Watch Me Grow - A Year in Review

It didn't take very long for our little peanut to go from this...

to this...

You can check out each individual image over on the Watch Me Grow page and I have made a quick view version below (you can click on the image to get a slightly bigger version). Fifty-two - well, probably closer to 47-48 due to vacations and such - weeks of this little bug growing like crazy in front of our eyes.

On to the next crazy super fun year ahead!

Watch Me Grow - Week Fifty Two

**Ok...I know. I know.

I know I am almost TWO WEEKS late in posting the very last photo in our Watch Me Grow series. Can I blame it on the grandparents? Can I blame it on Kaitlin skipping her naps? Can I blame it on... I actually drafted most of this post a few days after her actual birthday, so I'm going to leave that recap below. Now that Kaitlin is a year old I'm going to revise the Watch Me Grow series. While she is still growing like a weed, the changes aren't always apparent from week to week. Aannnddd I don't really have the time to post an update every week ;) So, from now on I will just be posting a monthly update, and am going to try and have a new "posed" shot so we can still track her growth. If I can get her to sit still for longer than .2 seconds I will try and put her in a chair or something...**

Once Kaitlin learned how to stand on her own she quickly progressed in her walking skills. It only took a couple of weeks to go from a few timid steps to almost running. She is still wobbly and falls down quite often, but she gets right back up and goes on her way. She LOVES to be "chased" around - all you have to do is say "I'm gonna get you!!" and she squeals with delight and "runs" away (more like walks really fast).

In addition to hanging out with Grammie and Pop-pop this week she also got a few more visitors - Grandma and Grandpa came to visit! Everyone came to town to be here for her first birthday. She is a lucky, lucky lady and has lots of love in her life! 

Watch Me Grow - Week Fifty One

Happy Mother's Day!

Week 51 brought a big new development for Kaitlin - she learned how to stand up on her own, without holding onto anything. This has been huge for her walking, she no longer crawls at all - maybe only once or twice a day at the most. Now that she can stand up whenever and wherever she wants, she is all about the walking!! She walks around and around and around - around in circles if she has to. I think her favorite thing to do is walk around the yard or the living room, usually in circles, holding onto her Paddington Bear and/or a graham cracker. Man, she loves graham crackers.

Grammie and Pop-pop came to visit us this week and she has had a great time getting to know them again. The last time she saw them was almost six months ago!! It took her a little while to warm up, but now she is happy as a clam hanging out with them. And why wouldn't she? They take her on walks, bring her to the park and spoil her with lots of presents.

We will have a few more visitors at the end of the week, just in time for her first birthday. One week from today she will be one!

Watch Me Grow - Week Fifty

And the final countdown begins...two weeks until Kaitlin turns one. Are you sick of hearing me talk about it yet? *Update - by the time I had a chance to finish this post it is closer to a week and a half until her birthday...11 days to be exact*

Walking is now her number one mode of transportation, she walks way more than she crawls. I feel like over night she went from walking a little bit here and there, to full on walking all of the time. She is so much steadier on her feet, though she still falls a lot (mostly because she doesn't look where she's going). She also LOVES to carry things around while she walks, which is fun but doesn't help her much when she falls down. Usually she ends up face planting into the hardwood floor which doesn't feel great. With all this walking has come a lot of bumps, bruises and even a few bloody lips. If that's the extent of her injuries though I'll be happy!

Another new development over the last week or so has been her attachment to her lovey. Her attachment to the monkey got so intense that we had to start putting it away so that she could concentrate on walking, playing on the playground, pretty much do anything normal! I have started leaving it in her crib - or at the very least upstairs - to try and separate her from it a little bit. I know - what kind of mom am I?! I introduce a lovey to her in hopes that she get's attached to it so it can bring her comfort, and then once she is attached I take it away???!!! Not to worry - she has found a few other toys that she has become super attached to lately. She is also obsessed with a Paddington Bear stuffed animal that she has and her My First Purse that her great grandparents bought for her. As I mentioned above, in general she just loves to carry stuff around with her, I think it's probably pretty exciting as she has never been able to hold a toy and move around at the same time. 

