Madeline is 9 Months Old!
Miss Madeline has exploded with her "talking" and movement over the last month. She's not crawling yet, but she's definitely getting into the position to crawl. The desire is there too ~ she sees something she wants, and she's trying to get there. In fact, when she's tired, she's gets rather fussy about not being able to get to the object of her desire. She continues to roll all over the place. Madeline "talks" non-stop with lots of "dadada" and "oooooohhhh" thrown into the conversation. I would love to be a fly on her little brain to hear these conversations she is having with a toy, a blade of grass, or even the faucet in the bathtub. Madeline requires no one in particular for these conversations. Peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake are favorite games to play. While Madeline loves to have stories read to her, she has really started to chew on the books. We're working on reading the stories and looking a pictures rather than chewing on them. The child chews/gnaws on EVERYTHING!!! She has two little bottom teeth so far, and I feel that some top teeth might be on the horizon as her chewing, drooling, and runny nose have really increased lately. Her nose and mouth are like drippy faucets. Her favorite "station" that I use during the day is her doorframe jumpy thing. She loves it and really goes to town jumping up and down. I would say that her favorite "activity" of the day is taking a bath.
Madeline is quite the little social bug. She LOVES other children and yelps and laughs loudly when she gets around other children. She reaches out to them, claps, or smiles from ear to ear as we pass other children in the grocery, the street, or wherever we may be at the time. Madeline really enjoys it when adults approach her as well. She gives a wave hello, a big smile, and even a squeal of delight. She doesn't seem to have any stranger anxiety ~ she continues to love the ladies at the gym and the nursery staff at the church. I hope that she remains comfortable in those places. Madeline LOVES to be outside ~ I think the wind blowing on her face is one of the most exciting things to her. She squeals with delight and claps her hands when the wind blows.
Although Madeline is a very happy, social baby, she has certainly started to show her stubborn side. When she is not interested in doing something (changing a diaper, eating, being strapped in her carseat, etc.) she kicks her legs and pushes our hands out of the way. When she's tired, there is even some loud crying. I foresee some serious temper tantrums in my future. I'm bracing myself already.
Madeline continues to be a great eater and sleeper. She still takes a morning and afternoon nap and hitting the hay for the night between 6:30-7 PM. Her typical wake up time is between 6-7 AM, so she's getting a solid 11-12 hours of sleep at night. She only takes her paci at bedtime, and we leave it in her bed so she's not using it any other time in the day. (Of course, I always keep one in my purse just in case we are out and about, and I need to plug her up. Rarely do I need my backup paci...) Madeline does have her bunny lovey that she keeps in her bed, and again, this stays in her bed for the most part. When she's tired/ready for sleep, the bunny soothes her like magic! By far her favorite foods are oatmeal, peas, and prunes! Wow ~ that makes for an interesting diaper several times a day! Madeline still receives three 8 oz. formula bottles a day, so she's not terribly interested in taking a sippy cup. I've even tried to entice her with a yummy sip of apple juice, but Madeline really prefers to play with the cup and gnaw on it. Also, she's not a huge fan of table food yet. We've tried peas and green bean, and she will eat them, but I think table food will take some working with her. She's interested, but I don't think she's quite there yet developmentally. She can pick up the bite, but she's not made the connection to put it into her mouth. We still have to guide her little fingers there. Madeline has the "chewing" down and her gag reflex seems to have gotten much better. So right now, Madeline is still eating about 2 jars of baby food at lunch and dinner with some table food for "practice". This new mommy is just winging the food thing one day at a time! Lately, she seems to be going through small periods of food strike in which she will flat out, temper tantrum refuse to eat regardless of what I try to give her. Since she is still receiving several bottles of formula throughout the day, I don't get overly concerned. Afterall, babies will eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full (unlike us adults), and her food strikes do tend to last a couple of meals only. It's such a fight to try to force her to eat when she's on food strike that I feel like I do more harm than good. (Hopefully, I am taking the proper attitude at this point regarding food strikes.)
We took Madeline to her 9 month well visit the other day, and she's received a clean bill of health. Her iron is a little low, so we've got her on a vitamin. Luckily, peas and prunes are two of her favorite foods, and they are great sources of iron too. Madeline received one shot, and she was NOT a fan.
Madeline's stats:
Madeline is such a joy to be around. Her daddy and I love her to pieces, and we are looking forward to doing some activities this summer as a little family of three or with friends! It's hard to believe how the time has gone by so quickly. We are seeing less baby in Madeline as the days go by. We are trying to treasure these moments with her, and we are excited to have some free weekends to ourselves to dip our toes in the pool, try out the swings at the park, or visit the the zoo.
Disclaimer ~ These nine month pictures were actually taken on her ninth month third day, & as you can see, she's not the most still subject to photograph! However, these pictures do show her desire to be EVERYWHERE except where I want her and her amazing ability to destroy my props!
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