15 month update

Auletta had her 15-month appointment today. She is 28-3/4" tall and 19 lb. 3 oz., with a head circumference of 47.1 cm (maybe a bit off because she was squirmy). This puts her in approximately the tenth percentile for height, fifth for weight, and 75th for head circumference. I don't have a picture, but her disproportionate head size grows increasingly apparent--not that I mind having a child whose incipient brilliance is so obvious, heh. The only problem with her tiny size, which is certainly a blessing when she is clingy and I have to hold her all the time, is that she isn't big enough to sit forward-facing in her carseat, and that would be awfully nice for our frequent trips. Anyway, her pediatrician gave her a clean bill of health, the nurse gave her three shots (tears), and the phlebologist drew her blood (more tears) for a routine blood test. Poor thing with all those needles, but she still rebounds quickly.

I don't really talk about it on this blog because I never went through the hurdles a lot of mothers do, but I've been breastfeeding Auletta since she was born (obviously she eats solids now), and have surpassed my original goal of breastfeeding for a year, after which I figured she and I could do what we wanted. Which appears to be nursing, still. I would take more credit for doing it this long (or doing it at all) if it had not been largely out of laziness from the beginning. Preparing and cleaning bottles? Blah. Pumping? Blah--so I just take Auletta everywhere because it's easier to take her places than to leave her with someone and pump milk (although this is less of an issue now that she sort of takes a cup--I left her with Justin all day a week or so ago). Buying whole milk when Justin and I drink skim? Well, it does make awesome hot chocolate. Lately we've been drinking this, which I love and would almost live in Vermont to be near, if it were not cold. Did I mention I miss the South? Because it's not cold all the time? Right. Anyway, breastfeeding = yay. Extended breastfeeding = why the heck not?

Here

I know it's been forever since I blogged. It's partly because I've been busy and partly laziness. We went to Chapel Hill for Christmas, as we have every year since we've been engaged. It was blessedly warm for much of the time we were there. Oh, how I miss the South. On the way down we visited friends in Philadelphia, D.C., and Charlottesville. Then, rather than heading straight back up I-95 (yuck), we went to Ithaca for a few days. I believe this might actually have saved us money, if you weigh tolls vs. extra gas. Well, in any case we got a free dinner New Year's Eve at John Thomas Steakhouse. Num, as Auletta would say. Then back home. We managed to miss two snowstorms while we were gone, although the second one also hit Ithaca and the sidewalks here remain icy because it is still COLD. Did I mention I miss the South? Oh, but unlike my fair readers in Seattle, we believe in snowplows and salt here, so it's not that bad.

I can report that Auletta has several words, sort of:
1. "No" but always in multiples, i.e. "no no no!" when anyone besides her Uncle Harry, whom she still loves best, tries to pick her up.
2. "Boo!" or something like it when she plays her version of peekaboo, which involves sticking something that might or might not be larger than her eyes in front of what might or might not be her eyes.
3. She understands (but does not say) "nose" and "ear" in reference to my face, at least, and is happy to demonstrate her knowledge of their locations, repeatedly.