10 months (plus 2 weeks)

Miss Kalaya finally had her 9 month appointment. I got really frustrated, because it kept getting rescheduled! I understand why well-baby appointments are not top priority if there are sick kids needing to see the doctor, but it took forever! We really like our pediatrician, but we decided after all of this that we are going to switch to one closer to home. (We had been going all the way back to Tualatin for each appointment, because we liked our doctor so much) I've been asking around and think we have found a new doctor. She was highly recommended by a friend who said she is very supportive of attachment parenting. (co-sleeping, long-term nursing, etc)

The appointment went really quickly! The 9 month appointment is a nice relief because there are no vaccinations involved! Usually we have to wait a fair amount of time, but this time we went right in and we were even early! This was the first time Nelson has missed an appointment, which he was disappointed about. But, the visit we had scheduled around his work was canceled. So, it was just Kalaya and I. It was right around nap time, so she was kinda fussy, but a little bit of nursing made everything better and she did great! She weighed 18 lbs 14 1/2 oz (35th percentile), was 30 inches long (96th percentile!!) and her head circumference was 18 inches (84th percentile). Dr. Wu said she is very alert and seems to be a happy, healthy child, which we knew! We talked about her eating habits, sleeping habits and about when to turn her car seat around. I was surprised, since a lot of families I know turn the seat around at 1 year. Turns out you should keep them facing backwards as long as possible, AT LEAST until they are 2! Glad I asked the doctor! She is right at the limit for length in a car seat, so we have to get a new one SOON! Luckily, my parents have said that they will get that as her first birthday present, since they are kinda spendy!

It is so fun to watch Kalaya grow and change, she is doing so many things! She is clapping, giving kisses, playing in new and interesting ways, rolling all over the place and attempting crawling. She is really taking her time becoming completely mobile, but I see crawling in the very near future!! It's sometimes frustrating to have a baby that is "on the slow end" of crawling. (not my phrasing) While we are perfectly confident and comfortable in our daughter's ability to become mobile, others are more anxious. We're starting to get, "She's STILL not crawling?? Hmmm..." and it's hard not to notice that most other babies her age are cruising around everywhere and many are walking. I know I'm not supposed to compare my child to other babies, so I really try not to, but I can't do anything about those other parents comparing their baby to mine. One person went so far as to ask, "Are you sure she's 'okay.' Do you worry there's something wrong with her??" Thanks, like that helps a lot. Yes, we are sure she's okay and no, we don't worry right now. Get back to me in 6 months if she is still rolling to get around.

Kalaya has a mouth full of teeth (8!) and we think more are on the way! Her hair is getting longer too, long enough for little "Pebbles" ponytails! I need to take a picture of that and her teeth. Her language skills are so close to actual words!! And she has now signed two words! Her first was "dog" (2 pats on the leg) and her latest is "more" (touching the fingers together on each hand and bringing them together). She has done both several times and in the correct context. Very exciting!!