A Very Busy Friday

Mommy and I went to my 9 month well-baby check up yesterday. I got off easy because I didn't need any shots! The doctor said my immunizations are up to date until I'm 12 months old. I only had a quick prick on my big toe so that the nurse could check my iron levels, which were just fine. Here are my current stats: weight- 20 lbs., 7 oz., length- 27 1/4 inches. Compared to other 9-month-old boys, I am 50th percentile for weight and 25th for length, so I have been steadily catching up. My head has done extremely well at growing... It's 75th percentile! I need lots of head to hold all of my intelligence and curiousity!

(Mommy and I were told that compared to boys born around my originally predicted due date, my length is around the 50th percentile, so I'm even bigger than I thought!)

In less ebullient medical news, as she was listening to my chest, the doctor asked if anyone had mentioned hearing a heart murmur before. Mommy and I were surprised and dismayed to hear that term. The doctor said that I probably didn't have it when I was younger since if I had it would have been caught during my 33-day hospital stay after I was born. She said that it is most likely an "innocent murmur," and that many children have these since the blood vessels in the heart are very small at my age. While we still don't like the term "heart murmur," we were comforted by her explanation.

Mommy and I also went to our second "Music Together" class yesterday. There are about 12 other babies and mommies in my class, ranging in age from 3 months to my age (the babies that is. I think the mommies are a few months older.) The mommies sing songs to us and pat out the beat on our bodies. They also dance with us and play musical instruments with us. My favorite is the big, communal drum where up to 4 babies can sit around it and bang. I march to the beat of my own drum, so sometimes I can get a little overstimulated when all of the mommies sing a high note together. When this happens, I get teary for a moment. Then again, maybe its just the heartfelt singing that makes me misty. I love music though. My mommy sings to me a lot and, at home, I rock and bounce to music. I started doing this at my class yesterday too, and the other mommies were impressed.

After class, all of the mommies and babies went to lunch at The Cantina in Walnut Creek. It was quite a production, as you can imagine, but all of the mommies were on their best behavior. We babies were very proud of them!

After we came home, I spent much of the evening standing around, which is my favorite thing to do. I like to stand up and lean on the couch or any other object that I can get some leverage on: people, boxes, toys, etc. While they tell me most babies "pull up," I just use my arms for balance and do most of the work with my strong legs pushing me up. I love the view from atop my feet!