9 Months

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- She was 17 lbs 12 oz at her 9 month appointment which puts her in the 40%. Her height and head circumference is in  the 25%, which isn’t a surprise with relatively short parents.  

- Eating five bottles a day (7:15am, 10:30am, 1:30pm, 4:30pm, 7:00pm) and two meals a day (Cereal at noon and cereal and a veggie/fruit at 6:00pm)

- AG is sleeping pretty much from 7:30pm –ish to 7:00am –ish. We know she is sick when she has a restless night.

- Anna Grace has learned to love Puffs. And even though Mommy has tried to get her to do the sign language motion for “more”, she consistently bangs her hands on her highchair tray when she wants another one.

- We tried to introduce a sippy cup, but she hasn’t taken to it just yet.

- Mommy spent her first couple on nights away from Baby. First an overnight trip to Atlanta and then a two nights away in DC. Andy took Anna Grace to Myrtle Beach that weekend to stay with his parents. I found that while I don’t mind when I’m travelling, I really don’t like it when AG is travelling without me. I checked my phone constantly to see when Andy arrived to the coast, even though it’s a super easy drive. I didn’t expect to be weirded out by her travelling, but I really wasn’t a fan.

- AG is still not crawling outright, but she is definitely moving. She can spin herself around in a seated position and then will reach as far as she can to grab what she wants. When none of that works she will roll to whatever it is she wants. She hates to be on her belly, because she gets so frustrated that she isn’t moving.

- She can get herself from laying on her belly to sitting up.

- Anytime she is sitting up and we are close she takes our hands and pulls herself into a standing position. She doesn’t pull up on anything else, just us. She’ll also climb all over us if we try to get her to sit in our lap.

- We got the dreaded call from dayschool last week that AG had a fever. I assumed it was teething or something but took her to the pediatrician anyway. Well after checking her ears and body, they checked her throat and determined she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth because they found some sores. She was fine after a couple days and never got any symptoms other than a fever and a sore throat.

- We took AG to the park for the first time and let her try the swings. No surprise, she loved it.

- Anna Grace loves Camden. She gets the biggest smile on her face when he is close. She wants to pet him all the time. Camden just wants to lick her hands, which makes her giggle and makes me go running for the hand wipes, and then he wanders off. They aren’t best friends yet, but I think he’ll warm up when she can move around.

- I just kiss on her constantly, is that normal? I tell her she has to let me since she won’t cuddle with me. Those cheeks! I just can’t help myself.

- She loves books! (Which is music to her librarian Grandmother’s heart.) She loves to turn the pages and when we get to the end she flips the book over to start again.

- I’m still posting the picture that I take for Andy every Tuesday. I’m sure some people are over all the baby pictures, but I love it, so whatever.

8 Months

- 17lbs 4 oz (we think, she sucked down a huge bottle right before they weighed her)

- We are buying size 3 diapers in bulk (thanks Amazon) and 6-9 month cloths are best.

- Eating 5 bottles a day, with cereal at noon and a veggie mixture and cereal at night. She pretty much will eat anything we put in front of her. Bottles are 7:15 am, 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, 4:45 pm, and 7:00pm. This month we started transitioning Anna Grace from breast milk to formula. We started her with a couple ounces and then slowly have been switching out one bottle each week from milk to formula. She had no issues with it at all.

- We've tried giving AG Puffs, the little crackers that dissolve instantly. She doesn't love them, mostly she is confused on what to do with them. She likes picking them up and holding them in her hands.

- Columbia got a little snow, and by little I mean flurries. We broke out her monogrammed snowsuit from Andy's mom and took a couple pictures. AG wasn't thrilled with the suit, but she looked so cute.

- We decided to buy an exersaucer after seeing how much AG loved the one at daycare. She plays really well with all the different activities and can turn herself around to reach everything. It's been a lifesaver, since it's really the only place we can put her down and know she won't move.

