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 :)

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 :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Kaitlin wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Valentines Day! She had a great day playing and eating and sleeping (par for the course). She gots lots of extra hugs and kisses and kept looking at me strange because of all the extra attention. Someday she'll understand :)

She got beautiful flowers from her daddy and a fun sock monkey from mommy. But I'm pretty sure the sock monkey scared her because she cried almost every time I gave it to her. Hmmm... I tried to do a super cute valentines day theme photo shoot with her today but she was not having it. I guess SHE wasn't feeling the love.

We hope you had a wonderful day filled with love, chocolate and too many candy hearts!

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.

My Advice for New Moms

When I read this article, Confessions of a Pregnant Know-It-All by Shannon Sutherland, I shook my head in agreement during the whole thing. That was me - I was once that pregnant know-it-all. I tsk-tsked moms and parents in parking lots and restaurants. My baby was going to be different, I wasn't going to let her do x, y and z. 

And then I had my baby. Oof. That was an eye opener. I quickly learned to stop judging other moms (and dads) and just do the best that you can, do whatever works for you. Do whatever will get you through the damn day and you can figure out the rest tomorrow.

And now, now that I have been a parent for a staggering eight and a half months, well, clearly I know it all. Now I am that Know-It-All parent handing out advice to pregnant ladies left and right. Ugh - that's annoying, isn't it? Suddenly my $.02 should totally be valued closer to $.50 because I have lived through it (once). I can't help it! Parenthood is so amazing - it's challenging and joyful, exhausting and energizing. There are so many nuggets (or, five) of information I want I need to share with those who are about to go through it!

I have a lot of friends that have given or will give birth this year, many to their first child. As someone who has been there, done that I thought it would be best to give you all of the advice I wish someone had given me when I was pregnant. Oh sure, I got tons of advice while I was with child - some helpful, lots of it not. As a seasoned mother it is now my turn to take the torch and pass down my words of wisdom.

And by "wisdom" I mean mistakes that I made and hope that I can warn you not to make :)

Take these with a grain of salt, a cup of flour or perhaps a glass of wine (but not until after you have that baby, that is).

1. Get the biggest diaper bag you can find

No, seriously, the biggest one. It might even be better for you to get some sort of a weekend bag or little wheelie suitcase. I absolutely adore my Skip Hop diaper bag but its biggest downfall is that it is about 1/3 of the size that I actually need. Since it is difficult enough to carry a baby/carseat/child/diaper bag the last thing I wanted to do was carry my purse around too. I started putting my wallet and sunglasses in the diaper bag and found myself with less space than ever. When your baby gets older you have to start carrying around more/bigger toys and food. So, dear friends, I suggest getting the biggest diaper bag you can comfortably fit on your shoulder and stuff it to the max. Because, and trust me on this, if you don't bring something for every possible situation with you, that is the one incident that is bound to happen. You'll be happy you have a big, giant bag with you that is filled with every possible solution.

2. Take the sitz bath

As you know - well, hopefully you know - there is a very good chance that your lady parts are going to be sore after giving birth (unless you have a c-section. In that case you can move on to the next point). And I'm using the word sore lightly. Without going into too many details, trust me when I say, take the sitz bath. Yes, it will take you some time to set it up, take it and clean it up but it is well worth it. During those first couple of weeks home with Kaitlin I was convinced that I had to be with her every minute she was awake. And when she wasn't awake I was trying to take a nap. There's a reason the doctors and nurses suggest you take a sitz bath (and why they send you home with most of the gear to make your own at home) - it works. As much as you want to focus 120% on your newborn after you get home you really, truly need to take care of yourself too. Hand the baby over to dad/grandma/aunt/cousin, grab the latest trashy celebrity magazine on your way to the loo and take 20 minutes for yourself. At the very least you'll get a little peace and quiet. (And you totally don't have to tell anyone if you fall asleep on the john)

3. Let that baby sleep on you for as long as you can

Please excuse me while I wax poetically about our babies growing up. In the beginning you might want to get everything right the very first time. You might not want to start bad habits. You might not want to do this or that or the other thing because you swore you never would. But let me tell you - one day your baby is going to be grown and as much as you want them to be near to you, cuddle and snuggle, they will not. It might take years, it might take months, but that day will come. And as soon as it does you'll want them back. Kaitlin was never much of a snuggler. She never liked being held in the traditional newborn hold and has never once fallen asleep on my shoulder (she is a nosey one, that girl). I insisted on not starting any bad sleep habits and most of all didn't want her getting used to sleeping while I was holding her, so her opposition to snuggling suited me just fine in those early days. But now. Ooohhh but now. Now that she is crawling and trying to walk and wants to be anywhere but in my arms, I long for the days when she would be still while I held her. A few times, when she was tired enough and when I was tired enough to let her, she slept on my chest. And those are the times I miss the most. ALREADY! And she's still a baby!! Oy - this is why people have multiple children, isn't it?! So, my advice to you, dear friend, is to let them sleep on you, in your arms, and on your shoulder for as long as that little baby will do it. You can deal with the sleep problems later :)

