Well Proportioned

Yesterday was Elliott's 2 month check-up and our first experience with Kaiser, his new health provider. First off, so far I've been really impressed with Kaiser. I think that they have really made a huge effort to counter the bad press they used to have...and not just with their cute and catchy commercials either. Everyone I've dealt with has been awesome, from customer service to billing to the medical staff. Heck, the girl at the reception counter in pediatrics yesterday actually looked to make eye contact with me as she became aware of someone coming toward the counter! Usually I have to walk up to the counter and wait for the girls behind the desk to finish their personal conversations! And so far, I LOVE his new pediatrician! I am just as pleased with this doctor as I was with his first doctor at Sharp. So all in all, I'm really glad our experience with Kaiser will be a good one and not just a means to save money on health insurance.

Anyway! Elliott! He is huge!! 11 lbs 3 oz!! And 22.2 inches long with a head circumference of 15.2 inches. Now, he is still wee compared to other babies, but he is growing like a weed. He is in the 28th percentile for weight and head circumference and 25th percentile for height. I still think he is small because of my bedrest and/or the drugs I was on, but he seems to be doing well and gaining weight like he is supposed to, he just had to start from a smaller starting point is all. ;)

The doctor said he looked really good and was a very well proportioned baby (although he still has one testicle that has not yet descended, but there is still time that it will do so on its own before it becomes a problem...so I guess not that well proportioned in that department ;). And when he put him on his tummy to check his neck development, I told Elliott to show the doctor what he can do. He promptly lifted his entire torso off the table with his neck and arms. The doctor was like - you aren't supposed to be able to do that yet!! Hee, hee.

Yesterday was also my mom's birthday and we had a really nice afternoon together and went out to lunch to celebrate. And while Elliott was super cooperative and slept through lunch, he was nice and awake and alert while we were at the house so she could catch up on what he's been up to. (She - and most of my family - have been really sick the last week or two, so they've been keeping their distance so as not to bring it down here.)

Finally, last night was another milestone of sorts...it was the first time Elliott was able to go to sleep without me in the room with him...and at 8:30 pm no less! It was so nice to have a couple hours in the evening just to ourselves...and Jenny enjoyed the undivided attention as well! Hopefully, this will mark a nice progression to some sort of earlier bedtime and not just because he was tired from getting his vaccinations or something. (I personally think it was because he heard me talking about his sleeping to the doctor ;) All in all, he's been spending more and more time in his bassinet and not in our bed. Although, I learned another interesting thing this morning...he sleeps better in the morning when I'm not there! He usually sleeps very light and restless in the morning hours and feeds frequently. But this morning, he was out as soon as I got up to take Jenny out and get her breakfast and he ended up sleeping another solid hour and a half! This gives me hope that mornings will go a little smoother than I had feared once I go back to work since I will have to be up and out of bed during the usual feeding frenzy of late. I think he just is hyper aware of me (and my - ahem - milk supply) during those hours since he's usually in the bed with us at that point. So maybe no milk supply, no waking? We'll see!