The Ninth Month

If the eighth month was the month of smiles, I would have to say that the ninth month has been the month of tears. In general Kaitlin is still a happy baby - lots of laughs, smiles and babbling. However this month she has really started showing a broader range of emotions, which include being sad and frustrated. 

She has been perfecting her crawling and can now get anywhere she wants to go very quickly. She loves exploring different rooms of the house and zooms around all the time. She has also started cruising along furniture and standing on her own. The longest she has stood on her own is about 10 seconds, and she managed to sit down without holding onto anything. Just the other day, while Skyping with my parents and grandparents, Kaitlin stood up on her own without holding onto anything or anyone. She knew she had done something exciting because she started smiling and laughing right away.

With all of these amazing developments comes many (many) bumps and bruises as well as frustration. Often times she will practice crawling, walking with a box, and standing up over and over and over again. She always tires herself out but will continue to practice. This is when the most bumps and bruises happen as she tends to fall a lot more. Most times a little song or dance can distract her from the pain, but sometimes the only thing that will do is cuddling with mom or dad and lots of kisses. For a few weeks there she practically had a permanent red mark on her forehead and I imagine she had a headache or two.

We have also seen the development of separation anxiety over the last month. It is wonderful that I am able to stay home with Kaitlin full time. However that means that she hardly ever is cared for by someone other than her dad and I. She is used to having me around all the time. At her nine month checkup at the doctors yesterday she gave me some tips and tricks to help deal with separation anxiety that I can't wait to try. But I do feel bad for the first babysitter that has to watch her during the day without us around ;) Now that I've said that though I'm sure she will be absolutely fine and forget that I even exist!

The doctor gave Kaitlin a great review at her check up on Tuesday, saying she was very advanced in the crawling/cruising development. She measures 28" long and 16lbs 11oz - so still on the tall and skinny side. Her weight put her back down into the lower percentiles but the doctor said she wasn't worried as it was fairly normal for kids to drop a bit at this age and especially since she is SO active. We just have to keep on feeding her lots of food (good thing avocado, salmon and yogurt are some of her favs - very calorie, fat and nutrient dense!) and continue with the formula feedings as normal. And the best thing about yesterdays visit - no shots!!

This month wasn't all about tears though - we also had a lot of fun! Kaitlin got to meet one of my closest friends and they became life long pals. She learned how to climb up the stairs and went on her first bike ride! She also said her first word - Dada! At first she said it without any meaning, but now we are starting to think that she knows who Dada really is. Sometimes when Brian goes over to her to play she will say, "DADA!" But then she also rambles on and on all day long with, "dadadadadadadadada" Soooo....who knows :) I'm still working on "mama" but so far no luck. When the weather is nice we are usually at the playground. Kaitlin loves to go on the swing and has even started exploring the jungle gym. We have to get in as much outdoor time as we can before the crazy hot summer is here!

A couple things I have learned...

You can baby proof your home little by little...

Did you happen to watch this years Valentine's Day episode of Modern Family? Gloria and Jay's new baby boy is barely six weeks old and they were already having the house completely baby proofed. Sure, it was all part of the story line to hinder Jay and Gloria's return to...sexual relations...but it got me thinking - you really don't need to do it all at once, and certainly not when the baby is so little!

Sure, you can even baby proof your whole house the minute your little one starts rocking on her hands and knees in preparation to crawl. But it really isn't necessary. As soon as we got back to Texas from our holiday in New York we went out an bought a handful of baby gates. We didn't end up putting them up for almost a month. The truth is it takes babies a while to get the hang of these big milestones like crawling and walking. The first items you'll probably need to baby proof are electrical outlets and the stairs/off limits rooms in your house. So yes, baby gates and outlet plugs wil probably be the first thing you buy when baby proofing the house. But all of these "baby proof" items tend to be pretty "adult proof" as well, and they can be a pain in the tush. Of course I want our daughter to be as safe as possible so I am going to do everything in my power to do so, but if I can save myself a few weeks of frustration I'm going to do it. Even now - a month after Kaitlin started crawling - we only have one baby gate up as she never really left the family room where all of her toys are. Now that she is comfortable crawling away from us and into other rooms by herself it is finally time to put a few more gates up so that she stays safe. I have also refrained from putting little locks and guards on our kitchen cabinets and bathroom doors. She isn't strong enough to open them yet and I don't even know if she realizes that they open and there are fun "toys" in there. Sure, that day will come soon enough, but in the mean time I'm giving our bank account and my to-do list a little break by only buying and installing what we need at the moment.

