Julia || 9 Months

Julia,

Here we are! Month nine! We're closing in on that big birthday, and it's still so surreal. While time doesn't slow down I'm still never fully prepared to admit another month has come and gone.

This month you began to full on crawl. You'll resort to army crawling if you're not getting where you want to go fast enough. But, you have the components of crawling down, and typically use that method to get from place to place. Speaking of place to place, you are all over the place and into everything. You're also pulling yourself up onto your knees, and have even pulled into the standing position a couple of times. Nothing is safe from your little hands these days, just ask the dog and cat.

You continue to babble, and I'm preeeeetty sure I've heard, "mamamama," a handful of times. We'll keep working on that one, as you have no problem spouting out, "dadadada." You also love to scream and yell when things don't go your way. I feel this is pretty typical and standard for girls, and something I'm still getting used to. On the flip side, I melt every time you giggle, and I will go to great lengths of looking a fool just to hear you laugh. You're a ticklish little nugget, so often I will resort to that to get some delightful squeals from you.

We've kicked the pureed foods to the curb (can I get an Amen!), and I pretty much feed you whatever we're having - albeit, those foods are cut into pieces you can grab, and/or I'll steam fruits and veggies so they're soft enough for you to gum up. Thus far you love yourself just about any fruit, particularly steamed apple slices, watermelon, pineapple, and strawberries. This month we tried yogurt and cheerios, and you're a fan of both. I also slipped you a PB&J, and that is by far your favorite lunch meal. I'm also thrilled to know you don't have a peanut allergy. As of recent we've learned you don't mind gnawing away at chicken and meat balls.

You still nurse four to five times a day, and I absolutely adore that we have this time together. Nursing is a journey I didn't think I'd ever get to experience, and I'm soaking it all up while I can. I love when we can sneak away to your room for a nursing session and quite time. I firmly believe those moments together are good for both our souls.

Speaking of food, we had your Well Baby Check-up, and you're gaining weight, but nothing like your brother did. At birth you were in the 90th percentile, but now you've slipped steeply to the fifth percentile. Your doctor doesn't seem overly concerned, as you are gaining, just not quite as much as I was hoping. It's hard not to compare kids, and I'm trying to stay away from that slippery slope. You never seem to be starving, and appear to enjoy both nursing and eating. Hopefully between now and your year check-up you'll have packed on two or three pounds. For now, we'll keep trucking along the path we're on and hope that it's enough for you.

Sleep. Oy. I feel like we take one step forward and two steps back with this. Just when I think we're golden and you give a solid stretch of sleep something inevitably disrupts whatever progress we've made. This month it was one cold after another, and I also have a sneaky suspicion you're teething (again- teething just never ends, does it).

Stranger danger is still very strong in your world. Just this weekend you didn't want a whole lot to do with your grandma, and while I chuckled when you announced you didn't want her to hold you, internally I was sad because I know it stung grandma quite a bit. You did take to your Uncle Tyler, which is so bizarre to me, because to me he just seems like one big, hairy beast.

Marcus continues to be your sun and moon. You cannot get enough of him. Together you two are the most adorable things my eyes have ever seen, and my heart simply bursts when you two are together.

This weekend we spent time with family to celebrate Mother's Day, and everyone commented on what a good, happy baby you are. I love that your smile shines so brightly and makes others smile as well. Keep sending that beautiful light out into the world little lady.

Cheers to another month, sweet girl!

I love you to the moon and back. Twice.
Love,
Mommy

Stats
Height :: 28 inches - 75th percentile
Weight :: 14.15 pounds - 5th percentile
Clothing :: any where from 6 months to 12 months
Diaper size :: Pampers size 2
Teeth :: two

For kicks, a look a Marcus versus Julia at nine months.

At nine months Marcus was 24 pounds (97th %) and 30 inches tall (97th %) with six teeth already in! Marcus was such a cuddle bug (and still is!), while Julia isn't much for snuggling unless she's nursing. At this point Marcus was already drinking water, whereas we have yet to try water with Julia. It's so crazy and wonderful and fun to see how vastly different these two are.