Length: 26 1/4 inches (50th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs 15 oz (80th percentile – 75% of which is just in his GIANT THIGHS)
Head circumference: 45 cm (Normal and the flatness has definitely improved)

I discussed both kinds of flu shot with my pediatrician, and she recommended the regular kind but not the H1N1. We actually don’t even qualify for this first round of swine flu vaccines. They’re only giving them to kids over the age of 2 who have a sibling 6 months or younger at home. So all that OMG WHAT DO I DO?!? freaking out ended up being totally unnecessary. Well, only if you would call hours staring at the ceiling wondering if I’m going to poison my baby “unnecessary”. Not like I could have done something more productive with that time, like laundry or exercise or sleep.

My ped assured me we don’t have any H1N1 risk factors (day care, siblings in school, other adults at home) and that if I wanted to reopen the issue in a month we could talk again, but I think I’m just going to drop it. I did go ahead and get Baby Evan the regular flu shot, since he was only due for two other vaccines this month anyway and the flu is NOT something I want to go through with a 6 month old. She also told me the kind of flu shot they give infants comes in a vial containing a single dose of medication, not the kind they draw several doses from, and therefor doesn’t contain any preservatives (like Thermisol, the stuff people worry about) at all. I’d never heard or read that before, which is weird, considering how many terrifying Google searches I’ve performed using the words “vaccine”.

This next paragraph is the part where I’d usually talk about THE SCREAMING and my damaged ear drums and how the baby hates me now. Instead, I’m going to yell about how I LOVE MY MAI TEI CARRIER. After Baby Evan’s exam – but before the shots – I took off his pants and popped him in the carrier facing in so he could see my face and play with my nursing necklace. He got through two of the three shots without even blinking and the last one just got a startled little yelp before he went back to being his normal happy self. The nurse was super impressed and said she was going to recommend a carrier to all the moms during vaccines. I would brag some more about my excellent mothering and comforting skills and my super brave baby but the carrier thing wasn’t my idea. I stole it from someone at breastfeeding group. But she doesn’t read this blog so as far as you know I’m a total genius. Check me out interwebs! Where’s my Nobel Peace Prize?