And one last, kind of odd, development is Kaitlin's sense of urgency.  When she decides that she has/wants to do something, sometimes she has to do it RIGHT NOW. She will "hypervenilate" ie, breathe really fast several times, when trying to do something (eat, throw a toy, play with her favorite toys). It is really strange and I can't figure out where she learned how to do it. She will also react in a similar way when we are getting ready for naps and bed time. We usually go around the room and say "goodnight" to various objects and pictures on the wall. Well recently she began pointing to a couple of bears on her bookshelf and the birds on the wall decal and breathing really fast and making a noise that sounds like "quick, quick, QUICK MOM I HAVE TO POINT TO THESE GUYS AND GO AND SAY HELLO AND GIVE THEM A KISS!! HURRYYYYY!!!"

Needless to say I am hoping this development is just a phase :)

Watch Me Grow - Week 49 (and a half)

I can't believe there are only three weeks (well, more like two and a half) until Kaitlin turns one year old. It is really hard for me to wrap my head around!

Week forty nine brought a few exciting developments - including clapping, a ton of walking and even a new tooth! I had been teaching Kaitlin to clap for a few weeks now. I alway showed her how and would sing "Pat-a-cake" over and over again. And then one day, like so many other things, she just started randomly doing it on her own! And now she claps for EVERYTHING! And loves to look at you when she's doing it almost as if she's saying, "Look! I'm doing a good job!" She is also giving high-fives, which is super cute. She has stopped waving but I'm sure it's just because she is focusing on these new arm movements and gestures.

She also has started walking a lot more than before. She used to only take a few steps at a time, and then be done. OR have to be enticed to walk towards something (mom, dad or a favorite toy). Now she will walk long distances (across the room!) and does it regularly. I would say she now splits her time evenly between walking and crawling, but I think once she learns how to stand on her own (without using a piece of furniture, wall or person to help her) she will start walking full time. 

And, with much less anticipation and pain as previous ones, she got her eighth tooth! I didn't even notice that it was coming in until it actually popped through the gums. But that would probably explain some of her skipped naps lately (I thought those were due to the walking milestone that she was reaching). So that completes the first eight teeth that babies normally get first. Next it's on to molars and incisors, which I have heard make the first eight look like a walk in the park! Hopefully we have some time before those ones start to come in.

Watch Me Grow - Week 47

Week 47 was an exciting one - Kaitlin took her first steps!! On Sunday, April 7 Kaitlin took her first steps as her dad and I watched. She was playing in the living room and took a few, hesitant steps towards me and then fell into my arms. She didn't really seem to understand what had happened but her dad and I were cheering like crazy. Later than day she took 2-3 steps a couple more times (totaling around 12 steps that day. You know, roughly.) She continued to take a few steps here and there throughout the week. Now she was aware of what she was doing and was doing it on purpose. The most steps she took at one time this week was five - and they were five very deliberate steps. Kaitlin was standing on her own and I was encouraging her to walk towards me. She looked at me, then at her feet and then back at me - and then took one step. Then she looked back at her feet and took another step. And repeat. You could see the wheels turning in her head trying to figure out how to lift her legs without falling over, it was pretty great to watch. Most times when she is trying to walk she is doing it in a hurry and her top half moves a lot faster than her feet, which causes her to fall forward (sometimes right into the corner of her toys...yikes). But these were slow, cautious steps taken with a purpose.

You might wonder why I am giving so many details about her first steps. Honestly, it's for my own memory. While the details are still so fresh in my head I need to record them, as I know someday they will fade and all I will remember is the excitement about her first steps but none of the detail. That and the fact that we haven't been able to get her on video taking steps yet (as they are usually over right after they begin). Hopefully we will be able to record it soon and share with all of you!

This week also included a lot more talking from Miss K. She has been talkative for quite some time but it usually included long shrieks and screams along with strings of "dadadadada", and that was about it. One day this week I noticed she was "talking" to her toys. She was saying different types of babbling "words" (some long, some short, and using new "ya" "ga" and "oo" sounds) and was putting emphasis on different parts of her words. She also makes these sounds (words?) when pointing to things in the room or toys that she wants to play with. I think this is a big leap for her, language wise. You can definitely tell that she is trying to "talk" to you now, rather than just make noise. She even pointed to her ball and said "Da". I know that doesn't sound like much but I could tell that she was specifically calling that ball "da". 

