I Can't Believe It... 9 Months

Napping on an afternoon stroll.

Can you tell which sweater and hat are mom's favorite?

Playing with the baby in the mirror.

This month has brought on so many new behaviors from Lydia. I love this age so much. She's sleeping really well, eating all her vegetables, and is generally a very happy baby.

Lydia still fits in all her 6 month clothes and is wearing a few 9 month things, although they are a little large on her. She is still wearing size 2 Seventh Generation diapers during the day and Pampers Baby Dry 12-hour diapers at night.

Her appetite has really picked up since last month. She eats 4 or 5 ounces of formula when she wakes up. Breakfast is mixed-grain cereal and stage 2 fruit at 8:30 am followed by about 2 ounces of formula. She eats stage 2 vegetable purees mixed with oatmeal cereal at noon, another 4 to 5 ounce bottle at 3 pm, and more baby food at 5:30 pm. Sometimes in the afternoon she feeds herself some o-shaped puffs, but that's mostly for her to work on her fine motor skills, not for nutrition. I'm mostly buying the Earth's Best glass jars of food plus some Sprout foods. I haven't made any of the food myself yet, but I will try it soon. Lydia is cutting her top front teeth right now, so she should be able to handle coarser food any day now.

The big news is that as of three nights ago, we are no longer doing a dream feed at 10 pm! We are feeding her a 6 ounce bottle at 7:15 pm when she goes to bed, and so far she's slept right through until 5 or 6 am.

That wasn't the case all month though. That's definitely a new thing. For the most part Lydia was a wild sleeper this month. Most nights she picked up her fun habit of waking between 2:30 am and 3:30 am to babble a little bit and play with her toys. The good thing about this month's wake ups compared to last month's is that Lydia puts herself back to sleep this month. She wakes up, plays with her "Polly with the Pigtails" doll or her "Jesus Loves Me" owl, then drifts back to sleep. What an angel! The sad part about the nighttime routine is that recently Lydia doesn't want to be rocked to sleep. It kills me when this happens. I love getting to rock her while she drifts off to sleep in my arms. She smells so sweet from her bath, and those sweet baby sighs are the best. A few nights ago she started squirming and crying while I rocked, so I put her in her crib awake where she played with her toys for a few minutes then fell asleep. That happened three nights in a row, which is one of the reasons I dropped the dream feed those nights! I was scared I wouldn't get her back to sleep! Tonight she let me rock her though, so maybe she hasn't totally given up on our little routine.

Her babbling has definitely picked up this month. She loves it when I imitate her. I try to get her to imitate me, and sometimes she will, but generally she just looks back at me confused (and cute). We get lots of squeals and screams and lots of consonants, but no words yet. I think she's just beginning to recognize the word "Walle". She loves Walle and watches him constantly. She wants to be his friend SO BAD, but he still is not interested.

Lydia's efforts to sit up are going pretty well. She can sit on her bottom as long as she's fairly still, but the child is a wiggle worm and will suddenly decide to lunge forward/backward/sideways and fall over. I guess that's how all kids are starting out. I know I need to let her fall and knock her head some so she "learns" why she shouldn't do that, but that's hard to do! She isn't crawling yet, but when we are playing on her quilt she can creep and roll to whatever toy she wants. I keep showing her how to crawl, which I am sure looks hilarious. She'll get the hang of it soon, and I'm sure I'll wish she hadn't!

We've really been working on getting Lydia to nap in her crib, and for the most part, she's taking naps there now. Morning naps are no trouble at all. She goes down in her crib for 30 minutes to an hour. Afternoon naps are a little hit and miss, but when she gets to sleep good she'll sleep for an hour or so. On the weekends I am bad about snuggling with my little napper on the sofa instead of putting her in her crib. But I'm her mamma so I can spoil her like that!  ;P

This age is so wonderful, and my daughter has brought me so much joy! I know this phase won't last forever. Too soon we could be fighting a picky eater, a light sleeper, or temper tantrums, but for now I am trying to enjoy this wonderful period in our lives!

Eight months

This past month has been so much fun. We've taken Lydia so many new places, and she's doing really well.

On Saint Patrick's Day, we went to a music festival out in Taylor, Mississippi.

We've taken lots of walks in the park.

Lydia is still in size 2 Seventh Generation diapers, but she started soaking through them at night and waking up with damp pajamas, so we started using the Pampers Baby Dry 12-hour diapers at night. Those seem to hold a bit more pee. She's outgrown all except one or two of her 3-month onesies and pajamas. She mostly wears 6 month clothes.

Since last month, we've started feeding Lydia baby food at breakfast in addition to the food she gets at lunch and dinner. We added breakfast because she stopped eating a big bottle in the morning. She got to where she only wanted 2 to 3 ounces first thing in the morning (between 6 am and 7), so we added cereal and fruit at 8:30 am. She eats baby food (fruit or veg mixed with rice or oat cereal) at noon, another small bottle at 3 pm, and more food at 5:30 pm. She consistently gets tired at about 7:15 pm, so that's her bedtime. She eats a 3 to 4 oz bottle when we put her to bed. I am still getting her up for a dream feed at 10 pm. We have thought about dropping this bottle (and we have skipped it a few times), but she'll usually eat her biggest bottle of the day (5 to 5.5 oz) at this time. I really think she still needs the calories, so as long as she'll drink it, I'm going to feed it to her. My guess is that this bottle is the reason she pees through her night diaper.

