9 month stats

Since the Dr visit came a week or so in:
Length 28 3/4 (82%)
Weight 16,11lbs (11%)
Head 16 3/4 (10%)

9 months

Aliyah is 9 months already!

I feel bad, by now Max was getting lots of outdoor time as he started to move around but we're still all cooped up inside. We're all getting stir crazy and just very ready for March to be over!!!

But in our 8th month we've had a lot of big things. She has said her first word "dada" and also says "mama" as well as lots of other babbles and shrieks. She is also moving, however she can still only crawl backwards. It doesn't make her too happy and she can kind of scoot herself a little while she's sitting up to reach things but I'm sure regular forward crawling will come soon. Its a bit harder on our hard floors so we try to practice upstairs on the carpet.

She has learned how to wave and clap and loves to do so a lot. She likes when Max plays back with her too!

We've also worked into a better nap routine. She wakes around 6:30am to eat and then goes back down until about 7:45ish. We all eat our breakfast and then she takes her bottle around 10am and goes down for a nap. She sleeps anywhere from 45 mins to 1 1/2 hours. After Max goes down at 1:30 she eats again (nurses if I'm home or takes a bottle) and goes down for a nap around 2pm for about 1 1/2-2 1/2 hours. I won't say this is always a perfect nap but more then often now she can do the whole thing in her crib with little or no help settling back down if she wakes up. One issue we ran into is that she learned how to sit up but not lay back down so when she wakes up she'll often sit back up but it only took her a few weeks to learn and she'll often just settle herself or we put her back down on her belly and she'll settle. I remember Max going through the same thing.

I would say she's still rather content sitting and playing. She did start a separation anxiety phase and wants mommy all the time, especially if I'm around and she knows it so our perfect pea does have one fault now:) On the flip side the spitting up is now minimal so that's kinda nice for all of us and our clothes.

She still has her 5 bottle/nursing feedings- first thing, 10am, 1:30pm, 4:45pm and 8pm. And of course she eats her regular meals now (though dinner, usually yogurt, isn't until 6:45ish). She does well from a sippy cup and enjoys her heavily watered down apple juice with her meals now.

Unfortunately we did have another big sickness go around and it resulted in her getting croup. We had a few rough days/nights but even while we waited a few hours at the Urgent Care clinic Sunday afternoon (and she missed lunch cause I didn't think to pack it) she was all smiles entertaining the other sick people and the Dr's and nurses. After a steroid and few minutes on the nebulizer she was on the mend and a few days later she's doing much better.

We're looking forward to all the exciting things to come in the next few months.

And for a 9 month spoiler, she did have her first tooth on the bottom pop through on her 9 month birthday!