And last but not least, on the last day of week forty-seven her seventh tooth finally popped through! I am hoping she finds relief soon from all that nagging teething pain.

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Six (and a half)

Apparently running late with these posts is the new normal...but at this point I'm just glad I remember to do them at all :)

It seems like ages ago now but week 46 brought Kaitlin her first Easter (since she technically turns a new week on Saturdays). Last week we also started swim lessons again. We took some time off as they were falling right in the middle of her morning nap (and we all know how sacred naps are around here). I was able to find another class at a different time and we started classes last week. On the plus side she didn't cry at all, which is a big improvement from the last time we were in lessons. On the negative side she didn't really do much of anything. I think it will take her a few classes to remember everything she learned previously - kicking, splashing, etc. One thing she do during her swim lesson was  get a bloody lip! Oops...that may have been a little bit my fault...

The drool monster is back and I can see her seventh tooth starting to push through. It's still sitting below the surface so irritability and drooliness are the name of the game. And Kaitlin continues to LOVE to throw herself backwards and bend backwards whenever she can. Daddy can flip her in the air and throw her on the bed a hundred times and she would never get sick of it. I, of course, have multiple heart attacks during that time...but as long as she's having fun... :)

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Five

We started off week 45 with a bit of a rash. Kaitlin had tomato sauce for the first time and seemed to have a bit of a reaction to it around her mouth where the sauce was. It seemed to get a little better at night but worse during the day, and then I noticed that it spread to her arm. That was enough for me to call the pediatrician just to make sure it wasn't anything worse. Turns out she has a little bit of baby eczema! Luckily we were able to treat it very easily with some cortisone and heavy duty cream - it was all cleared up in two days!

I don't want to jinx anything, but it seems our little food strike might be...well, on strike. Kaitlin has been eating lots of food again and isn't as picky as she has been recently. She tried a couple new foods like watermelon, peas, acorn squash (Grandpa Miller will be so proud) and (accidentally) jalepeno! Apart from the jalepeno they all went over great :)

We also started music class last week, and so far Kaitlin really likes it! It is a song play class at our local church. We sit around in a circle and sing songs that involve the children a lot - clapping, stomping feet and singing their names in different songs. There is no pressure to have the babies sit still and participate during the whole class - they are free to crawl and walk around as they want. But parents are encouraged to sit and participate in all the songs as your baby will keep looking to you, and eventually they will make their way back to you! And Kaitlin did just that! She was keeping everyone entertained by crawling around in the middle of the circle. She was also shaking her head "no" while she was crawling which made her a little dizzy and she ended up falling over herself a bit and then laughed when she got up. She's turning into a little ham!

It took me three tries to get a photo of Kaitlin laying down this week, and I was really lucky to get that shot above. Approximately .098593749 seconds later she flipped over and sat up and was shaking her little bear rattle and waving both of her arms furiously. For like, five minutes. Who gave her coffee without offering me some?!

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Four (and a half)

I can't believe how late I am with this weeks post. I didn't even have a chance to take a photo until yesterday. Yikes! So, this weeks update is more like 44.5 weeks considering she will be 45 weeks old on Saturday (in three days).

Week 44 was a bit challenging in terms of eating solid foods. It appears that Kaitlin is on somewhat of a food strike. There are a few things here and there that she will eat (thank god for oat cakes), but for the most part she just throws everything on the floor. She will usually eat carbs (oat cake, toast, cheerios) and protein (yogurt, turkey meatballs, hamburger, etc) but that's about it. She won't even eat her favorite super ripe bananas. I've had to give her pureed fruits and vegetables at almost every meal, but she doesn't really like eating them from a spoon. I know the whole throwing-everything-on-the-ground is her learning and exploring and pushing boundaries but it's hard not to get frustrated. Especially when I have taken the time to make and cook whole, organic foods for her - and then they end up all over the floor and walls! But every now and again she will surprise me and wolf down everything that I've put on her plate and she is still drinking a ton of formula, so I know she is still getting nutrition.

