The Stats

We had the girls 9 month checkups this last Monday (could they really be that old, already??).

Here are the stats:

Adelyn:

• height: 28" (70%)
• weight: 17 lb 9 oz (25%)

Adelyn is my little goof. She is always looking for ways to play. While she is being held on my hip she will often lean forward and try to get my attention and once she makes eye contact she will start to shake her head from side to side, wait for me to imitate, then laugh hysterically. She loves to rough-house, loving it when I run down the stairs with her in tow or hold her and Owen and dance quite exuberantly. She is also my little sensitive. She gets scared easily of new people and new situations. She clings to me while at church and often works herself up into hysterics in the nursery. She also has a hard time tolerating Owen's accidental bumps and Anabel's scratches and pulls. She does not like to fall asleep on her own, but is getting better at it. She loves to cuddle and will just press her little face into my chest or face and just rest. She is still almost exclusively nursed. I can only manage to get maybe one spoonful at each mealtime into her mouth and a few cheerios.

Anabel:

• height: 27 1/2" (40%)
• weight: 16 lb 4 oz (7%)

Anabel is my little sweetheart. I often call her my little happy. I can trust when all else is falling apart that she will be content to wait until the storm blows over. She loves new people and new situations and whenever anyone wants to hold a baby they will always get Anabel. She melts everyones' heart, smiling and cooing and lightly touching their face. She has the brightest blue eyes that strangers often remark on to me personally or I hear them talking about them to their friends as they pass, "Did you see that little girl's big blue eyes?". She easily tolerates Owen's roughness and often laughs at things that I cringe about and wait for the wail. She falls asleep on her own without a bit of protestation for her two naps but has a harder time going down for the night. She does not like to rough-house a ton but would rather like sweet cuddling and games of patty-cake. She gives the biggest hugs, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding tight. She has always been a great solids eater and turns her nose to nothing. She is getting much better at nursing and now rarely refuses.

(SIDENOTE) I had not written this before, so I will update now :). At her six month appointment she was not even on the chart for weight and was nursing then having LOTS of solids and I was told that if after nursing and a little solids she is still hungry then she needs formula as that is more nutritionally dense with fats and proteins. My personal conviction (meaning that this was just that- a personal conviction- and not a judgement whatsoever towards other moms who always have different circumstances than mine) about formula was that I would only use it if 1) they would grow hungry without it (I didn't have enough milk) or 2) there was a serious emergency that would necessitate it. It was hard to start supplementing but I realized it was necessary. I discussed it with a lactation consultant and a nutritionist and they both agreed with the doctor, saying that the first six months of exclusive nursing was most important. I was thinking that I needed to change my life again back to the round the clock pumping and was told that at this point it was not necessary. I was relieved to be told that by two of the people who were most pro-nursing. Anabel would nurse, eat some solids, then want to drink 6 ounces or more of formula- and I didn't know if I could keep up with that. She now gets 1-2 bottles a day and nurses at least 3-4 times a day. She looks like a real healthy baby now, maybe still a little slender, but she had look malnourished before. The doctor was pleased that she returned to her line on the growth chart.