9 months old

Leah @ 9 months old:

* Measurements- At her dr.'s visit today, she weighed 17 lbs. 13 oz. and is 27 1/2 inches tall.

She is only in the 30th percentile for her weight, but average for height. In other words, she's a slim little girl (no doubt due to her high energy level).

* Sleeping- She's doing about the same-- sleeping from about 7:30pm to 7am or so. There have been a few nights where she woke up right around the time we were headed to bed, around 10 or so, screaming. I have learned to tell the difference between her "I'll eventually put myself back to sleep" cry and her "You better come get me now" cry. These were the latter, although we were really puzzled as to whether we should just let her work it out. A few minutes of rocking put her back to sleep, though, and it hasn't really happened much more. I speculate it may have been night terrors, or maybe just the fact that so much new is going on in her little life.

- Her naps are still so unpredictable in length. Up until this week, her morning naps were rarely longer than 45 minutes. This week she may be going through a growing spurt, because they've been 1 1/2 to 2 hours. This may change again next week when she starts her summer "school." Afternoons are anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours. If they're shorter, she gets grumpy earlier in the evening and is impossible to deal with.

* Eating- It seems like she's eating as much as she did as a newborn now, except that half her feedings are solids & half are bottles. She eats her solids 3 times a day, at the same time I do. This month she has tried all sorts of new baby foods: Vegetable Beef Stew, Chicken Noodle Dinner, Pineapple Glazed Ham, Mac & Cheese with Vegetables, Turkey & Rice Dinner... She doesn't really show a preference to anything really. She'll usually eat the equivalent of a whole jar of Stage 2 (or 2 halves of 2 different kinds).

She's also really catching on to the chewing thing, so I try a lot more finger foods with her. I started with the Gerber Puffs & Yogurt Melts, just because they're great for practice, but they get pricey. So I steamed up some sweet potatoes & diced them. I gave her some pieces of bread, shredded cheese, and also some banana. The banana was her favorite. It's funny to watch, because she still hasn't quite mastered the pincer grasp, so she'll get the food in between her little fingers and then shove it into her mouth with her whole fist, like she's making sure it doesn't get away!

She has a 4 or 5 oz. bottle 1st thing in the morning, again around 10 before her nap, then another around 1, another 4:30 or so, and then a 7 oz. bottle before bed. (Usually about 12 oz. are breastmilk, and 12 oz. are formula.) I'd really like to get her away from being so dependent upon the bottle to get to sleep, and I'd like her to start having her bottles along with her mealtime. Our goal for the next few months is to get her to take a sippy cup (right now she just chews on it & throws it around), and to decrease her bottles. This may take work, but by age 1 I would like her meals to be much more like ours'. The dr. said by age 1 she should only be having about 16-18 oz. of milk a day. Now she takes around 24 or so. She also suggested giving her water in her bedtime bottle, because a) it may decrease her liking for that bedtime bottle, and b) it will prevent cavities from milk pooling up in her mouth.

* What She's Doing Now-

- Even though she can technically pull herself up on things, she doesn't really do it by herself, although she tries all the time. She is constantly pulling and grabbing at things to try to get herself up, but she can't quite make it without help. She especially loves climbing over my legs if I'm sitting on the floor, and when she can't do it, she reaches out to me to help her. She is very much a monkey and has no sense of danger. If we put her on her tummy on our bed, she'll crawl straight toward the edge and keep going if we don't stop her.

- She is finally sitting well on her own. She almost prefers it, even. She can sit and play with her toys 15 to 20 minutes before she's ready to move on. I still put a pillow behind her in case she falls straight back, but usually she tips sideways and just goes on playing.

- Her crawling technique is still like that of an army soldier. Her knees don't come off the floor.

- Leah & I will sometimes sit on the front porch and wait for Daddy when it's time for him to come home from work. As soon as she sees him, she starts clapping her hands & squealing with delight! He always runs up and kisses her all over & she remembers that. She is definately Daddy's girl.