Also during week forty four Kaitlin had a visitor! Our friend Heather from NY came to visit and Kaitlin - as usual - loved the extra attention. She was a little unsure of her at first, but after a while warmed right up to her. She even let her babysit without any tears! Well, until we got back home - then she was all tears! I don't know if she was crying because she missed us or because we were home...

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Three

Can we all pause and take a moment to notice how clear and sharp this weeks picture is? Thank you. I forgot the power of an iPhone. Genius.

Last week started off cold and ended pretty warm - Kaitlin was dressed in everything from a winter parka (OK, I might have over reacted to how cold it really was) to a bathing suit and didn't seem to mind at all. These last couple of weeks have been more of the same thing - lots of crawling, standing and cruising. No walking yet but I swear she is close. Oh, and there has been lots and lots of talking. Ok, more like screaming/blabbering/screeching, but you get the point. Kaitlin's personality is really starting to come out and we are loving what we see so far. She has been so much fun - laughing and playing - this truly is the golden age of babies. 

She loves to be chased around the ottoman and scared - peek-a-boo is still her favorite game. She loves to be flipped upside down by her dad and "thrown" down onto our bed in a pile of pillows and blankets. More and more she wants to crawl on top of and over things, so I have started putting pillows and cushions down on the floor for her to crawl over (as much fun as it is to have her climb on top of me all the time, it's nice not to have her grab onto my hair to pull herself up sometimes).

She's still only saying one word - more and more "dada's" - but this weekend she started saying, "mmmmmmm" when she's eating. That's the first step!! So now I'm on a full court press to teach her how to say "mama". Watch this space ;)

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Two

Do you know what this post means? It means that there are only TEN WEEKS until my baby turns ONE.

TEN WEEKS!!!

I'm going to go cry in a corner now.

Yup, I had to resort back to the bottle of medicine to get her to lay still. Lady acts like she's got ants in her pants! I have really been slacking on these weekly updates - hindsight tells me I should have stuck to more manageable monthly posts rather than weekly, but we've come this far I can't back out now! 

Kaitlin is coming further and further along with her attempts at walking. She's started taking her stroller for walks - she holds on to the basket underneath and pushes it along. I have to help, otherwise it goes flying forward, but it's a fun little twist on our usual walks. She can make it as far as the neighbors house and then she usually sits down (which is when I put her in the stroller seat and we continue onward).

Last week she also learned how to point to things. From what I can tell only some of the time she is pointing to something that she wants/sees, the other times she is just pointing indiscriminately. She is also lifting her arms and reaching upwards when she wants to be picked up. It is super cute right now, I wonder how long the novelty will last.... ;)

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty One

Truth be told - I nearly forgot to post this this week. Monday night came rolling around and I didn't have anything prepared, I hadn't even thought about it all weekend!

Remember when I said that we hadn't baby proofed our kitchen yet because Kaitlin hadn't figured out how to open the kitchen cabinets? Well, that all came to a screeching halt last week. She has figured out that all of those lovely doors can open! She also figured out that if she holds onto the top of the door instead of the handle her little fingers will get pinched - ouch! She is also figuring out how to open drawers (mainly on the dresser in her room); I'm thinking it's only a matter of time before she starts trying to climb those drawers! So I will be busy baby proofing the kitchen and her bedroom this week. Having child proof locks on every. single. cabinet. will drive me mad, so I plan on slightly rearranging the cabinet contents and only putting locks on a few. That way if she wants to pull out pots and pans (and other items that won't hurt her) she can go right ahead, and I don't have to worry about her getting into the plastic bags and knives.

Kaitlin has become a couch cruising pro! She easily "walks" along all of the furniture and is even moving from one to another. I am slowly moving them further and further away from each other to encourage her to take bigger steps and rely less on holding on to the furniture. Naps and night sleep were majorly disrupted last week and I think a lot of it has to do with teething. Just when I am nearly at my breaking point, though, it seems to get better. We are starting to get back to her "regular" schedule (whatever the heck that means) and naps are slightly improving. Her top front teeth are coming in quickly - it's so cute to see her with (almost) a full smile!

