Our little peanut!

Well, once again, Zachary was a champ at the doctor! We had his 6-month well visit this afternoon, which meant 5 more vaccines (4 shots and 1 liquid). Len is the brave one (in addition to Zach) who holds the little guy while the doctor gives him the shots, so I was hopeful I'd get through the appointment without issue. Well, that all changed yesterday afternoon, when a CRAZY line of storms passed through Maryland and on east. Len's hotel lost power, which never came back on through the day. To ensure everything ran as smoothly as it could, Len stayed in Columbia last night. We were all hopeful the power would be restored by morning... but that wasn't the case. Instead, hour after hour, no power and therefore, no Len at home. Zach's appointment was at 3:45, and when I last spoke with Len earlier in the afternoon, they were still in the sticky heat with no power at all. What did that mean? Well, it meant that I would be taking Zachary to his 6-month appointment alone! Oh my goodness... I was going to have to be the one to hold him for the shots. I spent all afternoon psyching myself up for the moment.

So, at approximately 3:10, I headed out to pick up the little guy from daycare and make our way to the doctor's office. As we sat in the waiting room, I was mentally preparing and reassuring myself that we both would be okay. "Zachary Goodman," they called, and back we went to get all of his measurements. I'll get to those in a moment, but first I'll finish the story... the nurse took his weight and head circumference and led us back to the examination room to get his height. After she left, there Zach and I sat waiting for the doctor to come in. There was a knock on the door and as it opened, it was as if the light of heaven was shining down upon us... hallelujah! DADDY WAS HERE! The power had been restored and Len and his team got everything back up and running, then he hurriedly hopped in the car drove north to try and surprise us at the appointment. Thank goodness they were running a little behind, or he may have missed it... this is truly the one time I was actually grateful to have to wait to be seen!!

The doctor then came in and we proceeded through the motions of the check up. I had my list of questions and pen in hand to take all of my notes, as usual. (For those who know me well, a real shocker, right?) We were very pleased to hear the little guy is doing just great!!! She continues to be very impressed with his physical strength, control of motion, interactiveness, and general progress against typical milestones. Zachary did very well with the shots again (though not as great as last time). He cried a little bit throughout the series, but as soon as I scooped him into my arms (to comfort BOTH of us), he immediately stopped crying and just buried his head in my shoulder and wrapped his arms around me... I know I felt better right at that moment, and I think he did, too! There is one little watch item for us... our little peanut is truly a little peanut! His weight is a bit low, even though he eats like a champ. Nothing critical, but we'll be taking him back next month for another weigh-in to be sure he continues to gain. Here are his official 6-month stats:

Height: 25 1/4 inches (15th percentile)
Weight: 14 lbs 10 oz (5-10th percentile)

All in all, a very good trip to the doctor with a very happy ending! Thanks, Daddy, for working so hard to make it there in time to be with us!!