Ellis Is Growing

This morning I took Ellis to the doctor because the inside corner of his left eye has been bloodshot for a week. It doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest: he doesn't itch or rub it, it's not particularly weepy, and it seems to be functioning just fine. But it also seemed like it was time for a professional opinion -- yet the doctor wasn't sure what to make of it either. She said it doesn't seem to be scratched (thank goodness) and it may be allergies. We have some eye drops to try. If that doesn't work, we'll make an appointment with an optometrist.

 But since we were in the pediatrician's office, we got an update on Ellis's stats. He weighs 22 lbs., 8 oz., putting him in the 43rd percentile, and is 31 inches tall, putting him in the 90th percentile. I think it's safe to say that our boys are going to be tall!

He's starting to show some preference for his lion as a favorite cuddle and play toy -- although he doesn't yet have a plethora of stuffed animals to choose from. He loves to read books -- especially if he gets to flip all of the pages and open all the flaps and touch all the fuzzies by himself, without always sharing with his big brother. And, at 11 months old, he finally, finally, began sleeping through the night! By that I mean that we still regularly get up around 1 for a quick nursing session and some soothing, then he goes right back to sleep for another solid 5 to 6 hours. Although he he has actually made it through the entire night a time or two. What a relief for us all!

He is close to crawling but not quite there yet. We thought that as the second child, wanting desperately to catch up to his big brother, he might be ahead of Blanden, but he is actually a little behind. We think that is in no small part due to the fact that with two big dogs and especially a big brother running through the house, he doesn't get nearly as much time on the floor to practice. Ellis has enjoyed much of his first year from the safe perches of his swing, then his bouncy seat, and now his booster seat at the kitchen counter, where he is free to look down upon all the action but kept safe from the mayhem -- yet itching to join in, no doubt. Just two weeks from today, he'll get getting his first haircut. Just two weeks from tomorrow, he'll be turning one!