Sounds Like

This morning we went in for Ellie’s 4 month checkup, and she did not try to kill herself, so that’s a resounding improvement over her 2 month checkup.*

We’re a bit early for the 4 month checkup (or really, weigh-in), but Margaret’s pediatrician left to go “help underserved populations” in “rural areas” instead of staying at our nice, suburban clinic.  Selfishness, that’s what it is.  Anyway, the clinic is one pediatrician short for the moment, so we really take what we can get as far as appointments go. 

Anyway, as far as statistics go, she is 24.5 inches long (50 percentile), 15 lbs (75 percentile) and her head is some number of centimeters around that comes out to the 25th percentile.  She’s on a very systematic weight gain plan, though.  She was 9 lbs 1 oz at birth, 12 lbs at 2 months, and 15 lbs at 4 months. 

So one of the questions that they ask about development and things is whether she’s reaching for things or not.  I said that I wasn’t quite sure – there were times I thought she was, but she wasn’t grabbing or anything.  I mean, she can get my hand and stick it in her mouth if she wants it, but she hasn’t been batting at the various toys that I hang over her.

And then when I brought her home, grabbing toys, sticking them in her mouth.  It’s like she was listening.

And then with her moose**, it seemed like she was actually trying to tell me what she wanted, with the charades and everything.

But when I didn’t figure it out (she lacks the acting skill to act out “goose” properly), she decided that she would have to get it herself.

And then decided that on second thought, moose tasted a little gamy, and she would rather have the milk.  Or possibly the antlers.  For dessert maybe.

*Stopping breathing is BAD and NOT HELPFUL FOR MOMMY’S BLOOD PRESSURE.

**Yes, this is a different moose, with YELLOW antlers, which is how you can tell.  After all, Margaret made a valid point about moose ownership.