9 months later and wow we've grown!

Emmy had her 9 month check-up on Monday. She is actually now 9 months and 2 weeks. She turns 10 months on December 7th... but back to the check-up. We found out she is 30 1/4 inches (95%) and 21 pounds (92%)! We have got ourselves a big girl. We do both have height in our family, but neither of us are tall. This might mean my idea of extra curricular activities are out and the rest of the family's dreams of sports are back in the picture. Luckily, we still have some time : )

During the appointment, we discussed Emmy's head shape. We noticed one side of her head became flat when she was around 3 months old. We tried to block that side when she slept, and I bought a car seat cushion that was supposed to help round out the head. It has gotten better, but I can still tell that one side is flatter than the other. Her hair helps cover it up, and I have to point it out for someone to notice. At each appointment, it is never severe enough for a helmet, and the doctor suggests we wait until the next visit. At this visit, the doctor concluded that there is no medical reason for a helmet, but we could pursue it if we wanted to for cosmetic reasons. I am still unsure of what I want to do. Her head will no longer change much on its own. My plan is to take pictures when her hair is wet and evaluate the severity. The helmet will have to be worn 23 hours a day and 7 days a week. I do NOT think Emmy will do well with this, but it might be a small price to pay for the permanent shape of her head. I do not want it to be something we look back on and wish we would have corrected.

My doctor also asked if I wanted the H1N1 vaccine. YES this appointment was full of questions I was not prepared for. I am an impulsive person when it comes to eating out and shoes, but when it comes to decisions that are going to affect me and my family I like to do my research. I started researching the vaccine around August, and the only information I could find was on the vaccine that was created in the 70's. This vaccine was said to have caused a rare never disorder. The current H1N1 vaccine was only in 3 months of clinical trials, and has not been given for a long enough period for us to really know the side-effects. In reading about it, I only find contradicting information. Government reports state that it is just as "safe" as the seasonal flu vaccine, and opposing reports state that this is a ploy to increase medical dollars and the vaccine is unsafe. I can only make my decision off of what others report, and I do not feel that, through my research, I can tell what and who to believe. I asked my doctor if he would be getting his 2 daughters the vaccine, and he said yes but they did have asthma. So.. at this point, I am still undecided......