I've missed a couple of Violet's monthly posts, and now I'm regretting it. At the time I was overwhelmed by life, incredibly exhausted, and so anxious about Violet's health that I couldn't bring myself to write about it. Now that the whirlwind of weaning, worrying, and waking every couple of hours at night is long gone, I'm wishing I had pushed myself to write about the special things that happened in her life in months seven and eight. Although I don't have a time machine, I've decided that I can still pick up where I left off and start fresh, so here is a little about Violet's ninth month of life:
You've been through a lot, baby. A lot of doctors, a lot of needles, a lot of tests and poking a prodding. You've gone from nursing to bottle feeding; from breastmilk to prescription formula; from the 94th percentile to the 9th and back to the 25th; from staying at home with your mama to spending the day with your babysitter. But through all of the craziness and confusion your spirits have not been dampened; your smile has not dimmed. You are still our feisty, curious, happy little girl.
The
last time I wrote about you, I talked about how you'd become a social butterfly. And although you spread your wings for a couple of months, lately you've gone back to being a bit of a mama's girl. You like to look at other people, but mostly from a distance in the safe confines of my arms. Who needs the gym when I've got you, love? We certainly can't blame you - you now only get to see your mama on evenings and weekends, so our time together has become extra precious. The Moby wrap has become one of our best friends lately. We get to be close to one another and your mama has her hands free to attempt to keep the house (semi) clean.
When you aren't in my arms, you can now sit up on your own no problem. Your days of wobbling and toppling over are mostly gone. Instead of lunging for your favorite toys, you now reach for them carefully and deliberately (at least most of the time). Although you've mastered sitting, it isn't your favorite thing to do lately. You now want to STAND, and stand you do. You are pulling yourself up on anything you can grab ahold of - couches, toys - if it's the right height look out!
Diaper changing is done exclusively on the floor these days, as you've decided it's not for you. Squirming, screaming, and thrashing have all become party of the game. Sometimes you can be distracted by a toy or daddy's goofy faces, but you pick up on our ploys all too quickly. You're one smart cookie - that's for sure.
We can't believe how much you've grown and the little person you're turning into. We're realizing that very soon you won't be our little squishy baby any more - you'll be a walking, talking toddler. We've been trying to soak up all of your sweet baby goodness while we can. Speaking of talking, your favorite word this month is definitely 'Bah'. Everything is
bah bah bah with a few
hey's and
hi's thrown in there for good measure. We've been trying to turn those
bah's into
mamamama's and
dadadada's to no avail. In one breath we lament that you're growing too fast, and in the next we're trying to hurry you along - silly us!
I wouldn't be surprised if your first word wasn't mama or dada, but cat! Although you were interested in your furry friends before, now you are absolutely in love with them. The sight of a swishing tail or pointy ear sends you into a blur of panting, kicking, arm-pumping excitedness. We've been trying to teach you to be gentle with Charlie and Moe, but you love them so much you just want to grab them and squeeze as hard as you can. So far they've been very good sports about it with only a warning swat here and there.
You have two teeth now (bottom front) and more on their way. Although you can't have any oral teething medication (baby acetaminophen sent you to the hospital), you've been a tough cookie through all of the drooling, chewing, and discomfort that comes along with teething. Someday we hope that you can put those little white razors to good use, but for now you like to chew on rubber duckies, mommy and daddy's fingers, and wooden side tables.
In spite of any teething pain, you've become an AMAZING sleeper. You go down easily for naps - both at home and at the babysitter's and have fallen into a daily routine. At night time you usually go right to sleep without much of a fuss. Although sometimes you wake once to eat at night (who can blame you - nine months and still no solids for you!), gone are the sleepless nights that you and your mama used to endure. Many nights you sleep for 11-12 hours without a peep, waking in the morning a happy and rested little girl.
We're so excited to see what next month brings (crawling? walking?), but for now we're going to soak up each precious moment we have with the baby that you are now. We love you our resilient, sweet, happy little girl - happy nine months!
xo, Mommy & Daddy
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