In early April I pumped for the last time. I made it 7 1/2 months. I'm not happy with my decision to quit pumping. I actually feel pretty terrible and guilty about quitting, but it is one of those things that once it happens, you can't get it back. I would probably start back now if I could. My supply was fine. But, I started getting busier and busier at work and started having to skip pumping sessions there. Then, I started feeling like the time at home that I was pumping was taking away from time that I was actually interacting with Lydia. Then, the weather got nice, we started doing stuff away from the house, and I was really craving wine or beer in the evenings. One thing led to another, and I just decided on an impulse to quit. It was so easy to quit. My boobs really didn't hurt that bad. I didn't leak. I went from three times a day, to two, to one, to skipping a day. I think I pumped one more time because I had some knots from clogged ducts, then that was it. Waah :(

So, I have a small freezer supply that I'm keeping for a few months just in case Lydia gets sick. But now she's solely formula fed. Boo. I've had lots of people tell me that babies get most of their immunity in the first 6 months of their lives. That makes me feel good that I at least made it that far. I'm still bummed about quitting, though.

This month was Wonder Week 26 (based on Lydia's adjusted age), and Lydia really didn't have hers until about week 27/28. She was sleeping through the night really, really well until about week 27. Then she started waking up every night between 2:30 am and 3:30 just babbling her heart out. She'd keep it up for a good 45 minutes happily, then would start screaming for someone to come in there. We tried everything: feeding her a bottle, rocking her back to sleep, bringing her to the living room sofa to hold her, taking her to the guest bed to sleep, bringing her to our bed to sleep, then finally just letting her scream. None of it really worked. All she wanted was someone to play with. Then finally, a few days ago, she slept through the night again and has been since. She's slept through the night (7:30 pm to 5 or 6 am) five nights in a row now.

Her babbling has lead to an isolated incident where she sounded like she said something that slightly resembled, "Mamamamamama." Haha, I'll take it. My baby said, "Mama." I've barely heard a "Da" sound pass from her lips. Haha.

Lydia is still not sitting up on her own. I really thought she would be by now! She is getting really close though. She is really creeping now, too. Every once in a while we see her get those knees up under her, so I know crawling isn't far ahead. Maybe just a couple more months now.

I have been trying to get Lydia to take two longer naps a day (morning and afternoon) in her crib. It is so hard! Up until now her sitter has mostly held her during the day for naps, so it has been a transition for her and Lydia both. Lydia goes down in her crib so easily at night, but during the day it is a different story. As soon as you put her down her eyes pop open. If you put her down awake she just plays with anything and everything she can get her hands on for a while, then screams. I feel like consistency is the key here. We just need to keep doing what we are doing (putting her down in the crib) and eventually she'll get used to it and nap there.

Whew... That was a mouthful, I know! If you are still with me, I'll wrap up with a few pictures of Lydia at her piano. Her and dad like to make music together! A few weeks ago I put her down on her play mat about 5 feet from the piano. I went to the kitchen and not two minutes later I hear piano keys. Lydia had rolled over to the piano and was lying on her back with her arm outstretched, hitting the keys.

Lydia at 7 Months

I'm really late getting this seven month post together. It has been on my mind for over a week now. Lydia turned seven months old on March 16th.

We went to the doctor on March 7th for Lydia's 6 month checkup and shots. We were surprised to find out that she only weighs 11 pounds and is 22 1/2 inches long. She is small, but Dr. Singletary showed us that she is right on track on her growth curve, although that curve is well below "normal". Lydia is healthy, so I'm not too worried about her being something like -1% on the growth chart. That's my independent girl! Bucking the trends even before a year old! Ha.

Dr. Singletary cleared us to get out of the house with Lydia some more, so we had a good trip to Kroger last Saturday. Lydia was an angel, and looked around at all the new things to see - shelves and people and lights. Then, she fell asleep

Lydia still wears size 2 Seventh Generation diapers. Since the box says they fit from 12 to 18 pounds, we'll probably be in those for a while. She can still wear most of her 3 month clothes, although a few of them are too small. She is in some of the 6 month clothes.

Lydia loves her food! So far she's had squash, peas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and carrots. We're trying out bananas next. She cried through the peas (twice) and spit up the apples (also twice), so we might not try those again for a while. At noon and 6 pm Lydia eats 2 1/2 tablespoons of rice cereal mixed with 2 tablespoons of baby food and 1 ounce of milk or formula. We are going to increase to 3 tablespoons of each this weekend to see how she does.

At the moment I'm still pumping, but I'm winding that down. The past few weeks I've dropped a session each week, and I'm down to three (from seven). That means I've gotten almost two hours of my day back, which I've filled with more work while I'm at work and at least 45 minutes more sleep. Sounds ridiculous, but getting in bed by 10:30 pm is a major improvement over 11:15 pm when 5:45 am is my wake up time!

