6 month appointment

Micah had his 6 month appointment today (yes, I know it is nearly 2 weeks late!) and he did quite well. He was sitting in his diaper on the table ripping the paper cover to shreds when the doctor walked in - Micah flashed him a big grin then went back to his task of ultimate destruction. I probably should have taken a picture of our little guy - he was quite a sight. The doctor smiled, said that was a wonderful greeting (and the best he had all day), and then commented on Micah's "mop of hair."

Micah weighed in this morning at a whopping 15 lbs 8 ounces and measured 26 inches! My big boy is growing!! He is now in the 20th percentile for weight (making progress!) and about the same for height. Like his mommy, he has a tiny head - only the 10th percentile. We spent a long time talking to the doctor about food and eating, and I got answers to all 9 million of my questions. We were told he should not be eating any yogurt yet (or really any protein foods) until he is 9 months old because he just doesn't need it yet. He said Micah should be at the lower end for formula/milk intake because he is small (big relief to hear!) and he thought 24-28 ounces a day should be more than enough (which is great, because that is about all he is getting). The doctor gave us estimates for about how many times a day and how much food he should be eating at each meal, and we are right in the target range. I have been so unsure as to whether I am feeding him the right amount, or too much, or not enough, but it seems I've been guessing correctly. We were told that most babies will take three meals a day by seven months, so we will watch and see when Micah is ready to add another meal each day.

The doctor increased Micah's dosage of Zantac and checked out his congestion. Unfortunately, all of the congestion returned this week. The doctor seemed to think that kind of congestion is typical with infants, and unless it lasts more than a few weeks or he develops a cough/fever, he is not concerned at this time. It seems we are hitting all of the correct milestones, and we will go back again in three months for our next checkup and round of vaccinations.

The last part of our appointment was the immunizations - 2 shots and an oral vaccine. Micah LOVES the oral vaccine - he kept grabbing it and trying to guzzle it faster. Clearly, he has not developed good taste yet! I think Micah is like his Daddy - he'll eat just about anything, with gusto. Micah did not even flinch for the first shot, but he started shrieking with the second shot - the nurse thinks maybe it burns since most babies cry when they get that shot. I immediately started nursing Micah, and he calmed back down again.

On a side note, there was a 2 week old baby at the doctor's office today. I was a bit emotional - I looked at her, and I already felt a loss of sorts that Micah was no longer that little baby. I was nostalgic for the times he just curled up on my chest and slept all day and was such a tiny little thing. Of course, DH then reminded me how much more fun Micah is now that he has a personality and is gaining independence and how much easier things are now, and I know he is right. It is just hard to believe how quickly the time passed, and that I'm already missing my little baby.

He has been fine so far this afternoon. He took a nap and he was playful when he woke up. He did have a cranky patch, but I gave him a teething biscuit and that seemed to hit the spot and keep him quite busy.

In other news - Micah discovered his penis today! Yes, I did say penis, and I'm sure you did not see that announcement coming. We were changing his diaper at the doctor's office, and Micah's hands when straight on down there and grabbed a hold. That has to be some kind of male rite of passage, right? One day, when Micah can read and he reads this blog, I'm sure he will hate me for sharing this story.