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty

Week forty. Four-Zero. Kaitlin has nearly been out of my belly as long as she was in it.

That was weird, wasn't it?

Sorry, but I had to say it.

Week forty brought Kaitlin TWO new teeth! Her top middle teeth are FINALLY coming it, after sitting under the surface for a month. These two teeth have been kind of tough for her. Her nose is running like a faucet - and combined with the epic amounts of drool, this girl is through bibs faster than you can say WATERFALL!!

Watch Me Grow - Week Thirty Nine

Week thirty nine was a favorite of mine. You see, right before Kaitlin is going to go through a growth spurt she sleeps - a lot. This was one of those weeks. She continued her 12 hours sleep at night and added in some epic naps. She never fought me when going to sleep, she slept for one, two and almost three hours at a time. It was pure bliss. And just as I was getting used to having all the extra time on my hands and actually being productive...BAM! The epic naps end. And then, not only are the long naps done, many times naps in general are gone due to milestones and/or a growth spurt.

So, this week coming up will be interesting ;)

Week 39 also brought us a bad case of separation anxiety. Its been building for a little while now but this week was the worst so far. At least, I think it's separation anxiety. Kaitlin is generally a pretty happy girl - lots of smiles, babbling and laughing. But lately she has been more whiny, cries more often and is quiet - almost sullen sometimes. It used to be that if I left the room she would protest and whine a little. Then it turned into cries and yelling when I left the room. Now I don't even have to leave the room - even if I go behind the kitchen counter or am at the table when she is on the floor is enough to get her to start whining and crying. I definitely think some of the crying has to do with all the bumps and bruises she gotten from standing/cruising/trying to walk and I'm sure she feels pretty frustrated too. I think some of it also might be contributed to teething. Her top front middle teeth have been sitting right under the surface of her gums for weeks now. It almost looks like they have come in but they still haven't broke through. I can't imagine that's very comfortable for her.

I almost forgot the biggest and most exciting development this week! She learned how to climb up the stairs! Normally she isn't allowed by the stairs but we figured she might as well learn now since she is such a busy body. Well we hardly had to teach her anything. She scrambled up them faster that I would have ever guessed! It's been a great activity to help get some of her energy out and get her nice and tired for naps and bedtime. I am trying to teach her how to go down the stairs as well, but every time I get her down one step she climbs right back up it! She is so incredibly proud of herself when she finally gets to the top - she starts squealing and crawling all around laughing. It probably helps that we make a big deal out of it - clapping, cheering and such - and I love the little look on her face.

And last but not least during this last week Kaitlin celebrated her very first Valentine's Day! I'm pretty sure we spoil her with lots of love, hugs and kisses every day and Valentine's Day was no exception :)

Watch Me Grow - Week Thirty Eight

I have figured out the key to success of taking a still photo of Kaitlin - give her a bottle of medicine to play with.

That sounds really bad, doesn't it? This particular bottle is only Highlands Teething Tablets, an all natural remedy for teething discomfort. I know I shouldn't let her play with them, in case it comes open and such...but when if it keeps her still for longer than 15 seconds I'm all for it. I fully plan on replacing the tablets with rice or small pebbles and super gluing the heck out of it once it's empty. (Which will be  in no time at all considering all the shaking she does the tables have pretty much disintegrated)

This week! More standing! More crawling! More "dadadadadadada". Not one "mama". It's ok, I'm not keeping track...We did lots of playing outside and lots of swinging this week. There is a time in the afternoon when it's too late for a nap but too early for bed when Kaitlin tends to get a bit cranky. I find this is the best time to take a walk and go to the playground. She LOVES watching the other kids play and run around and is still obsessed with going on the swings. It distracts her just long enough until it's time for dinner and a bath. Perfect.

