Two month well-baby visit

Eli saw our family doctor this morning for his checkup, and all is very well indeed. Here are his stats:

Weight: 17 lbs., 5.6 oz
Length: 25 in.
Head circumference: 43.4 cm (16.9 in.)

He's around the 100th percentile for all three categories for his age; as our doctor said today, "Eli should be the poster child for breastfeeding." :) Her theory is that his growth rate might begin to slow down around the 6-month point when he begins eating solids and is more distracted when he nurses ... we shall see.

We're doing a delayed vaccination schedule with Eli, so instead of the usual 4-5 vaccinations (both shots and oral vaxes), he only had two. I talked with our doc for a long time about this, and spent quite a while in benefit/risk analysis mode (which I do enjoy--Informed Consent FTW!), and I decided that I was most comfortable with a schedule that slows down the pace of vaccinating a little bit, at least for the first few months. Basically, he'll never have more than two shots at a time.

Oh, and I got my Hep B and flu shots. :) Eli and I were able to share in the discomfort of vaccinations together.

It was one of our regular blog readers who recommended this family doctor to us, and I'm so very grateful for that mention of her name a few years back. Our conversation today about vaccines was around 45 minutes long, and I never felt rushed! To have that in the U.S. health care system as it stands today is really, really rare. Throughout my pregnancy, birth, and now into Eli's infancy, I've felt so comforted and respected by all of our care providers. I really appreciate the conversations I've had with so many of them during which we weighed risks and benefits of various medical procedures, tests, and interventions, after which I've felt free to make my own choices one way or the other. The lack of adherence to the "party line" just for the sake of it (absent a real medical reason or need) has been refreshing and wonderful. I feel really fortunate, but the shift of responsibility for decision-making into my hands can feel intimidating at times. Ah, adulthood.

Both Eli and Maia are napping right now, and so it's time for me to get some work done for class tonight.