Nine Months

Miss Avery is nine months old today, which of course meant a trip to the doctor's office this morning for her nine month check-up.  I look forward to/dread the appointments, because while I like to see how much she has grown, there always seem to be needles involved at these appointments, which is no fun for anyone.  Today she got a flu shot (including H1N1 vaccine), and her first blood test.  You can imagine my shock when the blood test did not cause a single tear; not even a whimper! She of course was trying to steal the instruments out of the nurse's hands, and then when the nurse pricked her finger, I held my breath waiting for the silent red face which precedes the scream.... But Avery simply stared in awe.  The nurse put a little bandaid over her tiny finger, which to Avery meant she had something new to pick and marvel at.  I asked the nurse if it is normal for kids to not cry during a blood test, and she said it is actually kind of rare! I guess I got lucky today.

Her current stats:
Weight: 19 lbs, 10 oz  (50-75th percentile)
Length: 29 inches long (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 47 cm  (97th percentile)

We always joke with the doctor about her "huge noggin." Unfortunately this time it wasn't so funny. I made a joke about her head being consistently huge, and he said that actually it was concerning that she has jumped in percentile.  While she is growing very well and seems healthy, her height and weight have climbed steadily in the 90th and 75th percentiles, respectively.  Her head however has jumped from the 90th percentile to the 97th percentile, and she still has a somewhat large fontanelle (soft spot on the skull). 
Though the chances of an issue are unlikely due to her normal development of social and motor skills, there is a slim chance that she could have a condition called Hydrocephalus. (Basically it is extra fluid on the brain which is not properly draining. According to Avery's doctor, the condition is curable but would involve surgery). 
He said that since the procedure to check for Hydrocephalus is very easy, painless and non-invasive, he recommends that we take her into the hospital for a cranial ultrasound, just to put any concerns to rest.  This will probably happen in the next week or two once I get the referral, so I will keep everyone updated. In the meantime, no need to worry, she is doing great and is right on track for eating, speaking, walking, and socializing.