- She sometimes will wave at appropriate times now. She waved at her daycare teacher when we walked past her in the hall the other day. She waved bye-bye to Daddy one morning, and she even waved bye-bye to me when I left her in the nursery Sunday morning (and that was almost like, "okay, shooo!"). Sometimes, though, I think she gets confused between clapping & waving.

- She seems to be hitting the separation anxiety phase, and it takes its toll! At home, the minute I step out of her sight, she starts to cry. Usually she'll scoot her way to wherever I went and continue to cry until I pick her up (which I try not to do all the time, but it sure is hard to get things done when I have a little sidekick screaming at me). Thankfully, she doesn't really have a hard time going to her teacher at school (although that has now ended for the year, and she'll have a different teacher for the summer & fall), mostly because a) the teacher always greets her very cheerfully and holds her while I leave, and b) there are a lot of other kids around & she thrives on being around people! She also still goes pretty well to a couple of the nursery workers at church, but sometimes she'll cling to me until they pull her away.

- She is very high energy. She has a short attention span, and only plays by herself maybe 15 or 20 minutes before she wants attention. Many days I'm only able to really get things done around the house while she naps. From the time she wakes up until the time she goes down for the night, she wants to explore, she wants me to help her pull up on things, she wants to see what I'm doing. She's fine in her Exersaucer while I shower, but once she sees me out, she's crying for my attention. She'll play on the kitchen floor while I cook if I keep giving her new & interesting things to play with. I keep reminding myself this is a phase, and that she'll grow up so fast I should enjoy spending this time with her while she's still little, but sometimes I just want to be able to step away one second to go to the bathroom in peace!

- She loves to be outside. If she gets really fussy during the day, I can either take her for a car ride or a ride in the stroller to calm her down. She's almost always quiet & curious when we're in public, and for a few minutes after we get home. Thankfully the weather seems to be getting warm, and we have a new kiddie pool that we're anxious to try out in the backyard!

- She also loves music & rhythm. Lately, she's taken to stopping what she's doing whenever a theme song to a show comes on TV (she esp. likes the Cosby Show) and she'll sit there mesmorized. She loves to shake rattles & other things in her hands & beat on things. She will also change her whole demeanor when I sing her "Jesus Loves Me" or any other song with "Jesus" in it. If she's fussy or wiggly, she'll stop & smile... Amazing what that Name can do!

And... We may have to discontinue the monthly bear pictures due to a VERY squirmy & nosy little girl. With Brett's help we were able to distract her long enough to get one good picture, but as you can see in the rest, Leah gave the bear a run for his money.... (Oh, and the fact that she's wearing a dress means nothing to this girl.)

3 Years of Marriage

What an incredible adventure we've shared over the 4 1/2 years Brett & I have known each other! I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next 40 years! In celebration of our anniversary, I have put together a slide show from our 1st meeting up till today. You'll want to turn your sound up.

The Prettiest 9 Month Old Ever

This past weekend, Brett & I took Leah to our seminary campus to take some pictures with our fancy-schmancy new camera. Every year around our anniversary, we take our picture in the gazebo on campus where we got engaged. We had our picture taken here the day after we started dating, on our engagement, on our wedding, and all 3 anniversaries since. Now we have a picture including the newest addition to our family! Convieniently, it's also right around Leah's 9 month day so we saved ourselves some money from having to go to JC Penny to get those done.
We made a whole morning out of our photo adventure, even eating out for breakfast at the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner. We had so much fun and Leah did so great! The last few pictures were taken at home, just for fun. Check the photo website for all the photos.

A Day in the Life...

My birthday passed without a lot of fanfare (which was fine with me)-- just another day. I am blessed to be another year older and have another year to spend with my family.

Meanwhile, I've been taking pictures like crazy with my new toy! I have captured Leah in all the everyday ordinary activities she does. They may be nothing exciting, but maybe 10 years from now I'll want to look back and remember what she was like when she was this little. And why not? I have a great camera!







