Dear Emersyn: 9 Months

This post is so past due, but was actually written right when E turned 9 months, it just took me this long to finally add pics, so when I talk "this week, last week, etc" it's all from early Feb.

You've officially been in our arms longer than you were in my belly!  I feel like I need to start these letters at the beginning of the month and add to it all month long so I can remember every moment, because you're changing so fast!

Your eating schedule has really changed this month!  Almost immediately after finishing your last monthly letter I stretched out your feedings during the day to every four hours.  I knew since you were eating for way less time you were ready for it, but it was hard for me because you were still nursing up to twice at night, and I assumed you'd drop those feeds before stretching out your daytime feeds.  This went on for a couple of weeks, and now, at the end of the month, your nighttime feeds are directly tied into how sleep is going right now, but basically, no more nighttime feeds for you at this point either!  This means you're nursing at 8am, noon, 4pm and 8pm, and you have three solid meals a day at 9am, 1pm, and 6pm.  This month we've added in bread, eggs, blueberries, grapes, peaches, turkey, noodles, pancakes, beef, and Kraft Mac n Cheese.  You love to eat and it's very entertaining for us too, seeing what you like best, your facial expressions, and your blowing of raspberries when you're done eating.

Sleep.  Oh sleep.  First, I'll start with what is going well, and that is naps.  You have gotten into a great routine for naps and Mama really appreciates this lovely stretch of time we can both use to recharge.  Morning nap is at 10am, and lasts 1.5-2 hours.  Afternoon nap is around 2:30 and lasts 1-2 hours.  Glorious.  You always take your morning nap in your crib, but for your afternoon nap we sometimes snuggle up together on the couch and both take a snooze.  Probably my favorite time of day.  Honestly we'd both probably rest better with you in your crib, but I love to feel your weight on my chest and breathe in your babyness.  

I finally reached the end of my rope with your nighttime sleep, but I think we're on an upward climb.  Basically you were waking up 3-10 times a night and by your 4am waking, nothing would get you back to sleep, other than bringing you to bed with us, at which point you would collapse into an exhausted sleep.  Now, I'm not opposed to cosleeping, and we did it off and on when you were itty bitty, but it wasn't something we were interested in implementing at 9 months.  In the past I was ok (term used loosely) with multiple wakeups, as it seemed that you needed something- a feeding, or your paci, but this month it was clear you weren't crying out of hunger, or even because you needed your paci (you would cry with it clenched in your teeth).  About a week ago we decided it was time for us to revisit letting you cry it out.  We also decided that to emphasize that bedtime was bedtime, we would drop your nighttime feeds.  The first few nights were brutal.  Lots of wakeups and LOTS of crying.  But in the last few days you've turned a corner.  Now you only wake up once or twice at night but fuss for a few minutes or less before going back to sleep.  Your doctor said it could take two weeks to really work, so hopefully we're on our way to full nights of sleep!  You go to bed right around 8pm and wake for the day around 7:30am.

At your 9 month appointment, you weighed in at 18 lbs 9 oz and you were 26 and 3/4 inches long.  This drops you to lower percentiles, but the doctor said this is totally normal and you are still developing well and very healthy, just starting to gain less rapidly!  You wear 9 and 12 month sleepers (with a triple stuffed nighttime diaper), and 9 month onesies and pants, but you can still fit in 6 month tops.

Big achievement this month- crawling!  You'd been very close to crawling for several weeks now, and could even crawl backwards and sideways, but were holding out on crawling forward until just about a week when you took off!  You also pulled yourself up to standing this month, and sat up (and then pulled up) in your crib as well!  You've on the move and mama needs to do more childproofing!  Speaking of Mama, you SAID mama for the first time this month (on my birthday)!  You've only said it a couple of times, but you've definitely said it, whoo hoo!

You are my little shadow, and your added mobility has just increased your ability to get to wherever I am.  If I leave you in the family room with toys while I work on lunch it's just a matter of minutes before you're tugging on my pant leg.  The other night you were fresh out of the bath and I put you on the floor in your bedroom to air out a tad while I went to the bathroom, and sure enough, naked baby came crawling into the bathroom after me.  You are so very proud of yourself when you get to me, it's pretty much the cutest thing ever.  Sometimes your need to be WITH or ON mama at all times can be overwhelming, but at the end of the day I'm very thankful that you're such a snuggly baby.  I love to cuddle with my girl and I would hate if you didn't like to be held.

Favorites this month: daddy's hair and beard, our ears (?), your toys with wheels, paci, Gus, eating, pulling your books off the coffee table, cell phones, and bath time.

Things you aren't a fan of: taking a bottle, playing independently, being told "no, no".

If you could only know how much we love you.

Love,

Mama