*one thing that is very important - but many people might not think of it - to do as soon as your baby can pull themselves up to standing is to anchor any and all bookshelves, dressers and large pieces of furniture to the wall so that they don't accidentally tip it over on top of them. Anchor kits are minimal in price and can save your child's life*

A call (or visit) to your pediatrician can do wonders for your sanity...

I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a doctor that you like and trust. They should, and will, become your go-to person whenever there is something wrong with your baby. When Kaitlin was really little I used to go in every couple of weeks then couple of months (in between our scheduled well check ups) and get her weight checked. Part of the visit was for the actual weight check but I also always had a million questions for the doctor and she could help answer them for me. I walked out of her office after a ten or fifteen minute visit and often felt a hundred times better than I did when I walked in there. Likewise, if you don't want to schlep down to your doctors office, most times they have a nurse on call that you can speak to. When Kaitlin started rolling over in her crib but she was still in her swaddle I didn't know what to do. I didn't think it warranted an office visit but I still wanted to talk to our pediatrician and get her advice. I spoke to one of the nurses, she checked with the doctor and then called me back with her recommendations. Voile - finally I could sleep at night (and so could Kaitlin).

Most recently I was very concerned about how much formula and solid food Kaitlin should be eating. I had read in a couple of places that there was a certain number of ounces that a baby should be eating at her age, and she was eating WAY more than that. I was concerned that she was eating way too much formula and not enough solid foods. (Now, our situation will solid foods is a little different because of the Baby Led Weaning. It is sometimes hard for me to tell how much she is actually ingesting, versus how much gets on the floor/in her bib/hair etc) It had been bothering me for a few weeks and during Kaitlins 9 month check up I spoke to the doctor for a while about formula and solid foods. She made me feel SO much better and realize that I have nothing to worry about. (And it turns out the amount Kaitlin is eating is just fine considering she's such a busy little girl. The doctor advised that as long as she is still eating solids and is interested in eating them then keep on feeding her as much formula as she needs). The thing is that my doctor might say something different than my friends doctor, who might say something different from your doctor - and while this would normally confuse the heck out of me I have decided to trust my doctor completely with the health and safety of our baby girl, so I will always follow her advise. And that helps me sleep at night :)

The Inevitable Question...

...When are you going to have another one?

* groan*

There are a series of questions that you will inevitably be asked during your lifetime:

"Where are you going to college?"

"When are you guys going to get married?"

"When are you going to have kids?"

"When you are going to have another kid?"

(How many kids do you have to have before people stop asking that last one?)

I'm sure there are more, but I haven't reached those stages of my life yet. Admit it - you're guilty of asking one or all of these questions to your friends/family/random people. 

*raises hand*

I am totally guilty of this, even though I don't love being asked these questions myself. I think it's just in our human nature to want to know people's life plan. Also, it's an easy conversation starter, especially if you're talking to someone who you don't really know that well. Which, of course, makes these questions all the more awkward to answer. 

I remember being asked at my wedding reception when were we going to have kids. For the love - the ink hadn't even dried on our marriage certificate and we were already getting pressured to have kids! But in truth, these questions don't really bother me. I know that people sometimes ask them without thinking that it might be an uncomfortable question to answer. I find myself asking these questions to people all the time, and immediately want to put my foot into my mouth. I rarely take offense to it and usually have a witty come back if I'm talking to someone I'm not that close to. Asking these questions between friends is, for me at least, completely fair game and not uncomfortable (again, for me) at all.

