Norah Grows - 9 Months!

Sweet love, you are 9 months old today. You have officially been a part of our world as long as you were growing inside my body...it is so hard for me to think that it's been 18 months - a year and a half - since we learned that you would be joining our family.  From those seemingly endless weeks in the beginning of the pregnancy just hoping for another day to pass and be one more day closer to the "safety" of the second trimester to now when the weeks are just flying past and I live to soak up my moments with you in the evenings and weekends.

 

You now have 4 teeth completely out of the gums, and two more on top that are starting to work their way down. You have not enjoyed the process of teething these last two teeth so far, and I hate seeing you out of sorts and uncomfortable.  I ordered you a Baltic Amber Teething Necklace this week, so hopefully when it comes and we get it on you for a while it will help with relieving some of the pain when the next ones make their entrance.  I scoffed at them for so long, but finally gave in and will give it a try - hey, at the worst it can't hurt and it will just be your first fashionable accessory! 

You are 100% mobile and a seriously persistent little lady! When you want something, you find a way to get it! Your primary means of movement is still crawling or cruising along furniture, but you are FAST! You've ventured into climbing a little, and you can do the whole flight of stairs in our new condo in about 1 minute (of course we are right behind you!) Unless you are asleep, you are not still, pretty much ever.  We have some out-takes from your chair photo session tonight: 

Lainey is your home-girl.  The two of you have a decent arrangement worked out - you give her the leftovers off your tray at meals, and she shares her rawhides with you.  Seriously, you have a new found fondness for Lainey's rawhide bones...you take them out of her paws while she is trying to chew on them sometimes and get a little teething in for yourself! She is such a gentle girl, and the two of you are going to be great friends.  She is so tolerant of your "pat pats" that aren't always so gentle.  Lainey had a little tiff with Grandpa Mark's doggie a week or so ago and has a few stitches in her ear, and even when you "pat" her sore ear, she just slowly moves out of the way, or sometimes just sits there and takes it!  Can't wait to watch as your friendship unfolds with her.

You love to have bedtime stories read to you as you settle down for the night.  We are still working on improving your sleep habits, and the first part of that was to establish a bedtime routine that you can count on, every night. Dinner, bath, brush teeth, lotion and jammies, story and bottle/nurse to sleep.  So far, I think it is helping at least in that you are starting to recognize when it is time to wind down based on our activities, and the past 3 nights we have had better chunks of sleep in the first part of the night after laying you in your crib. You still wake up around midnight or a little later and come into our bed with us and nurse/snuggle back to sleep, but that doesn't bother me! I'm just hoping that we can keep it so that you aren't waking up every 40 minutes when you hit the light waking part of your sleep cycle and needing to nurse or walk back to sleep many, many times every night.  Your mama loves you, always, but I would be ok with seeing you a little less often in the middle of the night!   

You are a terrific eater! So far you pretty much try anything we are eating, and most of the time you like it! You love pasta/spaghetti, chicken, slow cooker pork, yogurt, cottage cheese, BLACKBERRIES, cheese, lunch meat, crackers/puffs, smoothies, butternut squash soup (from Prickly Pear!) and any other yummy tidbits you can sample when you get the chance (especially powdered sugar doughnuts with Grandpa Mark!).  Keep up the good appetite, little love!  

The 9 months that we have been able to hold you, kiss you, snuggle you, teach you, watch you grow and change and evolve from a tiny newborn baby into a delightful, challenging, energetic, happy, beautiful infant have been the most fulfilling months of my life.  Even though I'm a sleep deprived and busy working mama, when you finally fall asleep in my arms each night, I remind myself to take a few extra minutes and stroke your cheek, kiss your little eyelids, smell the sweet just-bathed softness of your hair, and soak in the fact that now, right now, you are perfect.  I am better because I am your mama. I am fulfilled by the very fact that you are in our lives, and growing more amazing every week. I love you, Miss Norah Annabel, as much today as I did 9 months ago when I held you for the first time. Keep amazing us, beauty.