4. Take the first fifteen minutes (or twenty...or thirty) during your babies nap time and do something for yourself
I actually read this little nugget of advice online somewhere, probably at 3am in a sleep deprived state of delirium. Ok, it was never that bad (but I've got to milk it, right?) but really, I wish I could remember where I read this so I could link it for you. This little piece of advice changed the way I viewed nap time. Often times you'll find yourself cleaning up the dishes, vacuuming the carpets and/or doing laundry all the while thinking, "as soon as I'm done I'm going to take a nap/shower/break" and inevitably as soon as you are done with your chores that little, drooley bundle of joy knows that it's time to wake up and you haven't had any "me" time at all. And that is fine for a little while. But you will be much happier and feel less burnt out if you use the first part of your babies nap for something that you WANT to do. Read a magazine, catch up on your favorite blog (wink, wink), trashy tv show or podcast. Take a shower, a bath or give yourself a pedicure. Whatever will make you feel a little better/happier/more rested. And then when you're done - if your little one is still sleeping - you can use the rest of the time to do chores. And trust me, it's a lot easier to wash dishes/do laundry/dust the house with the little one awake than it is to take a nap/take a bath/read a book.

5. Hire a Newborn Photographer
Ok, you might be thinking that I am saying this so that you hire me as a newborn photographer, but that is not the case. Here is the deal. Your baby is only going to be teeny tiny for so long. They grow SO MUCH during those first few weeks and months and you'll soon forget how small they were. You will be exhausted, elated and probably delirious for the first month (or so). I, being the know-it-all-do-it-all that I am, figured I could take my own newborn photos - and I did. They aren't as amazing as I would have liked, but I am super happy that I have them. What I don't have is nice pictures of the three of us as a family. The only photos that I have are ones that my family took while visiting, where one of us was always in tears and the others had forced smiles on their faces. I wish we had paid someone - anyone really - to come over for a few hours and take some nice photos of us as a family. Of Brian and I both holding teeny, tiny Kaitlin. Of me and my baby. You don't have to spend a lot of money, do some research around your area and I'm sure you will find a lot of options. But I guarantee that you won't regret having them done.

And while I am on the topic of photographs please, PLEASE read this article. There is nothing more true in this world than this article and the advice that she gives. I bet we all LOVE looking through photos of when we were babies and children. We love to see our parents and grandparents, looking so young and "hip" in the latest fashions of the times. The hair - oh the hair!! How many times have you ever said, "Oh, look how fat Mom was" or "Wow, Dad didn't have any muscles back then". I would guess NEVER. Because the truth is when we look back on those photos what we see the most, is the emotion. The excitement behind your parents eyes. The unwavering love on Grandmas face while she holds her first grandchild. Even the look of exasperation on Dad's face while the baby is screaming next to him is priceless (and often the best photo of the bunch!). So, with that, I offer you advice 5b - take as many photos as you can and GET IN THE PICTURE. In twenty years time when your baby is graduating college you will not regret having those pictures buried in a box (er, hard drive?) somewhere for you to dig out and go through on a rainy afternoon. And more importantly your kids will be thankful that they are there.

After I started drafting this post I read this great article over on Pregnant Chicken - What You Need to Know About Newborns. I highly suggest that you read it if you are about to have a baby, have just had a baby or (like me) had a baby a while ago so that you can nod your head in agreement with every point she makes and wonder why, WHY didn't someone show you this list sooner?! And while you're there have a good, long look around her site. It is brilliant, hilarious and full of spot-on information - it's one of my favorite pregnancy/parenting sites.

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!

Two of My Favorite People

This week one of my very best friends came to visit and meet Kaitlin for the first time. They quickly became friends. Kaitlin liked Maggie because she made funny faces and voices, and Maggie liked Kaitlin because she drools a lot and is a messier eater than she is. BFF 4EVA.

And then Kaitlin had a breakdown when we had to stop swinging and go home. That was the second time in one week that she cried when leaving the swings. Homegirl loves her some swinging.