And let's be honest...you know you've thought about it too. You have probably asked yourself many of these same questions at least a dozen times. 

Now that we have one happy and healthy baby under our belts I get asked this question all the time - by friends, family, random people and myself. So, when are we going to have another one?

A friend and I were talking about this very topic a few months back when Kaitlin was only a couple months old. I was still in that newborn fog where the days and nights run together and seem endless, you still haven't figured out which cry means what and everything is a bit of a blur. She said to me, "Do you think you'll have another?" At that very moment in time I felt like screaming "HELL NO!" I could barely get my act together with one kid, how on earth would I be able to handle two (or more). At the time, her baby was six or seven months old. She kind of gave me a knowing smile and said something along the lines of, "Just wait. Wait until they get to this age when they are so much fun."

Well - Kaitlin is now that age. And I completely know what she was talking about. Kaitlin greets us with a million smiles every morning, thinks that peek-a-boo is the funniest game on earth and is learning and growing in leaps and bounds. This really is the best stage - if only they came out of the womb at this age (ouch, maybe not). Some days we even resemble a family that has it all together. Naps are a dream, everyone is in a good mood and we have so much fun together. But those are few and far between. That's not to say that every other day is a drag - not even close - but they are a bit more, ahem, challenging. And again - that's only with one child. That alone would be reason not to reproduce anymore, but on top of that I'm pretty sure I'm still not 100% healed from having the first one. And my memories of her birth are far too fresh, I think I'll need them to fade a bit more so that all that are left are the rosie, happy ones before I can seriously consider having another one. 

But, like an itch you can't help but scratch, those little thoughts come creeping into your brain. You find yourself thinking about all the things you'll do differently next time. You think of how wonderful it would be to have two little ones smiling at you like a maniac and how fun it would be for them to play and grow up together. (Those angst ridden teenage years aren't even a blip on your radar at this point) And before you know it you find yourself pondering that age old question, "When are we going to have another one?"

The Sixth Month

*warning - this is a long one!*

I'm pretty sure I said this last month, but the sixth month has been one of the most exciting months yet. Not only has Kaitlin grown and developed so much over the last 30 days (31? I don't know) but it has also been a very busy month - we had family in town, she celebrated her first Halloween, started swimming lessons, got her first tooth and started solid food!

Over the last month she has become even more of a woman on the move. She is scooting and rolling and turning in circles like a champion. She is still lunging for everything in sight and wants to touch/grab/chew on anything and everything. This month she got her first TWO teeth (both bottom teeth have arrived) and we got to learn about the joys of teething. I think she lucked out pretty well with the teething thing. We had a few days of disrupted naps, definitely some irritated gums and an urgent need to chew/gum on anything wet and/or cold. But other than that she handled it pretty well, especially considering she had two teeth coming in at the same time.

In addition to moving around the floors like a wild woman, Kaitlin also learned how to sit up on her own. I still use the Boppy to help balance her but she is geting better and stronger at sitting on her own every day. She started off staying upright for a few seconds and can now sit for a few minutes on her own at a time. If she wasn't constantly trying to reach for something she could probably sit for a bit longer, but that would be too boring. I started putting her in her high chair at the beginning of the month to get her used to it because by the end of the month we were going to start solid food! We started off with some oatmeal baby cereal and it was a rousing success. She made a few funny faces and pushed the majority out of her mouth the first time around but overall she seems to really like it! Actually, what she seems to love is chewing on the spoon. But if it helps encourage eating and she gets excited about it then I am all for it!

We also had Kaitlin start swim lessons this month. Although they haven't been too successful - most of the time is spent with her crying and mom/dad trying to distract her - I think she will love being in the pool eventually. We got her a new bathtub that allows her to sit in the water and splash around. I'm hoping that helps get her used to being in deeper water. Of course her little ducky tub is a lot different from the giant community pool, but hopefully it will help a little.