- Anna Grace has both her bottom front teeth and from the amount of drool lately we think the top ones will come in shortly.

- We had a playdate with her friend Emma Grace. My friend Katie and I had our daughters a week apart and we are determined that they will be besties. They don't quite play together but it was so cute to see them interact a little bit. Plus it gave the moms a chance to catch up. Win Win!

- People cannot get over AG's hair. It's light brown/dark blonde, depending on the light, and is super fine and soft. I play with it constantly and have been known to nuzzle her head, which of course she hates.

- I call Anna Grace's hair the Kate Gosselin look, it's swept to the side in the front and sticks up in the back, no matter what I do. The hair bands just didn't look right so I switched to no-slip bows. I got them for under a $1 each so it's okay if they get lost. I've been shocked to see that AG really doesn't mess with the bows at all.

- I had a bridal shower to go to in Greenville so Andy had baby all to himself. People seemed to be shocked that I would leave Anna Grace with him for that long, but honestly he is so good with her and I wasn't worried at all. I checked in a couple times because I was missing them both though.

- We have had a couple trips to the pediatrician lately. Anna Grace is battling the same nasal congestion/runny nose/cough that everyone has at the moment. It doesn't help that our weather ranges from 30 degrees to 70 degrees within a couple days. Our latest trip was on Valentine's Day after two nights of coughing in her sleep and not keeping food down. (Middle of the night baths and laundry is no fun!) She ended up having a double ear infection, but thankfully the medicine has already started working.

- Bath time is definitely a favorite in our house. Andy will feed her dinner, while I get the bathroom warmed up and the tub and towels ready. Anna Grace would pretty much stay in the bath as long as we would let her. She sits up the whole time and plays with the washcloths and a couple rubber toys. As weird as this sounds I've been using our dog washing shower hose to wash her off and she loves it. I've been trying to get her use to water on her face and she doesn't seem to mind at all. I think swim lessons are in her future.

- Anna Grace hates being held like a baby now. She wants to the sitting up or even better standing. If you try to hold her like a baby she will dig her elbow into your crest and pull herself into a sitting position. This includes when she is exhausted and is being put to bed. She has no interest in laying down in our arms.

- She still isn't crawling but she is soooo close. She can get mostly on all fours from a sitting position, but she can't get her feet from under her. She usually flops onto her belly, which she hates, and rolls to her back immediately. We can't get her to stay on her belly for anything. When she moves around, which is most of the time, she rolled there.

- We can hold AG's hands and she'll pull herself into a standing position. She hasn't pulled up on furniture or anything yet, but I have a feeling it's coming.

- She is so curious. She is into everything and desperately wants our phones and the remote. We are going to do our best to keep both out of her hands as long as possible. She loves anything that makes noise like paper and ziploc bags.

- Anna Grace can visibly recognize me, Andy, my mom, and Camden now. She'll get a huge smile on her face if she sees any of us, even if it's from across the room. She'll turn around if she hears our voices as well.

- She loves to wave. Andy worked pretty hard with her and now she does the cutest wave to everyone. When we left dayschool the other day she and another baby were waving back and forth and it was so cute.

- Andy has a super early business meeting on Tuesday mornings so he doesn't get to see Anna Grace at all before he leaves. I started making it a point to send him a picture on those mornings and it's become a favorite activity of mine. I get to really dress her up and we have a whole photo shoot, which she doesn't love as much as I do. It's a great reminder to take pictures since she is growing so fast.

Random things that have been around for a long time that I haven't mentioned.:
- Andy has always given AG Eskimo kisses. I can't wait for the day when she'll do it back to him.

- Her dayschool teachers say she is the easiest baby to put down for a nap. If she starts rubbing her eyes they put her in her crib and that's it.

- Baby girl is a hard sleeper and can sleep through almost anything. Her nursery is right off the kitchen so she hears us use the microwave, put away dishes, etc and it's never been a problem.

