Nine Months Old!

**I have no clue why the spacing and font is so off on this post.  I have tried to fix it 12 times...Blogger is being weird!**


Blakely turned nine months old on July 13th!  Of course I am a bit late but it just wouldn’t be right if I actually got the post up on time :)

This is how she felt about getting her picture taken this month...

This has been a pretty crazy month.  I think it has been the hardest month on me and Lonnie so far.  But for Blakely it has been a great month of discovery and fun!  

Firsts this month:

First time spending the night at Nana Bob’s house.


First time playing with bubbles..she giggled every time!

Blakely cruised for the first time on 7-2-12.  She is getting better at it everyday.  She will cruise the length of our coffee table and she will also go from the table to the couch.  I just got used to her crawling...I am not ready for walking!

First 4th of July


She has learned how to give fist bumps/high fives.

First time wearing her Ni.ke Sh.ox from Aunt Sarah!

First time sleeping with the bumper in her crib.  She kept getting her legs stuck and it would wake her up.  I thought this was our sleep problem so I put the bumper in.  It didn't make any difference...she still didn't want to sleep!  I found her like this the first day it was in.  

First time taking a bath outside!

Feeding:  Blakely has eaten many new things this month.  Over the past week or so I have started just giving her what we are eating for dinner.  For example, I made a roast with potatoes and carrots the other night so we just gave her some of that.  Or Lonnie made a southwest chicken salad so we gave her some of the corn, black beans, and avocado from the salad.  I was really looking forward to doing this because we can now have family dinners all together.  It is important to me that she eats what we eat for dinner when she is older.  I certainly don’t want to be making dinner for Lonnie and I and then making something else for her!  She still gets some purees but it is getting to the point where she wants to feed herself most of the time.  She usually gets cereal with a fruit (usually pears or blueberries) for breakfast.  Lunch has been the hardest thing for me to figure out what to give her.  Sometimes she will have a little pasta with a veggie or some cottage cheese with a veggie.  Then dinner she will eat what we eat (unless it is pizza!) or leftovers from dinner the night before.  I think her favorite food right now is cottage cheese...she loves that stuff!  I love it too because she can feed herself the chunks for I can mix it with anything and she can eat it from the spoon.  

We are still breastfeeding.  I have her down to about 5 feedings a day.  We went down to five when she started eating 3 regular meals a day.  I have weaning on my mind.  I am going to continue to nurse her until 12 months but I am researching how the heck to wean.  I mean I have no clue how to do it.  I know you cut out feedings but I just don’t know which ones or how much she needs to be getting even if I am cutting them out.

Sleeping: What can I say?  Sleeping is pretty awful.  After 8 monthly posts about how great she was sleeping I totally deserved to have this one about horrid sleep...I know...kicking myself.  I really don't even want to talk about the sleep situation but for documentation sake...here goes.  She started waking up multiple times at night screaming when she hit 8 months old.  The hardest part is that is isn't just a whine it is full blown hysterics.  She was doing this 6ish times a night but now we are down to about 2-3.  Progress.  I am reading a ton about baby sleep so hopefully her 10 month post will be all about my awesome sleeper ;)

See...this is what happens in the crib ;)

We did A LOT of this this month.  The best part about the bad sleep?  She has become a total snuggle baby.

  

I am so thankful that Lonnie has been helping me this month in the middle of the night.  When she was a newborn and waking up every 2 hours to eat he never got up with me (except that first week...he got up every.single.time that first week).  There was nothing for him to do.  I would feed her, change her, and then pump.  He slept upstairs and we slept downstairs.  When she started sleeping 9-11 hours at night when she was about 8 weeks old, we moved back in together.  But since this sleep regression he has been AWESOME.  Like I don't know what I wold have done without him.  He went in and rocked her so many times.  I am so thankful for him!  He has also kept me sane recently :)

Clothes:  She is wearing 9 month clothes.  She can wear some 12 month stuff...depending on the brand.  


Diapers:  Still doing the cloth diapers....I NEED to stop buying them!  We do cloth about 50% at night now.  I don't do it every night because I only have 2 night diapers.  So if I don't wash them early in the morning then they aren't dry by bedtime (I don't put them in the dryer).  I still have quite a few disposables that I need to use anyway before she outgrows them.  


Hair:  Her hair is getting so much thicker and longer.  It is starting to go over her ears a little bit.  I wonder if she is going to have any curls.  I mean my hair is naturally INSANELY curly and Lonnie has curly hair as well....how could she have straight hair??  But so far it is completely straight.  


Eyes:  totally blue...


Weight:  18lb 10oz


Height:  I forgot what they said at the doctor so I will have to update when I find out!


Doctor Appointment:  Blakely had her 9 month check up this morning.  He said she was perfect!  She is right in the 50th percentile for height and weight.  He definitely answered some of my questions about weaning and giving her whole milk.  She had to get some blood drawn to check for anemia and she didn't even cry!  She just kept trying to grab the little thing the blood was in.  Her next appointment is when she turns a year old...WHOA

What's this?

Oh I can eat it!

Quick smile because Daddy walked in..

Off I go!

A few other things:


Now that Blakely is very mobile, she has discovered lots of new things in our house.  She loves playing in her closet.  

But I think her favorite room is the dining room.  We chase each other around the big table and all the chairs.  She LOVES it...lots of giggles when we do that.  

Blakely is in.to.every.thing.  I mean everything.  I can't take my eyes off of her for a second.  She gets into the cabinet in the entertainment center and pulls everything out...in about 1.5 seconds! 

It has been SUPER hot here lately so we have been spending most of our time inside.  This gets old.  I bought a pool and we have been hanging out in that outside some.  I got one big enough for me to get in as well!

I love how she has a crooked smile.  When she smiles really big her jaw tilts to the right and it is so very cute!  She also looks just like her daddy when she smiles really big...her eyes get really squinty.  


For the first time, I have had a few people tell me Blakely is starting to look like me this month!  Since the day she was born everyone has said she looks like Lonnie...this stressed him out LOL!  Maybe she will look like me after all ;)


When she gets really excited she tenses up her whole body really quick.  For example, if she is trying to squeeze one of her duckies to make it squeak.  She squeezes her hand around it but tenses up her whole body and not just her hand....way adorable!  

Pea Pod,
What a wonderful month you have had sweetheart!  You love exploring the world around you and getting into new things everyday.  I love watching the world through your eyes.  I know it will only get better but I can't imagine life being any better than it is right now!  I have already started planning you big first birthday party.  It is going to be so much fun!  I know you won't remember it but there will be plenty of pictures.  Daddy asked me if we needed to even have a party for you.  I told him he was crazy if he thought our girl wasn't getting a party.  He will learn ;)  Happy 9 months baby girl!  Your Daddy and I love you so very much.  


Love, Mommy