Our little pumpkin loved Halloween. I hosted a Halloween party with all of her (my) friends and she had a grand old time. She didn't even seem to mind being in costume, she was too busy watching all the other babies and playing with her toys. We took her to a pumpkin patch (she was not impressed) which rounded out our fall activities and started to gear up for Thanksgiving. It was a super busy and very exciting month, and to say I learned a lot would be an understatement.

A few (more) things I have learned...

Look Up
Kaitlin has always been very inquisitive about the world around her. From the day she was born she was constantly looking around, taking it all in and trying to figure out everything that was going on around her. Now that she is a bit older and can filter out more of the "stuff" that is going on, she can hone in her concentration to things that really interest her. One of her favorite things to do lately is look up. She is always looking at the ceiling when I carry her around - although what, specifically, she is looking at I'm not sure. Whenever we go outside she always, always stares at the trees and their leaves. You will very rarely find her outside with her head down. Sometimes I think she must be getting a neck ache with all the looking up that she is doing but she perseveres. Often times she is staring at something so intently that it causes me to look up to see what she's looking at. I've seen some beautiful sights this way - birds on a wire, leaves rustling in the wind, beautiful fluffy clouds - and I am thankful that she has caused me to pause, look up and observe these everyday, yet special scenes, that I might otherwise miss.

It only gets more expensive
Everyone always says that having children is expensive. But, at first, I didn't really believe them. As Kaitlin gets older I am finally starting to understand. Now that she is on formula and starting solids her food budget has increased (not hard considering it used to be free). As diapers get bigger so does their price tag. Clothes are the same way. And toys...don't forget the toys. In the beginning there is very little that babies need and what they do need you will have probably received as a baby shower gift. But after the first few months the well dries up and this little, smiling, stinky bundle of joy starts to make a dent in your bank account. And it only gets more expensive as they get bigger. Soccer teams, rollerskating parties (umm, do kids still do that?), prom dresses - I can hear my bank account screaming as we speak. Now - finally - I understand why my parents were always on me about getting a college scholarship ;)

Babies are strong

Sure, they may look cute and innocent - but babies are freakin' strong! Kaitlins little legs kick with all their might and I am always surprised at how strong they are. I can't see a six pack but her abs must be made of steal. She is constantly trying to sit up when she's in a reclined position. I started pulling her up to sitting from laying down and now when she sees my thumbs she automatically grabs on and starts to pull herself up. I barely have to help her. And man, does she have a good grip. Your hair is only safe when securely tucked away in a tight ponytail, and even then it's not a guarantee. Your ears, eyes and nose aren't safe either. I'd guard your cheeks and chin too, just to be safe.

I will always think she is the best/brightest/smartest...

I think every mom/dad/parent/grandparent must think - at one time or another - that their child is gifted. Just think about all of the new things that baby learns in the first year of their life. When is the last time you have seen someone learn so much in such little time? Especially during the middle of their first year, they are mastering so many amazing tasks and learning new things every day. Personally, I don't really know much about when babies are supposed to learn what. I know rough timelines of when certain milestones are supposed to be achieved, but the time frame is usually so wide and varied that it isn't really much help. The phrase "every baby develops at their own speed" gets thrown around a lot and for good reason - it's true. I am continually amazed at what Kaitlin learns and accomplishes on a daily basis. I am almost always certain that she is ahead of the curve, mastering things many babies her age aren't learning yet. Sometimes I am right, sometimes I am wrong - but I don't really care. In my eyes she will always be the best, brightest, most talented, funniest, sweetest, intelligent baby/child/person I  have ever known. It's hard not to compare your baby to someone else's, just as it is difficult not to compare your pregnancy to someone else's. But in the end it doesn't really matter what Johnny, Jack and Jane are doing. What matters is what your baby is doing at that moment and how proud of them you are. Just rolled over for the first time? Shout it from the rooftops! Found her fingers/toes/fist for the first time? Blast the news out on facebook/twitter/newest-social-media-too-cool-for-me. I hope I never get over the excitement of my child(ren) learning and accomplishing new things - big and small.