9 month check up

Alright, when I weighed Emerson on our home scale one month ago he weighed 23 pounds.  I did this by using the very technical method of weighing myself and then weighing myself holding Emerson and determining the difference.  I looked at the growth chart and panicked because that would have placed him somewhere like the 90th percentile and he has consistently been between the 50th and 65th percentile.  I was prepared to have a serious talk with his teachers tomorrow about how much food he is eating at daycare.  It turns out we either need a new scale or I need to refine my weighing technique.  He only weighs 20lbs.  That places him in the 50th percentile for weight, down from the 65th because he's crawling.  He is in the 60th percentile for length and head circumference, both down from the 75th percentile.  Perfectly healthy little guy for the most part.  He did get Scott's allergies, though to what severity we have yet to determine.  His chest is congested all the time from his constant drainage.  Scott finally went back to an immunologist last month to address his after 3 years of me bugging him and apparently he is allergic to everything, but mostly Bodie unfortunately.  That Dr. basically told  him we needed to get rid of the dog and if Emerson has allergies they will be the same as Scott's.  We have been forced to at least consider this and not for Scott's sake, because he would suffer through anything for that dog, but for Emerson's.  Scott's allergies contributed to developing asthma and chronic sinusitis.  However, Emerson's pediatrician did give us a hopeful attitude and said there is no reason we should get rid of the dog immediately and that studies show babies who are around a particular allergen from day one have a lot less problems than the kids who say, get a dog when they're 6.  We are going to wash and brush Bodie more often, get air purifiers and our next big project will be ripping up the carpet and staining the concrete.  We may start Em on Zyrtec for a few weeks just to see if it makes a difference, though I hate the thought of a 9 month old already having to take a medication regularly.

Emerson is the happiest baby we have ever met.  He is spunky and loves to laugh.  Just in the past few weeks he has become so much more verbal.  He loves to play with the volume and pitch of his voice.  Sometimes it sounds like he's trying to sing a song.  He is so inquisitive.  He is calm, but at the same time he is always engaged and interacting with his environment.  He crawls with intention.  He recognizes his name.  He waves, gives high fives, and claps.  His teacher at Middle Earth says that when his 3 month old classmate is crying, he crawls over and pats him gently or he will lie down next to him.  Em is such a cuddly guy.  He is always giving hugs and slobbery open mouth kisses.  We can't believe he will be 1 in just a few months!  More pictures soon... Love you all!

Addendum:  I forgot to mention how much he loves bath time!  He manages to transfer at least half of his bath water to the bathroom floor between splashing and simply filling up his cup and pouring it over the side.  He equally loves being outdoors.  If Scott and Bodie are outside playing ball he sits at the back door and bangs on the window until I open it, then he crawls right out.  Taking him outside has always been a quick fix for a grumpy mood.  He is not a picky eater what-so-ever.  He hates to be changed now that he's mobile...he has better things to do and how dare we prevent him from doing them! I just wanted to write all of this down so we don't forget!