9 Months

I was sitting here, browsing my email, facebook, and babycenter sites for the hundredth time, not yet ready for bed, when I realized that I haven't posted any info about Josiah's 9 month appointment!

On Monday, I loaded up Josiah and Madison (my daycare client) and headed to the dr's office. Toting around 2 kids really wasn't so hard, except for the "toting" part. Carrying them through the doorways with my purse and diaper bag was a little challenging, but having them both there proved to be just fine. We had a lot of time to kill in the waiting room, so the babies made faces in the "fun house" mirrors.

    

Once we got called back, here's how things went down (we covered a lot of bases!!!):

Measurements:

Height: 28.5" (59%)

Weight: 22 lbs, 15 oz (84%)

Head: 46 cm (71%)

Sickness:

Since Josiah has been sick so many times in the past 4 months (with recurring runny noses, coughs, and particularly ear infections and wheezing), we discussed possible causes and treatments. Many people had suggested I look into different allergies that could be causing his illness. So I asked. Dr. Young said that if Josiah had seasonal allergies or milk/food allergies then he would be constantly without getting better or sick in conjunction with ingesting that food. Furthermore, it would be really rare for Josiah to have allergies THIS bad at this age if Jesse and I have never had allergies. So, at this point, we'd say that Josiah has viral/cold-induced asthma. Therefore, Dr. Young brought up the idea of preventative treatments, but he said the rule of thumb is that if Josiah needs albuterol (the medicine in his nebulizer) more than twice a week then he should be on preventative medicine. However, this is not the case except for the weeks when Josiah is already sick. So, why would we put Josiah on medicine everyday instead of just treating him when he is sick? 

Furthermore, because of Josiah's ear infections, I asked about the necessity or protocol of tubes. Dr. Young said that the rule is tubes for more than 3-5 infections in a season. Josiah DOES fit into this category, but since we are SO CLOSE to summer, we wouldn't want to unnecessarily have Josiah undergo this procedure when the weather may just be his answer. Having said that, if Josiah gets another ear infection before summer begins, we could consider tubes. 

At this point, his lungs sound great and his ears look perfect!

Rashes:

Josiah has had persistent diaper rashes, often mixed with yeast infections. It's difficult to know when one rash turns into another and which ointments to use. Since this hasn't been going away, I wanted to ask about it. Furthermore, the tops of Josiah's feet have had a dry rash on them, presumably from crawling, but I wanted to ask. And, on top of that, that morning Josiah's neck was broken out pretty badly. It looked to be a drooling rash, but was pretty inflamed. Another question! And, just while we were waiting for the doctor, I noticed that in between two fingers on one hand was raw. Finally, as Dr. Young was examining Josiah, we discovered another funky spot under his armpit. Goodness gracious!!!

It turns out that his neck does have a drooling rash, but Dr. Young said it looked like yeast was trying to get into it. The answer: Neosporin. Under his arm, it looks like something bit him. Since there is no knot beneath the skin, it is not concerning. So, I just need to treat it with hydrocortizone cream. His diaper rash is just a heat rash from rubbing and moisture. Dr. Young actually suggested powdering it, which is discouraged or encouraged depending on your medical source, which is why I'd never done it before. Finally, the raw spot in between his finger and the dry rash on his feet are both eczema. Hydrocortizone for those as well. My poor baby needs to be lathered from head to toe in lotions!!! The most difficult part is remembering what to put in each place!

Feeding:

Dr. Young is a very by-the-book kind of guy. So, when he asked how much formula Josiah is eating, I said about 5 oz every 4 hours. His response was that he'd like to see Josiah only drinking 4 times a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and before bed. When I thought about it later, I thought that if Josiah is awake for 12 hours, a bottle every 4 hours would be 3 times during the day and then a time or two at night. So we're not really that far off. It just doesn't sound like it at first. So, oh well! He also wants Josiah eating solids 3 times a day, which I already do. I didn't think to ask about how many ounces of food or formula in each sitting. It seems like it should matter. I think 5 oz is on the lower side of most kids his age...

Development:

Dr. Young doesn't do a lot of examination or questioning of your baby's development, but I did have to fill out a questionnaire while in the waiting room. I discovered that there are some things that a baby his age could be able to do that I had never even thought of! For instance, does your baby hand you a toy if you ask him to? Does he reach out to put it in your hand? Does he let go of it? I've never even asked! I either let Josiah play with a toy or take it away from him! Also, does your baby respond to your commands, even if you don't use gestures? I think he does "come here" but I typically use gestures too. He also does say syllables, but doesn't say more than 3 words and doesn't associate them with anything (although he seems to associate "Da Da" with Jesse more and more, despite still saying "da da" to everything else). By what he could do and couldn't do, it seems like he is pretty average in communication skills and above average in motor skills. That's my unprofessional opinion.

Discipline:

I was surprised we covered this topic, but Dr. Young said that I have 4 options with disciplining Josiah at this age. I was also surprised by his advice, but agreed with it.

1) Say no, sternly but calmly, and say it only once. Saying it any more than that just teaches Josiah that I don't mean it. And I also need to say it so that he knows I'm serious.

2) Slap his hand. Don't do it too hard, of course, but don't do it too soft either. It should sting. That way, it means something to him.

3) Move him away. 

4) Put him in time-out, like in his crib, for example.

Just for all of you mothers who wondered. This is my pediatrician-approved discipline.

Of course, this is Josiah's response to the word, "No":

9 Month Vaccinations:

There were none, but Josiah did have his big toe pricked to test his iron levels. It's supposed to be between 10.5 and 14.5 and it was 12.2 or something like that. All good. He didn't even cry when they pricked him, but he scowled when they squeezed his toe to get the blood out. 

I think that's everything. We'll go back in August for his 1 year check up as long as he doesn't get sick again before then. ***Fingers Crossed!!!***

In Other News:

Josiah is cruising like crazy around our furniture. He's getting braver at stepping out and will occasionally stand for a few seconds if you let go of his hands. He feels insecure without you standing there or holding onto him, though, so it doesn't happen much. We got a little stroller thing as a hand-me-down gift from a cousin, but when I last tried to use it, it went too fast for him. I've just set him in front of it to play with the toys on front. However, my cousin Liz stood him up behind it this week and he just took off walking! I didn't even know he could do that!!! Since then, he's been walking all over the place with that thing. He runs into everything and can't steer it at all, but he's getting better and better! He's even able to pull himself up and start walking again by himself now. He tries to play with the toys on front while also pushing it, though, which causes him to fall over. Here's a video that I took earlier this week. It's not the best cinematography as I was filming AND helping him stand up too, plus breathing insanely loud in the background, but I'll try to get a better one soon.

He's got such a little personality now! He's still insanely happy, but he gets a little more of an attitude when you take something away from him. I'm still his favorite person ever. He wants my attention more than anyone else. And if Jesse is holding him while sitting next to me on the couch, he'll fuss for me, but is content enough to rest his head on my shoulder even if the rest of his body is on Jesse. He also is getting much more cuddly and affectionate. He smothers all of his favorite people in kisses and hugs them tightly or lays his head against them. I think he's just the sweetest thing ever! 

Here's pictures to prove it:

 

Now, how can you resist that face?!