing like crazy, but she's always one step ahead.

Virginia's likes and activities at this age: She loves doorstops, mirrors, and anything with a bell in it. Her favorite toy is the silver rattle from her godmother, Amy (the girl has expensive taste!). She won't let anyone hold or cuddle her for more than a split second - she immediately begins squirming and arching her back to get down on the floor to play. She is fascinated with feet and shoes. She also has learned to shake her head back and forth as if to signal a vigorous no - she doesn't know what it means yet, but we're a little worried how defiant she might turn out to be once she figures it out! She loves giving me "kisses" when I return home from work which basically consist of an open-mouthed sliming of my cheek. No teeth yet - and no sign of them anytime soon according to Dr. O - so we are enjoying her toothless baby grin for now.

Back to School

Earlier this week, Thomas and I attended our first set of classes to prepare us for parenthood. We took an infant CPR and care class put on by the McMoyler Method, a company recommended by our OB. We were amazed at how much we didn't know about all the details of caring for an infant, but we learned so much. Thomas was especially amused when we got to see a grown 200 pound man get swaddled. We also had a three week old baby come to our class for show and tell... so cute! The poor baby didn't know he was going to be part of a demonstration, and he wasn't thrilled to have to be bathed in front of so many people.

We will have our birthing class in early March with this same teacher - keep your fingers crossed that Baby H doesn't make an early arrival before I learn how to to get through labor with her!

We had another OB appointment this week and all continues to go well with Baby H. She is growing well, and I don't have any complications other than just being big and uncomfortable!

A Heartbeat Away

Thomas and I had our 12 week appointment yesterday, and all is well with Baby Harvey! Our OB used the little Doppler machine to check for the baby's heartbeat and was able to find what she called "a good, strong heartbeat." She initially told us it was a little early to locate the heartbeat successfully in all cases, so we weren't expecting much. But Baby Harvey is definitely going strong!

As of today, we are officially at the 12 week mark and are happy to finally be able to reveal the news to all of our friends. It is just in time too - I'm finally showing a little bump through my clothes.