9 Month Stats

8 1/2 Months

9 Months

HEIGHT/WEIGHT/TOOTH COUNT:
29 1/2 inches
18.6 lbs
**She only gained 1/2 a pound this month, but grew an inch and a half!**
Size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothes, size 2 or 3 shoes
Not a sign of teeth. No surprise.

NEW TRICKS:

• The week after she turned 8 months old, Harper started scooting! It was a Friday, we were in the front room playing with Brax. She just decided she wanted his puzzle pieces and started moving forward! It was sort of a wounded-soldier-army-crawl. Within 2 weeks of that, it progressed into an inch-worm scoot, pulling knees up at the same time and lurching forward on her forearms. In the last week, she has begun to pull one knee up at a time, and will periodically push up onto her hands. Either way, she is fast!
  
• She likes sticking her tongue way out, it's SO long! It touches her bib!
• At 8 1/2 months, I tried giving her puffs. She gagged and puked. I tried again 2 weeks later and she crushed them! She gobbles them up as fast as I can put them in front of her now-she is surprisingly accurate with her little fingers picking them up and getting them in her mouth.
• She has discovered she can chew on her toes.
• She picks up a toy in each hand and holds them at the same time, banging them together.
• She can go from sitting to her tummy with a moderate amount of grace now, versus the face plant she used to do.
• In the last week, she has started skipping the 3am bottle and sleeps straight thru till at least 5:45, but sometimes even 6:20 (and goes back to sleep again).
  

FAVORITE FOODS:

• Puffs! We haven't tried any other finger foods yet...
• Loves her baby food. We'll try stage 3 foods when I run out of the stage 2 we have.

FAVORITE BOOKS:
I wish I could say we read before EVERY nap or bedtime like I'd like to. It just seems like after she takes her bottle, she is so sleepy and is begging to be put in bed. So we just read at random times during the day. I am hoping that once she stops taking a bottle before sleep we will replace it with books!

FAVORITE TOYS/ACTIVITIES:

• Scooting after any of Brax's things, which he promptly removes from her reach.
• She notices tiny details on everything, and her fingers inspect them carefully--the embroidered trim on the wrist of her jammies... the buttons on her toy key ring... bows on her babies' clothes...
• Playing with the little toy that has the pop-up doors and different buttons/knobs that open them. She can close all the doors by herself, then Brax opens them for her.
• Playing with the fridge music magnet toys.
• Chewing on straps of any kind.
• Splashing in the bathtub.
• Patty-cake always makes her smile. Also loves Peek-a-Boo.
• Playing with her baby food jar lids and a red plastic cup.
• Loves Brax's play food.
  

DAILY ROUTINE:
6:00 5-6 oz bottle, then back to sleep
7:00 up for the day
7:10 breakfast-3T oatmeal w/ 2 oz formula, full jar of fruit
8:45 2-4 oz bottle then down for nap till 10:30ish
11:45 lunch-3T oatmeal w/ 2 oz formula, full jar of meat/starch and 1/2 jar veggie
12:45 2-4 oz bottle then down for nap till 2:30ish
3:45 dinner-3T oatmeal w/ 2 oz formula, full jar of meat/starch and 1/2 jar veggie
5:30 usually snacks on some puffs while Brax eats dinner
6:00 bathtime
6:20 6oz bottle w/ 2T rice in it

FAVORITE SONGS:
Where Are You Going, Little One

DISLIKES:
Chicken noodle dinner.

MOMENTS I DON'T WANT TO FORGET:

• How she will be playing on the floor, and then all of a sudden she'll just lay her head down and suck her thumb.
• How she smiles so big after she sneezes, every time.
• How she pats my arm when I hold her.
• 10/15 First hair trim (by me)--just the stragglers on top. Also lowered her crib this day because I think she'll be pulling up soon.
• 10/6 When she woke up to eat that night she laid her head on my shoulder and snuggled when she was done. I love the feeling of her head against my neck-she fits just right!
• The day before she turned 9 months, I swear she waved "hello" at the cashier at Chic-fil-et. The lady was ooohing and ahhing her, talking sweet to her as I held her while we ordered and Harper kept waving her arm at her!
  
• Friday 10/8 I had put her to bed like normal around 6:30, but she woke up at 7:30 crying. I went in and rocked her. That was all she needed. I wanted to freeze the moment in my head, so I spent like 30 minutes literally trying to memorize it all... The glow of her blue night light that covered the room... the sound of her little fan humming... the smooth back and forth gliding of our chair. I never want to forget how the weight of her little 18 pounds feels in my arms. How her body curls around mine... I always hold her with her head resting in the crook of my left arm... her right thumb finds it's way to her mouth, and her left hand holds on to her right wrist to keep it in place I guess... both her arms tucked snug against my chest... her belly breathing in and out right next to mine... her legs wrapped under my right arm, with her tiny feet perched on the arm rest of the glider. The smell of her freshly washed fluffy hair. The feel of her soft cheeks on my lips when I kiss her. My left arm supports her, that hand cupped over her diapered butt. My right hand alternates between smoothing her hair (which refuses to be smoothed, but is so soft nonetheless), tracing her eyebrows, and rubbing her cheeks. Then I sneak my thumb in her left hand and we just rock. One of my favorite things about being a mom.