Elizabeth - 9 Months Old

Out as long as she was in. (relatively speaking)

6 Days before her birth-day

9 Months old

Where did the time go? I’m certain that our baby is gone and has been replaced by a big girl. It was inevitable I know, but if you have a new little baby take every possible moment to snuggle them up. The old saying that time flies is so accurate!

I must clarify though that although her newborn-ness has faded, this new stage she’s entering is SO.MUCH.FUN! Our 9-month old daughter had me doubled over in laughter the other day when I snapped the photo above. She was playing with the magazines and tipped into the basket with her entire body. I chuckled. Then she peeked her head above the basket and chuckled along with me. I seriously melted inside.

Elizabeth is such a happy girl, who of course, has her moments. That’s normal. While she can play on her own, she’d rather play with others or alongside Alex and I. Each day I find I have a little girl trying to climb up my legs as I’m making meals or trying to tidy up. She loves being out amongst people and is very generous with her smiles. If she’s not nearby, you can be sure she has found some type of paper and is shredding it into tiny pieces that she tries to eat.

NEW SKILLS: Pulling up and standing. Standing on her own for a few seconds at a time. Cruising furniture. Being fearless. Crawling at fast speeds. Squatting down from standing. Eating pouches on her own. Waving. Saying “uh-oh.”

TEETH: At 9 months old Elizabeth has 6 teeth and as we speak number 7 cut through and number 8 is cutting through. 8 teeth. Crazy.

FAVORITES: Guacamole and any kind of meat. Drinking out of her straw sippy. Dropping things off of her high chair and watching where they go. Peek-a-boo. The wire whisk in the kitchen. Her gray blankie. Bath time. Nursery at church.

DISLIKES: Getting dressed. Diaper changes. Being alone for long amounts of time. Straight up avocados.

Sleep seems to be our hardest obstacle around our house (though not terrible by any means) and with some prompting from our pediatrician we’re trying to sleep train at night again. We know she can do it because she was sleeping through for almost an entire month. And then came some more teeth and a vacation and a cold. So we’re trying to get back to it and just last night on our 1st night of training, she slept from 7-6:15 with one little hiccup around 2:30 that only lasted 10 minutes. Apparently that eating that seemed “necessary” around 2:30 wasn’t so “necessary”! As far as naps, she just transitioned herself to two naps a day; one around 9:15 and the other around 1:15, each for an hour and a half. This is glorious to say the least so we’re making progress.

Our days are getting a bit more regular and we’re taking the time to seize the day. Staying home most days, getting into a good groove (mommy that is), and taking the time to enjoy our little girl while she’s still little. That’s hard for an on-the-go type person like me but I’m beginning to see the fruit of being at home, not only from Elizabeth, but also the contentedness in my heart as being more self-controlled in getting things done around the house has brought much freedom and joy.