Dear Siena – 9 Months

Things are getting really fun. You’re transforming from a baby into a little girl right before our eyes and we’ve loving every moment. Despite all the fun, I’m already having a little nostalgia about the newborn days, though I don’t miss the lack of sleep! I just can’t believe how quickly time has gone and before we know it you’ll be smashing up your very first birthday cake.

 

This month you learned to pull yourself up to standing while holding on to furniture or someone’s leg (which somehow I don’t have a photo of because I’m always trying to get a video of it!). You have taken a few tumbles as you learn how to master this skill.  You also figured out how to get into a sitting position on your own and we often see you sitting or standing on your knees in your crib, trying to see what is outside. As always, you won’t stop moving and are always on the go – you’re often rolling, (army) crawling, sitting, and standing all within a matter of a minute. You’re still army crawling but often get into a plank or traditional crawling position. You’ve taken a few forward steps in the traditional crawling position but then just drop to your belly and slither forward instead. You know what works and that’s what you’re sticking to.

You’re very vocal and continue to say “dada” and “mama” the most. You are communicating with your body and voice a lot more and I know that you’re speaking in your own language but unfortunately I don’t know how to understand it! You continue to chew, pinch and bite people and things to help you explore them which is pretty painful for anyone involved, especially since I can’t seem to get your finger nails to be anything but as sharp as razor blades.

You still really enjoy our daily trip to the mailbox and you really love grocery shopping with me. Your favorite toy this month has to be the talking and singing jungle and now your dad and I can’t stop singing the song about giraffes, elephants and dancing like a monkey. You think its really funny when we blow on your tummy or throw you up above our heads.

We started sending food to school now so you are eating three meals a day and usually one snack (on weekends you may miss a meal if you sleep through it). Although I feel like you are still pretty resistant to drinking water, your teachers told me that they are impressed with your handling of the sippy cup and your ability to self-feed (yay Baby Led Weaning!). You now have the pincer grasp so you can pick up smaller foods. You tried a few new foods this month, including tuna, greek yogurt, peanut butter and puffs, but your favorite foods continue to be cheese, sweet potato, broccoli and raspberries. As a result of eating three meals and a snack a day you’ve reduced your milk consumption a bit, particularly in the evening.

Breastfeeding has been an adventure lately as you are VERY easily distracted (and sometimes like to bite me which is pretty distracting for ME!). I couldn’t tell if it was that you just weren’t hungry due to the amount of solid food you’re eating but then read that it’s really normal for babies your age to bounce off after a few minutes or even seconds. You still sleep through the night even if you didn’t seem to get a full feeding before bed, so I guess you’re getting enough food!

We haven’t had your 9 month appointment yet to get percentiles but I know you’re somewhere around 18 pounds and you continue to get comments about how tall you are. You are wearing size 3 diapers now and all 6-12 months or 9 month clothes, some of which are pretty snug!

This month you got Roseola, an infection that starts with a fever and ends up with a rash (mostly on your face, neck and chest and not nearly as bad as the scary photos on Google). You were not yourself for the entire week you had it and alternated between being incredibly calm (you even sat still in our arms and cuddled, which you never do) and being incredibly fussy. You slept a lot and didn’t eat much. You missed an entire week of school and you spent the days with either me, your dad or your Nana (thank you Nana!!!).

You had a lot of fun firsts this month, including your first time on a swing (you loved it, of course) and you first time in the pool. On your dad’s first Father’s Day we spent the day at your Nana and Boo’s house and had a pool party. You also had your first night away from both your dad and me. We went to your great grandma’s 90th birthday party and got a room at the Temecula Creek Inn. Your Nana and Boo had a great time with you overnight and said it went really well! You also had your first stage performance at your school’s “Around the World” themed dance show. You and I dressed up in European-themed outfits and danced around the stage with the other moms in the infant room. We felt pretty silly but it was fun.

Love,

Mom