More Birthday Parties!

Since we lag so far behind our siblings in starting a family of our own, no one really has baby gear at their houses anymore. As such, we find ourselves bringing along Maia's "space saver" high chair to various events, and we are grateful to have it. It fits nicely in the back seat. So here I am, packing it up to take it to (Uncle) Andrew's and (Aunt) Kathleen's house, and Maia got a little annoyed that it was on the floor in the middle of the kitchen. She was pretty insistent upon sitting in it, and, once in it, was trying desperately to get the tray on! Success! (with a little help from mama)

So on Saturday evening, August 29th, we were off to Adrian's 9th birthday party. The third birthday party this month, with Emily's birthday on 8/1, Maia's on 8/14 and Adrian's on 8/29. Not to mention Grandpa Raymond's birthday on 8/20... August is busy! Maia LOVES to crawl on people, and after getting 4 shots on Friday, has been a little on the sleepy and clingy side. So here she is cuddling with Ade, and giving him a nice loving pat on the behind, which elicited a LOT of giggles from Adrian!

Adrian very much likes to look "sharp" and enjoys being dressed up. So in addition to the usual toys, Adrian received a 5 piece suit (3 piece plus a shirt & tie) from his parents. He was thrilled, and tossed us this excellent Mack Daddy pose upon trying on the jacket.

My, but he is handsome! Once she warmed up a little, Maia started playing well with everyone, and, again, really preferred the bows and ribbons on the gifts.

Lydia and Adrian are both toothless wonders right now. Adrian even lost another at the party. Here is Lydia flashing her missing three front teeth!

Maia had a great time playing 'Pony Girl' with Grandma Marcia, and got lots of smiles and giggles.

On Friday, the 28th, Maia had her 12 month appointment with the pediatrician. Ray came to this visit, too, and had to witness her getting shots. Four of them, this time, as the flu vaccine was in, although they hadn't planned on starting to give them until September first. They are also recommending that she get the H1N1 vaccine as well, being in a high risk category due to her age and the fact that she is in daycare. That, however, is apparently being distributed only by the State Health Department, and will likely be administered in flu clinics in the community.

As usual, she did great with her shots, and only cried for maybe 30 seconds. For this and many other experiences with her, I tend to think she has a pretty decent pain tolerance.

So, how is she doing? Great. She seemed to be on track for all the milestones they look for in this age. When the nurse went to put her on the scale, she asked if we had any guesses. Ray didn't, but I ventured 19.5... she was 19.6. Go me! Not bad, since the battery in our scale at home is dead so I haven't been able to weigh her since she was about 10 months old. So 19.6 lbs puts her at the 20th percentile for her weight. Her height was 29 1/4 inches, which is the 49th percentile. And her head... 65th! The doctor states that Maia is definitely continuing on the growth pattern that she established for herself.

The doctor was pleased. Only issue mentioned was the rattly cough she has (again) following her last cold. I'm thinking it's reasonable to expect that there are some mild environmental allergies there, but they don't seem to bother her, and there isn't much they can do to treat them at this age anyway. She would certainly come by them genetically!

What a petite little thing she is, though... 12 months and 20 lbs for forward-facing car seats... and she's not 20 lbs yet! Which is actually just as well - she's still in her bucket car seat anyway - and that one happens to go up to 35 lbs. That said, Ray and I are definitely tired of carrying her bucket seat back and forth to daycare each day, so the research is on for the right car seat for her and for our car to keep her safe. And, the fact of the matter is, this child will be spending up to 11 HOURS in that car seat for several trips a year for the foreseeable future... so comfy and safe are important!