Open!

Hi everyone,

Yesterday was Amelia's one-year doctor's appointment. She did well and was a brave girl when it came time for her shots. In fact, she got a chicken pox vaccine in addition to her normal MMR vaccination. I guess that's now standard procedure for babies. I remember having chicken pox when I was 19 - I get all itchy just thinking about it!

As usual, Amelia was weighed and measured. She is now 29.25" tall (at 55% for babies her age, slightly taller than average) and has a head circumference of 44.75 cm (again, pretty close to average). However, Amelia is still only 18 pounds, which puts her at the 10% mark for weight. Mind you, she's been sick recently, but I can't help thinking she's just not eating enough.

Funny thing is, Amelia eats better for daddy than she does for me. While at the doctor's office we checked her progress against an early 70s (if I had to guess) development chart for babies and it stated that 11 month old babies, "may resist eating for mommy." Very odd.

Before finding out that our baby was a little thin, Mike shared with me a secret to his success with regards to feeding Amelia. If she gets fussy or turns away he says to her in a commanding voice, "Open," and she does. I used to think this was a bit much for feeding a baby, but I'm starting to use the technique myself...

Now, mind you, I don't want to cause any worry. The doctor said that Amelia is obviously thriving and doing just fine. Eighteen pounds is still considered normal, though it puts her on the thin side of normal. Most of us would be thrilled to be tall and thin, and I'm sure Amelia will be fine. In fact, I remember that for some time after she was born she wasn't even on the chart for weight...

Lisa