9 Months

I'll save you from the redundant "I can't believe she is already __ months!" speech. There is no doubt about it though, she becomes less of little baby each day and becomes more of a small person with her own ideas about things. She is learning what she wants and is really showing her frustration when she doesn't get it.. i.e..throwing tantrums. I know it is just part of her development for her to be frustrated and upset so I just try to give her a second to calm down before I explain why I am doing what I'm doing. She may not understand much of what I am saying but since I'm not sure when she will really understand I figured I would start now.

Avelyn is one social little girl. She loves going to storytime and seeing all of her little friends. She hardly even notices me while we are there. She is really starting to play with the other babies instead of just watching.

She has no fear of anything. She tumbles headfirst into whatever she is doing and doesn't cry or get upset with all her little bumps she gets along the way. We had to really start baby-proofing the house after she fell down a couple stairs. That girl is so fast! There was just no way we could watch her closely enough. When we need a minute to ourselves for teeth-brushing or whatnot we have to put her in the pack-and-play. She is into everything.

I love seeing how curious she is about all these things. I love watching her figure out how things work. Taking her to new places and having new experiences is starting to be really fun!

She is still waking up twice a night to nurse. Usually around 1 am and then again at 5:30 or so. We have increased her solids and she eats three meals a day. For breakfast I usually give her a smoothie (either store bought from HEB or a small portion of my green smoothie). She loves peanut butter on bread or hummus on bread so that is usually what she has for lunch. Dinner is just what we eat cut into small pieces. She has two little teeth but I see two more on their way.

I'm kind of bummed our doctor doesn't do a 9 month well-check because I have no idea of her height and weight. She wears 12 month clothing only and even some of those pants are a little short. She isn't as filled out as much as some babies I see so I think her weight is probably still in the 40-50% and her height is still 60-70%. We won't see our dr until her 1 year appointment...which sadly is coming way too fast!

I gave up trying to take her monthly picture in the glider chair. We took these in our front yard and at the park down the street.

Everywhere we go people say, "What a happy baby!" She really is the happiest baby. She smiles at everyone and enjoys being out and about. We feel pretty good about taking her to restaurants now and despite making a big mess she usually behaves herself. The only time she isn't happy is when she is overly-tired and then her patience runs out (true for me as well). 

She brings so much love and joy into our lives every day! I thank God for her every morning when I see that big ol' gummy smile greeting me from the crib. I am so grateful that I get to spend my days watching her grow and playing together.