This week she learned how to look under things - under the couch, under the ottoman, etc - and loves playing peek-a-boo under there. We play this game where I peek around a corner of the ottoman and she chases me around and around it. It tires her (and me) out and is a sure fire way to get her to take a nap. She also learned that it's fun to arch backwards and often tries to do it while you're holding her. Which will keep you on your toes as she could flip out backwards at any time. The good thing about all of these discoveries (besides the look of absolute joy on her face) is that she is getting to an age and stage where she can "rough house" a little. We can chase her around and tickle her and she thinks its fun and hilarious. We can "push" her down and tease her with toys and she plays right along. Until she gets sick of it and it ends in tears. It's all fun and games until someone starts to cry.

Watch Me Grow - Week Thirty Seven

Woohoo! I did it! A photo of her laying down on the lamb mat without being totally blurry! 

*happy dance*

Week 37 was super fun - Kaitlin's new friend (and my old friend) Maggie came to visit and she had a blast! They got along great and I was happy to see Maggie too. During week 37 Kaitlin "officially" started saying "Dada". She had been saying long strings of "dadadadadadada" for a little while now but last week she started saying short and clear "Dada". 

You're welcome kid for carrying you around in my belly for 41 weeks and taking care of you all the days. No biggie. No really, it's fine. Feel free to start practicing those "M" sounds any day now.

(I'm kidding, even though she is saying "dada" she still doesn't know what it means. So my feeling aren't too hurt ;)

Kaitlin also started trying to stand on her own. One time she even stood for a solid five seconds all by herself. She is getting closer and closer to walking. Our furniture in the den is a bit high for her to "cruise" along it but she can pull herself up and go between ottoman and couch/chair. All she really has to do is turn around but it takes her some time to figure it out. She is still practicing walking with her empty diaper box and has started using the other two walking toys that we have on her own. She has gotten many bumps, bruises and even a bloody lip, but that is the dangerous life of a baby, I suppose. We're keeping plenty of Baby Advil on hand for headaches and bruises (not to mention the continued mega-teething).

Another fun thing Kaitlin discovered last week is that she can chew/teeth on her crib. I went to get her from a nap and discovered that my cute little baby had been replaced with a little beaver! The three lowest rails on her crib are covered in bite marks. I've just ordered some teething bumpers and am anxiously awaiting their arrival. That crib needs to last her as long as possible - I don't need her chewing it apart before her first birthday!

Watch Me Grow - Thirty Six Weeks

Week 36 brought more and more crawling. She finally seems to like crawling, realizing that she can get pretty far by doing it. She learned how to stand up under the bar stools in our kitchen which is both exciting and terrifying for her. She is just a hair taller than the space underneath them so she has to bend over a little which frustrates her. When she stands up there she goes back and forth between smiling and crying - it's pretty entertaining actually. She also proved to us, yet again, that the best toys are often ones that cost nothing. Just like she finds endless amusement tearing up old magazines and catalogues, she found great joy in pushing around an empty boy of diapers. Suddenly the two "walker" toys that we have are gathering dust in the corner. The box will eventually disintegrate because of all the drool that falls on it, so I know that her actual toys will get used again, but for now it's her new favorite toy. 

I was surprised that I managed to get a photo of her laying down this week, but it is so blurry it kind of makes my eyes hurt. One of these days you're going to see a photo of her laying down with my foot on her tummy to hold her in place :) She ate lots of new foods last week - including a pork chop! It was great for her, she could hold the bone and gnaw on the meat attached. She LOVED it. She is also currently obsessed with nectarines, super ripe and super sweet. She can eat almost a whole nectarine by herself, which is a lot considering she doesn't usually ingest that much food when she's eating. I am still shocked that she hasn't had any new teeth come in...the drool is flowing like a river after a storm, chewing on her teeth is at an all time high and she's even been a bit cranky (which isn't like her normal, smiley self!) - hopefully it/they break through soon to give her some relief.

Watch Me Grow - Thirty Five Weeks

Thirty five was a big one - it was the week Kaitlin learned how to crawl! It was so exciting-slash-scary at the same time. If I thought having her sit still was hard before, man oh man this takes it to a whole new level! She turned 35 weeks and EIGHT MONTHS old on Saturday.