- Wheels on the Bus has always soothed her if she is upset. Andy and I have had to get a little creative with the lyrics to extend the song sometimes though.

- Other favorite songs are Hokey Pokey, One little two little three little, and especially the Skinamarinky dinky dink (from the Elephant Show).

7 Months

- Weighs 16 lbs 10 oz (50%)

- Wearing size 3 diapers and 6 month and 6-9 months clothes.

- On December 22 Anna Grace tried vegetables for the first time. We started with squash, then carrots, both of which were hit. We then did peas, which she ate, but didn't love, and then mixed vegetables. We also tried oatmeal, which she doesn't like as much as rice cereal.

- Still getting 5 bottles of 5 oz with one veggie and one tablespoon of cereal each night.

- I experimented and made a bunch of baby food for Anna Grace. I steamed a ton of organic carrots and peas and then pureed them in the blender. I froze everything in ice cube trays and then stuck everything in freezer bags. It was honestly a lot easier than I thought, although it took an afternoon.

- On January 1 Andy taught AG how to wave. She does what we call the royal wave, with just the fingers, starting from the pinky up. It's a little hit or miss to get her to wave back to us, but it's so cute to watch.

- She can, finally, put her pacifier in her mouth by herself. It's really neat to watch her work it around to get it right side up and then she just pops it right in. It seems like such a grown up thing to do.

- She can sit up without assistants for 10 minutes +. Even our pediatrician was super impressed by her stability. (PS I don't think there is anything better than a doctor complimenting your baby.)

- With Anna Grace's bedtime schedule starting at 6:00 pm we couldn't get to our regular 9:00 pm Christmas Eve service. So we went to the Children's Service at 5:00pm. We got her all dressed up and in the nursery not realizing that most people kept their babies with them and the service was only 30 minutes long. Oh well, just meant we got to Nana's house earlier for dinner.

- Andy and I were very adamant Anna Grace wake up in her house on Christmas morning. So we opened family presents and had coffee and just enjoyed out little family of three + Camden. Then we went over to my Mom's for brunch and more presents.

- The day after Christmas we drove up to Maryland to see Andy's family. We left at 4:00 AM, after our Christmas tree fell at 11:00 PM the night before, and after 10 hours of driving, 3 feedings, 3 pumping sessions, and a million diaper changes we finally made it. We stayed for 5 days and saw tons of family and friends. AG loved all the attention, but hated all the time in the carseat. We decided to leave at 8 PM on the last day to test driving through the night. It was definitely easier since AG slept the whole time, but boy was it hard on Andy and I. Thankfully, baby's school was open the next day so we could unpack the car and nap the whole next day.

- On January 8 we first spotted her bottom front teeth. They are coming in super slow but they are there.

- She had a terrible stuffy nose, which caused a cough, and then an ear infection. I'm thinking we should just go ahead and buy amoxicillin in bulk now. Unfortunately she always a fussy eater when she is sick, which is frustrating.

- For the first time the baby brought home a virus, and it was a big one. I woke up early Friday morning with a strong dose of what we think was the rotavirus. If you've never heard of it, thank your lucky stars. It was awful, and my mother and brother got it too. Somehow, thankfully, Andy wasn't affected and was able to stay home with the baby while I took three days to recover, Hands down, one of the hardest things I've gone through.

- I realized there were a couple things that AG has done for ages but haven't mentioned:

* She loves to touch faces, like all the time. Even when her hands are super slobbery. It's like she is memorizing what we all look like.

* She always crosses her feet while she eats. Her doctor says it's to help her balance. I think it's her being a lady. ;)

* As soon as we stopped swaddling AG she started sleeping on her side and stomach. As soon as we put her in the crib so rolls to her side, just like her mama. 

6 Months

 

And just like that we have a six month old. It went by in the blink of an eye. Anna Grace's personality really has started to shine through and she is learning to do new things everyday. Thankfully Andy is great with trying new things with her, because honestly I'm always pretty resistant, not sure why. We are really enjoying the baby and have gotten a good routine down. (Although I know it could/and will change soon.)

