That Girl, She's Got Some Lungs

Olivia and I just returned from her 4-month check up. She is crashed out in her car seat, if that is any indication of how it went for her. As you may recall, after her last doctor's visit I reacted to being told that Olivia was in the fiftieth percentile for weight and height. Well, this time her head size and height (23 7/8 inches) are both still in the fiftieth percentile, but her weight is down to the twenty-fifth percentile (12 lbs 3.5 oz). Nothing like making a breast-feeding mom feel inadequate. The doc reassured me that this was nothing to be concerned about, that she is growing at a healthy rate. I still would feel much better if she was in the chunky range. After all neither of her parents is tiny (although her dad will claim that his broad-shouldered, six-foot self is petite), so it is kind of weird to have a daughter with such diminutive features. One advantage is that is that if she was really hefty I might be afraid that I had passed on my own weight issues to her. At least I don?t have to worry about that, yet. The exciting news we heard today was that Olivia is ready to start eating solid foods. I?m going to the store tonight to buy some rice cereal. Each week we can give her a new food, starting with yellow veggies and fruits such as peaches, pears, and bananas. Both Yale and I are excited to see her try out some new foods. I am hoping that this might help her sleep through the night more often. She has slept through the night about 5 or 6 times, but lately has been waking up to eat around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. Since I don?t have to go to work, those mid-night feeding don?t bother me much, but those nights that she slept all the way through sure were a treat. The most difficult part of the appointment, and probably the reason that little O is still fast asleep was those dreaded vaccination shots. She got two in each thigh. I can honestly say I have never seen her cry that hard. It was that kind of cry that is so intense that she was silent for awhile and it seemed like she wasn't breathing. After it was all over and I had finally calmed her down, she would start to doze off and then wake up to do a few post-crying sobs. She has never done that before. I wasn't even the one who got the shots and I felt like bawling.