The Health/Development Report

• Georgia's skin loved the heat and humidity of Florida and has been looking much better on a daily basis here, too, now that it's finally warming up. Good sign for summer.


• Still no signs of food allergies, which they've had us on "high alert" for since she started solids (due to high correlation between kids with eczema and kids with allergies).


• The laughing boycott ended in Florida. She giggled up a storm as if she had been so stressed out at home and really needed that vacation. (Too bad now that we're home, she's back to stifling herself most of the time. We can get her to crack up now and then, though. I wonder if the neighbors can see us doing jumping jacks in the kitchen?)


• Georgia's all about imitating sounds (loves ssssss for snakes) and doing a pivot move we call "the kickstand" - it's sort of her way of getting into or out of a sitting position, and moving at the same time.


• Our personal fave of the moment: she hugs and kisses stuffed animals. As soon as you hand her one, she clutches it to her and gives it a big open-mouthed baby kiss. (How cute is that?!) Sometimes when we're lucky, she'll give us kisses, too. My god, it melts my heart.

Uh, Is This Normal? We took Georgia to her 9 month checkup in mid-May. This is the appointment where they test for TB by injecting a teeny amount of something under the forearm skin, and they do a blood test for lead by pricking the index finger. Georgia did not cry (or really even flinch) during any of this - just sat there watching the nurse inject her arm and prick her finger. The nurse commented that she was a "good little patient." Joe and I were kind of incredulous, but maybe this lack of reaction is common, I don't know. (Then I sat in the back seat with her on the way home, because I was afraid she was going to choke on the bandaid they put on her finger. I am not normally that much of a nervous nelly, but removing the bright yellow bandaid seemed her only goal.)

Not Shrinking, Just Petite Georgia was a fast grower out of the gates. 8 lbs. 3 oz. at birth, and consistently in the 90-95th percentile range for weight through her 4 month checkup in December. I figured our family just makes 'em big. Since December she's taken it easy, growing and steadily putting on weight, but no longer at such an astronomical pace. (Certainly not due to a lack of appetite or eating, I might add.) As of her 9 month checkup, she's now in the 10th percentile for weight at 16 lbs. 12 oz. Huh - go figure. Doc's not concerned, so neither are we. Guess she might turn out to be a string bean - we'll see. I feel like time's flying, so I can't help but relish the baby-ish feel of our snuggly little Bobinx; I know she'll be toddling around like a little girl all too soon.