9 month stats & 9 month foot checkup

Height - 27 inches (12th percentile)

Weight - 17 pounds, 10 ounces (9th percentile)

Head Circumference - 17 inches (26th percentile)

Good bill of health from Dr. Taylor. We were a little worried about your coloring, but Dr. Taylor reassured us that we were just giving you foods with too much beta - carotine. So we'll cut those out.

I was very nervous for your appointment with Dr. Tuck - it had been three months since we last saw him and we had a few very rough patches. I was determined to get you to 60 degrees and was successful two weeks ago and you adapted VERY well. Maybe if we had it there all along we wouldn't have had so much trouble...

Your appointment couldn't have gone better. Clubfeet levels are ranked by points. 0 being perfectly corrected feet, 6 being the worse. Both of your feet are at 1/2 point. They aren't good - they are excellent for a 9 month old. We go back in three months. Dr. Tuck was telling me how he just discharged a 6 year old - I can't wait for him to release you.

If you are wondering, Levi will be in the snowboard (12 hours a day) until he is 2. No compromise. Think of it as a retainer after braces on your teeth. It's to prevent relapse. We're almost half way done :)

9 months in...9 months out.

Providing for you when you were in my belly wasn't hard. I did have to make a few adjustments (drop the wine, increase the calories) but generally speaking, I had a very easy pregnancy. Providing for you out in the world - well, let's just say it's been one of the most bumpy, emotional, rewarding experiences I've ever been through....

At first, you didn't latch on. I tried to stay calm, but was panicking inside. Once you latched, you didn't want to let go - to the point where it become extremely painful. I would cringe the second the clock struck feeding time. The agony (and I'm not exaggerating) was more than I could bare. After speaking to the doctors at one of the very early appointments, she suggested I pump one feeding to give myself some relief. So I did, and I never looked back. I pumped for a month straight. I got sick of cleaning bottles and parts, so we tried again and you latched right on (you were a PRO!). I got mastitis. I healed. It came back with a vengeance. But we made it through....and we never looked back.

Looking back it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

We got the hang of it - and soon (just as the woman told me at the first breastfeeding class I ever went to) you were latching on yourself without me having to do anything. I went back to work in September and began pumping three times a day (9am, 12pm & 3pm) at work in a bathroom. I pumped driving to meetings, I pumped sitting outside of buildings. I pumped at a lunch break in a bathroom stall at a restaurant in Gaithersburg.

As you began to eat solid foods, I noticed a drop in my supply and started to get worried. What if I can't keep up? I rarely would leave you on the weekends in fear that my supply in the freezer would dwindle to nothing. As your 9 month birthday fast approached, I realized that almost every day I had to pull from the stash to make sure you had enough milk for daycare. I knew it was time.

There is something about being the only person that could provide you the milk that you needed - something about our evening routines where it's just you and me and I watch you drift off into a dream. While I know there will still be these nights, my heart is sad that we're done with our breastfeeding journey. It's a feeling I really can't put into words beyond this explanation. It hasn't been easy, but I wouldn't change a second of our bumpy road that ended with smooth sailing. I know you'll need me in many other ways throughout your life.

9 months in...9 months out. I've enjoyed every second of it and can't wait for what's in store.

My New Years Resolution...

...is to update the blog. When I first went back to work it seemed nearly impossible to even eat dinner let alone sit down to update you on Levi's happenings. We were so busy after work but now we have gotten into a routine and I like to consider myself a pro at this "working mom" thing.....

Levi has had a really good three months. Here is a short recap....

He LOVES his daycare provider, Mrs. Feny. Levi is one of two kids that is at daycare. The other child is Mrs. Feny's son, Kaysan, who now considers Levi his brother. Michael and I feel extremely lucky to have found such an amazing daycare provider. Feny provides us with a daily log telling us when he ate, slept, pooped and anything else that went on during his day. Reading what he did all day is the best part of my day (other than seeing his smiling face when I get home). When I picked him up before Winter Break started, Mrs. Feny said to Levi, "Bye Levi! I'll miss you so much - please don't forget who I am!" She wrote us a sweet note that expressed how much she enjoys having Levi every day and what a good baby he is. We couldn't be more proud. One day when I picked him up, Feny opened the door and here is what I saw:

Mr. Cool having so much fun! Kaysan is really into music and we have found that Levi REALLY likes listening to music and when we sing. Maybe he'll take after his Uncle Eric & Uncle Daniel and be a musician!

Levi's feet are doing extremely well. He still wears his snowboard every night for 12 hours. We do have nights when he fights it, but Michael and I have a united front to take charge and make sure he's in his brace as often as he can stand it. Levi had an excellent checkup with Dr. Tuck at his 6 month appointment. One important point for us to watch is to make sure his heels don't turn in when he stands on his feet (well, stand on his toes - he doesn't stand flat on his feet yet). So far so good. We have exersaucer time every day - which Dr. Tuck says is a really good exercise to loosen up the tight tendons in his feet. Here is a recent picture of Levi in his brace right before bed time. He is much more aware of the snowboard...which is probably why he still isn't sleeping through the night....

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, Christmas & New Years were a blast! It was so great to be with family and to start traditions with Levi. While some points of the holidays were a bit overwhelming for him (omg, the presents!), he was super excited to participate in his first holiday season! Here are some fun photos....

Levi the Lion - we went to Todd & Erin's Halloween Party as the Tin Man, Dorothy & the Cowardly Lion...it was a hit!

Levi & Isaac at the "new" kids table at Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Hannukah with Mommy & Daddy...he LOVED the flames!

Opening presents at Christmas....at times, he seemed more interested in eating paper than the actual gift!

Party animals at Uncle Eric & Aunt Erika's house for New Years.

Isaac outlasted Levi by 3 hours....Levi was down for the count at 5:30 pm and Isaac at 8:30 pm. The REAL party was the next morning when the boys were up for good at 8am...after their Mommies and Daddies partied into the wee hours of the morning.....

2010...you were too good to us. You brought us the most amazing little gift on May 23rd. Our lives will never be the same, and we will never forget this year. Happy New Year (and hopefully you'll be hearing from me again real soon!)

Love,

Stephanie