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.