I realize that picture is blurry as heck but I was so shocked/surprised/amazed that I even managed to capture a picture of her laying down at all that I just had to use it. Other exciting things that happened during week 35? We had a playdate at the baby store (check out her photo here), started looking at nursery schools (quick - make it stop! make time stop!!) and tried lots of new foods. Her pincher grab is developing quickly since she is practicing so often while eating. 

Changing Kaitlin's diaper or trying to change her clothes is basically impossible at this point. She starts to cry as soon as we lay her down on the changing table and will turnover on her tummy and sit up within 5 seconds. I am constantly trying to hold her down so that she doesn't fall off. I've tried changing her on the floor and that is almost worse since she can see so many more cool things. Often times our afternoons turn into no pants parties since trying to get them back on after a diaper change is too exhausting. Getting her ready for bed is officially a two person job. The bathing part is fine - she's happy as a clam splashing around in the tub - its the part right after that is tough. I gave her a bath and got her ready for bed by myself three times this week and each time I needed an adult beverage after the whole thing was said and done. 

This is when parenting really gets tiring, isn't it?

Watch Me Grow - Thirty Four Weeks

I think it is pretty safe that say that it is highly unlikely that I will ever get another photo of Kaitlin laying down on her lamb mat for these updates. Hindsight - being 20/20 and all - says that I should have sat her up when we first started these updates. At the time laying down was much easier...oh well, you live and you learn!

Week 34 brought us Kaitlin's FOURTH tooth! It popped through on Friday. I am fairly certain that her third tooth is her top left incisor, which is a bit odd because those aren't "supposed" to come through for another six months or so. Her fourth tooth, I think, is next to her top right middle tooth. I feel like I am saying the word tooth a lot - but how else am I supposed to talk about...teeth! Anyway - all of these observations and guesses are made from trying to pry open an (almost) eight month olds mouth and by trying to feel around in there with my finger. Not an easy task letmetellyou.

In addition to the new tooth she has been very busy at trying to stand up in her crib, trying to crawl and working on her standing. She can "walk" with one of her walker toys - I push it a couple inches forward and she drags her feet forward. She is still really shaky and wobbly but she LOVES doing it and is improving every day! 

Because of all these fun new developments and new teeth she isn't really napping that well. She is in pretty good spirits even when she's running on minimal sleep so it's not too bad. At least she is still sleeping well at night during all of this. I have learned to let go the stress caused by her napping issues (well...most of the time) and embrace her great night sleeping habits! I tried to get her on a schedule after we got back from vacation. I wanted to have a more consistent wake up time and, hopefully, more consistent nap times. Well that worked out well for less than too weeks and then all these changes started happening. Maybe once these milestones are out of the way (uuhhhh...when will that be??) we can get back on track! But I'm not holding my breath :)

Here is another picture that I took while trying to get her to lay down. As you can see she is constantly in motion! I think my iPhone is officially too slow for her!

Watch Me Grow - Thirty Three Weeks

There was no chance in getting this little lady to sit still long enough for me to take her photo this week. She is go, go GO all the time! She was having way too much fun sitting up, trying to crawl, sitting up again, giving the lamb kisses (aka slobbering all over the poor lamb) - doing everything except sitting still.

Week thirty three brought us Kaitlin's third tooth! I can't exactly tell which one it is yet - it's on her top left side. I can't tell if it's her incisor or not, but hopefully not since those aren't really supposed to come in until after she's a year old. It is definitely not her top middle tooth though. I felt around her mouth and can feel another tooth just under the surface in the same location but on her right top side. Who know how long it will take for this one to break through though! 

She has been practicing, practicing and more practicing her standing up skills. She has also added taking steps (completely aided by us, of course) and standing on her own (letting go of the ottoman, laundry basket, our hands) as well. I've said it before and I'll say it again - this girl has no shortage of determination!

We switched to all baby led weaning (BLW) last week and so far it has been going great. I'll be doing a post on it this week with more details! It's been so fun to see what she will eat, what foods she likes and doesn't like and how much she will eat at one time. It varies day to day, even meal to meal, but it has been a fun experience all around! Her new favorite thing to do is to blow raspberries - while she is eating! Fun for everyone (but less fun for mommy as she gets sprayed with food particles)!