What's new with the Tomlinson

I'm bummed I couldn't take a longer nap (only 25 min.) so I might as well use my time wisely while Inara is still napping and update the 'ol blog. After our rough night, I had a feeling the doctor visit was going to be tough too. I was right. First off, Inara weighs 21 pounds and measures 28 3/4 inches long. Her head measurement is now in the 70th percentile, which means her body is catching up to her head since last time her noggin was in the 95th percentile. Inara was playing with toys when Dr. Katz came in, so we got to chat a bit before the crying fest. He asked about her gross motor skills. I told him she took her first unassisted steps 5 days before her 1 year bday and he was very excited to hear that. I also told him she crawls, an unconventional military crawl, but it's a crawl. He said it looks like her gross motor skills have caught up, so nothing to worry about there, not that I was worrying any more. I asked him about some spots I've noticed on her butt cheek, the "pimples" on her face, and the flaky pats on her scalp. He said all of these are signs of dry skin. Colorado has very dry weather, so we need to moisturize more here, including babies. The spots on her butt could be from the diapers or the wipes as well, so he said we could switch and see if that helps. He recommended using vasoline or creams on the skin to help with the dryness. He asked about her eating habits. I had written a list of all the foods I could remember that I've introduced her to. He was very pleased to see the good variety Inara's been eating. She said at this point we could start giving her meals from our plates, regardless of the fact that she only has two teeth still. I've actually been noticing that she's getting really good about gumming food, so I've been offering her more and more things since she doesn't gag as much and knows she needs to chew food up before she tries to swallow.

Then the fun began. Dr. Katz put his stethoscope to her chest to listen to her heart and she freaked! She started crying and squirming all about. Then he looked in her ears, nose, mouth and she was pissed. He touched her belly, checked her diaper, and flashed a light in her eyes all to mass screams. As he and I were talking, I put her on the floor to walk to cheer her up and she darted for the door and started hitting it as if to say, "Let me outta here!" He gave me two book recommendations, which I had asked for, told me she looks great and that I'm doing a great job, told me when to make my next appointments for her 15 mo. checkup and her flu shot, and then left for the nurse to come give Inara her shots. I braced myself because I knew it wasn't going to be fun. I was right. She screamed bloody murder, well as loud as she could considering her voice is a bit cracky today from all the crying she did last night. Poor baby girl. She's had a rough couple days that's for sure. Once in the car, I gave her a bottle and called Shawn to give him a quick update. Before I even pulled out of the parking spot, poor Inara was passed out! She is now on her second nap of the day. Good thing considering she's been boycotting naps lately.

I wanted to share some of the new things Inara has been doing as well. She's started giving hugs and kisses. It's the sweetest thing in the world. I'll say, "Give mama a hug" and she'll lean in and hug me, usually on my chest or leg. I then got her started on eskimo kisses. She thinks they are pretty funny. While my parents were here, Inara started giving high fives and laughs when she does it. Who knew a high five could be so funny? Occasionally I can get her to do peekaboo herself. It's so cute watching her try to put her hands over her eyes. She's making a lot more funny faces lately. Our favorite is this hilarious squishy nose, eye squint, puckered lips face. I'm wondering if she's doing this when her teeth are bothering her. She's definitely getting more interactive with toys. She really loves the block set the Rauh's got her for her bday. Lately, she and I will sit and stack the various shapes and then she knocks them down. Very entertaining. She also loves bath time! The kid could seriously be in there for hours. We bath her in the regular bathtub now and she loves to play with bath toys. We got some from the Turnbaugh's and Kristi & Thane for her bday. Perfect gifts! It's funny when we get her out because she kicks her legs all around like a fish out of water. Mealtime is great too. Like I said, she's been trying a ton of new foods and does great feeding herself. She's starting to throw little fits though when Shawn and I sit down for dinner as if she wants what we are eating. I usually feed her right before we sit down and then have her sit in her high chair next to us finishing her meal while we eat. I'm going to start giving her more of the meals we eat though and see if it stops the horrible screaming. Honestly, I told Shawn the other day it's like in Dumb and Dumber when they say do you want to hear the most annoying sound. That's the sound that Inara makes. Ear piercing I'm telling ya. As for waking up, when she's ready to get out of her crib, she stands up, throws her pacifiers out (yes, multiple because she has to have several to play binky swap), and then yells for me. I can tell by her different cries when she's still ok and when she's about to break down the crib to get out. Then when I walk in, she'll be standing on her tippy toes, peering over the side, with her hands up on the side of the bed. It's the cutest thing. How can you not pick her up and squeeze her to pieces when you see that? Well, she's waking up now and the cries are getting a little more intense, even though it's with a cracky voice. My sweet baby! I'll post more about our other adventures from this past weekend later tonight. Oh and just so everyone doesn't think Shawn is slacking on posting pics. He's picked up a couple side jobs and has been working on those lately, so give him to the end of the week and hopefully he'll have her bday pics posted. Off to mommy duties...