We haven't changed Lydia's feeding schedule much since last month. She eats between 4 and 5 ounces of milk or formula at 6 am and 9 am, food and a few ounces of milk at noon, another 5 ounces at 3 pm, food and milk at 6 pm, then about 4 ounces at 7:30 pm. I get her up for the dream feed at 10 pm, and she'll eat 5 ounces. Most nights (about 5 out of 7?) she sleeps through until 6 am. If she does wake, its usually around 3:30 am, and we can get her back to sleep without feeding her.

Movement comes naturally and smoothly for Lydia now. She can roll from her tummy to her back and from her back to her tummy. A recent development is that most nights she turns herself over and sleeps on her left side. Her hand movements are less jerky and more purposeful. She sees a toy she wants and reaches and grabs it. She can sit up straight if her back is supported. She is just starting to "tripod" sit where she can sit up by leaning on her hands. That generally doesn't last long though before she wobbles and falls over on her Boppy pillow.

Lydia still takes three naps a day: 8-9 am, at midday, and late afternoon. My next goal for her is to get her to two naps per day. When she goes to day care in the fall she'll have only one nap a day, so I really want her to be down to two longer naps by eight months.

I have so much more to say about baby girl, but I'll have to save it for another day. We're going to meet great Grandma Cain today, so it is time to get ready to go.

Play Time with Mommy

I got a bonus day home with my baby this week. Our babysitter's grandmother passed away, so she  was home with her family on Thursday. I got to work from home. It was great to have a day home with my girl, but working from home is so tough. I never feel like I'm doing either job well - mothering or analyzing.

I did catch some sweet shots of my girl while we played in her room. Chip's mom got her this super cute gorilla that she LOVES. She especially loves it when mom makes monkey noises, too.

We practiced sitting up, but Lydia usually gets pretty frustrated when I make her do this. Her sad face in that last photo is the calm before the screaming storm. She's doing pretty good sitting up in the "tripod" position, though. She wobbles a bunch, but she can lean forward on her arms and balance.

She'll be seven months old tomorrow. I can't believe it!

The Wonder Weeks

 

Lydia is changing and doing new things every day. She had a rough couple of days over the past week where she was cranky and not sleeping well. We do think she was teething some, but also she was in her 19th week adjusted which is a Wonder Week. Are you guys familiar with the Wonder Weeks? Researchers have found that babies all over the world go through fussy periods at about the same time based on their due dates not birth dates. These fussy periods are tied to leaps in the baby's mental development. The baby is experiencing the world in a drastic new way during each mental leap which can make her cranky and clingy. The Wonder Weeks are weeks 5, 8, 12, 19, 26, 37, 46, 55, 64, and 75. I have found these estimates for fussiness to be extremely accurate. Some people also call night waking during the 19th week the "4-month sleep regression". Before this week Lydia slept through the night for 7 days straight. Then on Sunday and Monday she was up crying every two hours. Boo. I think we are over the hump though because both Wednesday and Thursday she slept through the night again. I would love to hear from any mamas out there that used the Wonder Weeks. How accurate were they for you?

English Rose for a New Trellis

We recently had some work done on a section of the yard that was in bad shape. The area is about eight feet by twenty feet. It borders a patio under our deck, the driveway, an iron fence, and a ditch between our property and the neighbor's wood fence. Prior owners of this house had spread mulch all over the area and used it for a playground. The mulch had deteriorated and the area had become really weedy. Add in a poorly placed walkway and poor drainage, and we had an area that was a real mess.

While I was home on maternity leave, I called in some landscapers to come redirect the walkway, lay zoysia sod, and put in a bed along the iron fence. They planted white knockout roses in the middle of the long fence and sweet olives on either end.

I also had them build a wooden trellis to hide the utility boxes and meters on the side of the house. They were the first thing I saw every day when I drove into the carport, and I wanted them hidden. I gave them this photo as my inspiration:

The one they built for me is really similar. Because my house is a 1975 modern style split-level home, the landscapers gave it a cleaner shape. What I want to do with this trellis is plant climbing roses on either side with clematis, too. The spot only gets about 3 or 4 hours of midday sun. In the morning I have full shade from the house, and in the mid-afternoon dappled shade through the large trees all around our property. I have whittled down my list of English roses to these nine climbers that are supposedly good for shady positions and hot, humid areas of the US:

A Shropshire Lad - image from the Kew Gardens website

Abraham Darby - image from the Antique Rose Emporium

Benjamin Britten - image from David Austin Roses

Crown Princess Margareta - image from Roses UK

Golden Celebration - image from The Gardening Website UK

Graham Thomas - image from Rose Gardening World

James Galway - image from Brooke's Rose Garden

Teasing Georgia - image from Dave's Garden

The Generous Gardener - image from the Garden Web Forums

So, help me decide! I've created a poll at the top of the blog. Let me know which one you like best for the area. Remember, these are the parameters: my modern style home (although I am a cottage garden lover), existing plantings of sweet olive and white knockouts close by. 

I'll try to post a photo of the area soon!