Halfway point and Brice 9 month update (late, as always)

I took Brice for his 9 month checkup yesterday. We're a little late as he's 9 months and 3 weeks, but hey, I'll give you the rundown anyway. We walked into the office and signed in. Brice was immediately infatuated by the fish tank in the waiting area so we spent about 10 minutes practicing our fish faces. He thinks mine is super cool, by the way. He was fine and dandy until the monster of monsters came to usher us into the examining room. Brice took one look at him and burst out into tears. You know who I'm talking about. The shot guy.

I'm not talking about the busty bimbo selling test tubes full of alcohol at Senor Frogs, people. I'd call him a nurse and I probably should, but he's not. He's an overweight, long haired hippy. He's the nicest guy ever, but he carries a plastic box with him everywhere he goes. The shot box. The box of hysteria.

It took Brice 9 months to figure this out. One look at the shot guy and we were in big trouble. Brice was suddenly defying gravity and had climbed up my chest and was perched on my shoulder clinging to my t-shirt and a fist full of hair. I'm probably bald on one side. I fought him down onto the table, removed his clothes and held him down while the shot guy weighed and measured him. The stats: Brice now weights 23lbs and is 30 inches long, putting him in the 95th percentile for both.

The shot guy left the room and told us that Dr. Lialios would be in momentarily. Brice was instantly calm and I believe that he somehow thought he would avoid further poking and prodding. Dr. Lialios walked into the room and the hysteria started up again. Once again, I held him on the table while Dr. L examined his eyes, ears, listened to his heart, etc. Dr. L explained to me that they would give Brice the first half of the regular flu shot and they would prick his finger to take blood for an anemia/lead poisoning test. He told me to get Brice dressed and shot guy would return.

I put Brice's clothes back on, calmed him down and offered him a bottle. He snuggled into my chest as we sat in the chair waiting and within five minutes, my little guy was sound asleep. Shot guy came back into the room and gave me an apologetic look as he knew that Brice would soon be awake, alert and very, very angry. He opened his shot box, pulled out the needle and pricked Brice's finger. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy filled the vial and quickly pulled out the flu shot. He rolled up Brice's pant leg and quickly jabbed him in the thigh. We looked at one another. He slept. Shot guy told me we were free to go, so I picked up my bag and walked out. He slept. Basically, I have the only kid on the face of the planet that screams bloody murder through the regular exam and then sleeps peacefully through the painful shots. I love my little weirdo!

In current pregnancy news, we have reached (almost) the halfway point. Here's the weekly update:

How far along? 19 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: I'll be honest, Joel took the scale to work (lord only knows why) so I haven't weighed myself.
Maternity clothes? I finally went shopping and now have new fall wear. A couple of pairs of pants and a few sweaters will hopefully last me until the chilly days of winter.
Best moment this week: Finishing up a couple of home improvement projects. We've got many to go but the new recessed lights and the baseboard heat look great.
Symptoms: None really. Just the metallic, penny taste in my mouth that exists ALL THE TIME. Heartburn.
Movement: Minor flutters only.
Food cravings: Curry. Peanut Butter. Apples.
Gender? I haven't had another ultrasound to tell me otherwise, so I'm hoping she's still a little girl!
Sleep: Hello coma. I could fall asleep sitting up in my officle with three people talking to me.
Belly Button in or out? Slowly moving out. Damn.
What I miss: Having a glass of white wine at the end of a difficult workday. Having a second glass of white wine because I can. Ankles instead of cankles. Having a third glass of white wine.
Weekly Wisdom: A friend of mine posted this on her blog. For the most part, I totally agree.

So this is the advice no one ever told me:
1. Babies don’t sleep through the night – for years! That’s right people, some babies don’t sleep through the night FOR YEARS! I was prepared for a rough start. No one warned me it would be years.
2. A baby crying, and a baby crying for you are two different experiences. Which brings me back to #1. I was always told that you just let the baby “cry it out” and then they sleep through the night. Well, if you’ve ever had a baby who cries, “mama!” – Crying it out really isn’t a great alternative.
3. The first year of having children is the toughest for a marriage. People used to tell me that the first year of marriage is the hardest. Ours was a cake walk. The first year of having a baby – well, that’s a different story. Its not like its bad, but having a baby has thrown us curve balls that I never expected. And it doesn’t help when one, or both of you, haven’t slept in about 1.5 years.
4. Sleep deprivation starts before the baby even arrives. I was up about 4 times a night during the first trimester – often for several hours at a time, and I think I only slept through the night once while I was pregnant.
5. Postpartum recovery is worse than delivery. It was for me anyways – it lasted months. At least labor and delivery were over with in a day, and you can get an epidural for that.
6. Motherhood is competitive. Even if a mother had a baby 30 years ago, some will still compare themselves to you. If you want to brag about your kids, brag to your parents (because they still have a genetic stake) or to your friends without kids.
7. You really don’t know anything about being a parent until you are one. If someone had told me this, I wouldn’t have believed them. Things that I said, “I will never…” to, I am now doing.
8. In the beginning, do whatever you have to do to stay sane. If the baby has to sleep on your 24/7 – then go for it. You can worry about the details later.
9. Having kids is fun. I don’t know if anyone told me this. I thought it sounded like fun, but I mostly hear people complain about kids. I absolutely love having my baby and spending time with him.

Milestones: HALFWAY POINT! 20 weeks to go! WOOOOO HOOOO!