Zoe Louise | 9 Months

I am so over these pictures mom.  And these stickers?  Way more fun to take off than leave on.

NINE months!!!  NINE!  I'm already starting to think about your birthday party and that's just crazy to me.  I have no idea how I suddenly have an almost one year old.


Stats: 21 lbs. 6 oz (90th percentile), head 17.99 still in the 90th and height 2 ft. 4 in. in the 60th.

Likes: You are definitely a water baby as long as it's not too cold.  Miss Bear and Lambie.  Standing while playing.  Being outside either playing or on a walk.  Taking a big girl bath with your toys.  

Dislikes:  Getting ready for bed.  Having your nose wiped.  Getting dressed.  Being put in your car seat.  You basically always want to be mobile and are mad when you are being restrained.  I have no idea how I haven't gotten poop everywhere while trying to change you.  You are insanely squirmy!

Biggest Achievement This Month:  Napping at home for long periods of time.  FINALLY!  Your naps at daycare still are terrible, but at least you do well when you are home I guess.

Biggest Challenge of the Month: Sleeping at day care.  Another mom in our parenting group is fearful that the people at daycare just don't put you girls down because it seems like you aren't tired even though you are.  I think it's just you don't want to nap at daycare.  Considering it happened at your other place, I know it's probably just too much going on for you.

Secret Tricks: Laying you down on your belly with a few pats. Walks in your stroller.

Sleep: You still take your last bottle at 7:30pm and are down by 8pm at the latest. You are then down for the night until about 6:30am.  Your naps at daycare are about 40 minutes in length.  At home, you nap much better and they last almost 2 hours now.  You only have a third nap if your naps at daycare were horrible.  

Temperament/Personality:  Minus our camping episode, this has overall been a really good month for you.  You are so much fun!  I feel like I say that every month, but every month your personality just shines through more and more.  You are now talking even more and it sounds like you are trying to say "OH!" Or "Uh, oh!"  But it's pretty cute to wake up hearing you.  The way it comes out, it sounds like you were storing it up for hours and then are having a really hard time getting it out.  

Suddenly your crib is a playpen and it's so hard sometimes to get you to go down.  You like to stand and look over the rail, stick your arms out and TRY SO HARD to reach something near your crib.  Thankfully, you eventually lay down and fall asleep :)  It's cute watching you on the monitor though.  

I promise you guys will be BFFs soon enough and I won't constantly keep you away from him.

Eating:  Down to 4 bottles. You are taking 6 oz. Right now your schedule is bottle when wake up, solids at 8:30am (breakfast), solids at 11:30 am (lunch), bottle around 1pm, bottle around 4pm, solids at 6ish pm (dinner), bottle before bed.

We are working really hard with finger foods.  Some days are going better than others.  You are getting frustrated with me feeding you, but you can't always pick up the food you like on your own.  Half the food you can pick up, you don't like.  I know we'll get there and figure it out.  I just feel like we have a long way to go in 3 months :)

Right now, you eat banana wedges like a champ.  Your favorite food is your puffs.  Unfortunately, you can't live on those alone girl!  Sweet potato and potato wedges are hit or miss.  Some days you like them and some days you don't.  You're doing better and better with your sippy cup of water.  I know you are getting it in your mouth, but sometimes you have a hard time swallowing it all and it runs down your shirt.  At least it's summer and we don't have to worry about you being cold and wet :)

Things we've tried that you don't like (yet?): pasta, black beans, green beans, watermelon (are we sure you are my child?), blueberries, yogurt, kiwi, cheese.  Every once in a while, we'll try again to see if you've changed your mind.

I'm very fearful that you are going to be a picky eater!  I'm sure we'll get there though.  It wasn't long ago you wouldn't even eat purees and now you pretty much gobble them up.

Randoms: All 12 month clothes pretty much.  You can still fit in your plain 9 month, white onesies.  Your 12 month clothes just fit you.  I hope they last you through the end of summer!  I am not ready to purchase 18 months clothes.  You are getting too big too fast little girl!  You still fit into size 3 diapers (just barely).  We are on our last box and are moving up to size 4 once they are gone.  Size 4 still works at night.  

Milestones:  You crawl so fast now!  We have to watch you like a hawk.  I turn my head for one second and you are in a completely different room.  The gate to the stairs has been installed :)

You are now pulling yourself up 100% of the time.  Sometimes you'll pull yourself up before you fall asleep for your naps and get so worked up, you "can't" get yourself back to laying on your belly so I have to go in and give you a few pats.  Probably a bad habit, but I can't listen to you scream with those real tears falling down your face :(  We've caught you once or twice getting to a standing position without holding on to anything.  So not ready for that yet!

You now have 5 teeth and it looks like number 6 might be on it's way through.  I feel like you are going to have a full set sooner rather than later!

Love you so much Zo Zo!  It's so much fun watching you grow up and you light up every room you are in :)