Addie - Month 9

Weight: 20 lbs 2 oz - 67th percentile

Length: 28 inches - 86th percentile

Head: 46.6 cm - 97th percentile

Clothes:
12 month clothes are a perfect fit right now and the cooler weather is finally here to stay.  I love dressing you in your adorable jeans, sweaters, and boots (even though you only keep them on for about 3 seconds!)

Diapers: size 3

Health:
We had your 9 month well check with Dr. Fink and it went really well.  I am happy to report that you are a very happy and healthy little girl!  He gave us the green light to give you more table food, with the expected list of foods to avoid until you are a year old.  You showed off your bottom 2 teeth and Dr. Fink thinks that your top 2 will be cutting through very, very soon.  We ended our appointment with the dreaded shots.  You screamed and even gave me the lip, I felt so bad!  I hate seeing you in pain, but I'll have to deal with it when it's for your benefit in the long run.  Overall, it was a very successful appointment and our next one isn't until you are a year old.

"Mommy and daddy, you really try hard to make me smile.  All you have to do is ask!"

In the words of cousin Bryan, "Seriously?"

Diet:
Not much has changed since last month with your diet.  You still LOVE to eat and you still are enjoying mommy's milk.  We are still on the same schedule, nursing 4-5 times a day, with solids in between at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  We have started you on some table food and you're a little unsure of the texture.  The face you make is priceless when you try something for the first time!  You've had bread, sweet potatoes, banana, cantaloupe, and noodles. Some you like more than others, but all of the practice is paying off because you are starting to get the idea of feeding yourself.  At times you are all about it and at times you are too impatient and just want mommy or daddy to feed you the purees instead.  We've also started giving you a sippy cup, but you are still working on figuring this out too.  There's times when you prefer to just chew on it and other times where you are actually interested in drinking the water or juice inside of it.
 
Sleep:
I figured I was going to jinx myself last month after I was bragging about what a good sleeper you were, but luckily that was not the case.  You continue to be an amazing sleeper and your dad and I are VERY thankful for this!  Typically, you get up between 6:30-7 and take 2-3 naps during the day.  During the week it's usually 3 because you refuse to sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time at daycare, but on the weekend you only take 2 naps.  We start your bedtime routine between 6-7 and you go to sleep very easily at night.

"My monthly picture with my pup."

"What's down there Mommy?"

"No way, a PINK bunny?  I've never seen such a thing!"

"Selfie!"

Likes:
Your absolute favorite thing to do right now is move!  You are on the go girl, all the time!  You babble and make all sorts of noises as you learn and explore and it has been so much fun to watch. We bought you some new toys this month to help entertain you when we were on the road and your 2 favorites are your new shakers and your Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes toy that plays music and lights up.  You have also become very fond of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  Cooper continues to entertain you and I love how when your dad or I wake you up in the morning, you immediately look for him and reach down for him.  He greets you with kisses on your hand every morning and he always puts a smile on your face.  You and you dad have a "secret handshake" aka a high five that has quickly become your thing together.  Daddy is the only one who can get you to do it and it is so cute to watch. 

Dislikes:
Your dislike for long car rides has grown to a whole new level this past month with all of the traveling that we did.  You HATE to be strapped in to your car seat for longer than 5 minutes.  Since you are on the move ALL THE TIME, you dislike just about anything that forces you to sit still, getting your diaper changed, getting dressed, sitting in your high chair waiting for food, etc.   Your dad and I are just learning that we have to speed it up so you can be on the move!

"Hmmm, what to read?  What to read?"

"This one looks good."

"If this is called, Things That Go, why isn't my picture in here Mommy?"

"Now that I've read my book, let's see how it tastes."

Milestones:
It has been a busy month for you Addie girl!  You are officially three-quarters of a year old and you are no longer the quiet, little newborn baby that we brought home from the hospital.  You have transformed over night into a mobile, vocal, adorable 9 month old baby girl right before our eyes!  Your dad and I cannot believe how quickly you are growing up and  we love that we get to share all of these special milestones with you.

-You are hands down the best army crawler I've ever seen!  Even when you get up on all 4 and look like you are about to take off, you fall to your belly and army crawl to get what you want.
-You LOVE pulling up on any and everything you can find!  The second you get up, you turn and look at your dad and I with a huge grin on your face like you are so proud of yourself, it's adorable!
-We moved your crib down this month because one morning you surprised us by standing up in your crib!  No worries though, I got to you very quickly and you were perfectly fine.  Your dad lowered your crib (and Coop helped!) that same day. 
-Another big thing is that you can now go from laying to sitting on your own.   You can even pivot yourself around in a circle to see your dad or I if we move to a different spot in the room.  You hold your balance well and are an expert at changing positions.
-We have introduced you to some table foods this month, more to come in the near future!
-Clapping has been another milestone this month, you now open your fists and officially clap and you love it so much that you do it quite often.  It's so cute.
-You continue to be extremely vocal and in your babbling sometimes we hear a mama or dada, although you are not usually looking at us when you say it.  I'm still convinced your first words will be "No Cooper!" though.  We will have to wait and see!
-We celebrated your first Halloween this past month.  You were the most adorable Dorothy I have ever seen!
-We took a lot of road trips this past month and Mickey Mouse Playhouse was a lifesaver!  I know putting your 9 month old in front of a TV is not ideal, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to survive long car rides and if Mickey Mouse makes you happy, then Mickey Mouse it is!  You absolutely love it!

"Mommy and Daddy, I love you THIS much!"

"Look at me!"

"It's time for another snack."

Personality:
This past month we received your first "report card" from Ms. Michelle at day care and she said "Addie is a ray of sunshine and has a smile that brightens the room."  I couldn't have said it better myself.  I know I say it a lot in these monthly updates, but you are just the happiest baby that I've ever met!  You always have a smile on your face and if you are really, really excited you scrunch your nose and close your eyes at the same time.  It's adorable.  This past month your curiosity has really grown, you want to touch and feel and eat everything around you!  You've also been a little mischievous at times when you grab at stuff that you know you're not supposed to have.  Addie, you keep us on our toes and it is so much fun to watch you as you explore the world around you.  Life with you keeps getting better and better and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Visitors:
We took a trip to Pittsburgh and got to see lots of family and friends.  We also went to your cousin Jake's 1st birthday party in Carolina Beach and got to catch up with Chris, Abby, and Jake.  You loved playing with Jake and all of his toys!  Towards to end of the month, you saw your mom-mom and met your Great Aunt Teresa, Aunt Kristie, Uncle Keith, and cousins Samantha, Rylan, and Maddox for the first time.

Silly girl!  9 months has never looked so good!