Touching something she probably shouldn't be...













This is her determined face. When she sees something she wants, there's no stopping her...











Violently kicking her legs up & down. She used to do one leg at a time, now it's both together...













Getting into the books on the entertainment center to which we've told her "no" many many times!













But I'm cute! How can you tell me "no"?



















Playing with the tag on the carpet. Tags are one of her favorite things...













Always taking time out to smile or laugh...


















This was actually taken on my cell phone at work in the church office. She headed straight for the locked safe. She ain't no dummy....

Movin' On Up

The past two days, our big girl has been trying as hard as she can to pull herself up to standing. And she's doing a great job! She still needs to figure out how to go from laying down to sitting up, but when she was in a sitting position, she put her hands on the coffee table and pulled up. Of course I was sitting right there to help a little, and to hold her once she was standing, but we'll keep practicing. Our next task was to immediately lower the crib one more setting. Knowing this girl, she'll tumble out trying to get something she sees on the floor outside her crib. This is going to require a whole new level of childproofing!

"I don't need you, Mommy! Look at me!"

Happy Mother's Day

This year, Mother's Day has a whole new meaning for me. I can hardly believe just 8 months ago, I was bestowed with this new title, "Mommy." (Well, technically I considered myself a mother last year, but not in the fullest extent of the word "mother.") It was a rough ride at the beginning, and I wasn't so sure I liked that title. When Leah was a newborn, there were days I wondered when the baby's real mommy was going to come pick her up. Now, I'm growing to love the title more and more every day as my little girl develops her own personality and her own quirks. It's still the hardest job I've ever had and probably ever will have. And it will probably only get harder-- especially considering I can solve most of a 9-month old's problems with a bottle of warm milk or a nap. I have a whole new appreciation for my own mother and for mothers everywhere.


I Timothy 2:15 says, "But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety." I heard a sermon on this the other day that got me to thinking of all the ways I have been sanctified through my role as a mother. I have seen my own depravity as I see how even though she's very young Leah still knows right from wrong in many cases. I have learned patience. I have learned endurance-- because being a mother is unending--just like Christ's love for us. These, and many more, are ways I have been sanctified as a mother. And oh what more I have to learn!































For Mother's Day and my birthday, Brett got me the digital camera we've been looking at for over a year now. My other one officially broke, so it was really a need. We wanted to make an investment in a nice one we'd be able to use for a long time. So the Canon Rebel XSI is almost like a professional-grade digital camera with removable lenses, super-zoom, etc. (I don't know all the technical terms). Yesterday I took Leah to a garden nearby to try out the new camera. There's a bunch more pictures coming soon on the photo website, but here are a few of my favorites.































































Brett took Leah out yesterday morning so I had a little time to myself, to catch up on sleep, and then this morning he cooked me breakfast. At church, I was recognized with a corsage for being the youngest mother. We don't have evening services tonight, so we enjoyed a nap (seeing as how someone was so excited about Mother's Day she woke up at 6am) and a relaxing day!

Before I Was a Mom

I'm not sure who wrote this, but this short poem really puts into words all the things I've been reflecting on today.

Before I Was a Mom

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Day at the Museum

Saturday Brett & I spent some time at the NC Museum of Science. We're so blessed to live in the state capital and be close to so many great things. I know Leah is too little to really appreciate this now, but I am excited about all the things she'll be able to experience in just a few years. I already saw a lot of great teaching opportunities while we were there.

We tried to get her to look at the big whale bones, but she was more interested in Daddy taking a picture.

Does it look like she's in nature?

Reading about types of soil in NC. Leah is really just into opening & closing things.

Touching the plants in the butterfly exhibit. It wasn't until she actually pulled a leaf off that I realized it was real. :)

We couldn't get a butterfly to land on her, so this is the best we could get. That really is a butterfly on the orange feeder thingy. Leah was more fascinated with the waterfall behind it.

8 months revisited

At long last... the 8 month old & the bear...