9 months in, 9 months out...we love our Syd!
one week:
one month:
two months:
three months:
four months:
five months:
six months:
seven months:
eight months:
nine months: she was sooooo not in the mood for a photo shoot
showing a little leg
She wouldn't quit trying to take her sticker off!
walking pretty well with these push toys now
this pic (although blurry) sums up her mood perfectly yesterday
always patting her belly these days
aaaaannndddd, we're done.
EAT:
Our little fatty has slowed down with eating this past month. She still nurses around every 4 hours, but she's so uninterested in it and only eats for 7-8 minutes. I've had to start pumping and drinking more water to build up my slowly dying milk supply.
Please eat, Syd...mommy hates to pump. She still loves to eat her solids though! Baby oatmeal with fruits and veggies twice a day still...I haven't really increased the amount much because I don't want her to nurse even less. Still hates avocado. :( She also gets 2-3 oz of pear juice in the morning (in a sippy cup!) to help with constipation. About 2 weeks ago, I started adding in a powder probiotic called Flora Baby, and it has worked wonders! She now poops every day. Big news for Syddles.
SLEEP:
Not a great month for nighttime sleeping. She's been getting up at least once a night to eat. I know it isn't just a habit to wake up because it is at a different time every night. I feed her for about 5-6 minutes and she goes right back down. There have been a few random nights where she is up every 2 hours. Those are confusing. I have no idea if she's teething or just overtired or what the problem is. She has been doing a lot of new tricks this month, and Millie had trouble sleeping at this age because of all those new milestones...so maybe that's all it is. I have such a whatever attitude about it because I know it is just a phase. The beauty of past experience...everything is a phase. Syd has this super cute sleepy indicator where she rubs her ears. I call it "sleepy ears", which is sort of like daddy's "sleepy knees".
She still takes great naps during the day; most days it is just two naps, but some days it is three if she's had a lot of playtime.
PLAY:
I love watching Syd play right alongside Millie now. Syd just goes for it...she's all over the place now and wants right in the middle of the action. Crawling, pulling up, cruising, standing unassisted, walking assisted with our hands or behind her push toys, going from laying down to sitting up...I love finding her sitting in her crib, it's just so cute and still unexpected when I find her like that. She was awake during Millie's little gym class last week, so I put her down to cruise around the bars and she loved watching all of the kids play. All of this new activity is exhausting though; her eyes were droopy by the end of class. Syd loves for us to hold her and chase Millie around the house; she cackles like a wild woman! When we get in the car, Syd won't lean back in her car seat at all...she's straining to see Millie the entire time. Thankfully, Millie gets a kick out of making her laugh, so it's fun to listen to them. Syd especially likes to crawl over to Beansie to inspect her feet or tail, which sort of makes me nervous, but Beansie is so good with her. I miss Buddy so much and wish that Syd could have a kitty cat to chase too. Syd is super vocal now and Millie likes to rile her up so that dinnertime can get pretty loud. Sometimes, JKK & I feel like we aren't even allowed to talk during dinner. :)
Today was Syd's 9 month pediatrician appointment, and she's right on track with growth, development, and milestones (including a bit of stranger danger/separation anxiety that has started up recently). Still no teeth in sight, but apparently we don't worry about that until well after a year old. She is getting a lot more hair and has a tiny mullet in back. No shots today!! Stats: 27.75 inches (55th percentile for height); 18 lbs, 7 oz (55th percentile for weight); 44.5 cm (70th percentile for head). Perfect, of course. FYI - baby fat tends to peak around 9 months -- I'm not ready for it to go and her turn into a toddler...ugh.
Jealous of those 6-pack abs, for sure...
Dear Sydney,
Another month full of changes, but one thing remains the same: you continue to get sweeter each month. I believe you were added to our family to bring such light and laughter to our lives...just can't get enough of you, sweet girl. It's obvious you feel the same way. Whenever we come into the room after your nap, you start kicking your feet like crazy. The same thing happens when one of us picks you up after you've been down playing on your own for awhile...the crazy legs give it away. I know you feel loved and that is very important to me. You're still so laid back and happy go lucky; you make it easy on us. You're constantly alert and watching, taking it all in, and now you're on the move to go check things out. Such a little explorer at this stage...I can tell we better get prepared because you're going to be into everything in these upcoming weeks! Baby of mine, you are loved more than you'll ever know.