- Weighs 15 lbs. 13 oz. and is 25.25 inches long.

- Wears size two diapers during the day and I think we are going to start putting her in size 3 at night because we've had a couple leaks. We usually put her unwrapped in her crib after her last bottle and then gently change her into a nighttime diaper before we head to bed around 10:30-11:00pm. We also then put her in her wrap. While she can roll over she has NEVER moved once she is asleep and still likes to be all bundled up. We assess it every night to see if she is ready to move to sleep sacks instead, which will be soon.

- Gets 5 bottles of 5oz a day and one meal of rice cereal before her last bottle.

- Size 3-6 month clothes are the best right now, although we can make 3 month and 6 month clothes work.  (Mommy's favorite outfit is the black and white striped shirt and red pants with red bows. Daddy's favorite outfit is the smocked pumpkin romper.)

 

- Has been constantly chewing on her hands, feet, really anything you can get to her mouth. More and more she will suck/chew on just her thumb. We keep checking for teeth, but we haven't seen any yet.

- Baby got her first ear infection the Monday before Thanksgiving. She had been really fussy during meals, she would start really strong and then start screaming halfway through. We tried switching the way we held her, nipple levels, and even formula (which she didn't like), but nothing helped. We just couldn't figure it out and the nurses on call kept telling me it was probably a phase. Thankfully I was chatting with a mom friend who mentioned her baby had an ear infection and it got me thinking. I made a doctor's appointment just to have her checked. Anna Grace was so smiley and happy during the appointment that even the doctor was shocked when she found the ear infection. AG did 10 days worth of antibiotic and took it really well.

*Two things about the antibiotic. First, if you live near a Publix you can get Amoxicillin for free, even if it's not your usual pharmacy. Second, when I went to pick up the medicine the young pharmacist asked if I wanted it flavored. I replied "Oh she is just 5 months old", which in my mind meant she doesn't know the difference in flavors so don't bother. Well the pharmacist replied "oh she's little, I'll put bubble gum flavoring in it". Whatever, AG took the medicine like a champ, so I guess she likes bubble gum.

- We started rice cereal. We made it way to watery the first time so it was a little hard for her to eat but the second time we made it thicker and she really loved it. She caught onto the eating motion really quickly and now opens her mouth for more and even leans forward when we are taking too long getting the next bite to her.

- She loves bath time. She has figured out how to splash and loves playing/chewing her rubber duck. Andy and I still both participate and can't seem to figure out how one person bathes a baby. She is just so slippery. It's a fun family affair though.

- Anna Grace's first Thanksgiving. We traveled to North Myrtle Beach and had Thanksgiving with Andy's mom, stepfather, stepbrother and his wife, and Andy's great-aunt and uncle. We figured out a great place to stop on the way for diaper changes and feedings. She sleeps in a pack-and-play, which is super convenient to keep at the in-laws house. She loved sitting in her Bumbo in the kitchen watching everyone make dinner.

- On December 13 we had Anna Grace baptized. We had lots of family in town with Andy's parents and both his Grandmothers and of course my Mom and brother. She wore the same linen and lace gown I wore which was really special. She was good, but did cry a little bit when the minister sprinkled water on her head. (He apologized later because it was cold.) My mom hosted a wonderful lunch at her house after and it was so nice to have a chance to chat with everyone. We were exhausted afterward, but thrilled with how it went. Our only regret is we didn't get a picture of just Andy, Anna Grace, and me. I know crazy, but we were so concerned with getting the family pictures that we totally forgot. (We may have to recreate it later. No judgment)

- The night before the baptism AG decided to wake up at 4:00am and was wide awake. Umm...can you say terrible timing? She did it for a couple nights in a row, so we changed her and rocked her back to sleep. She is pretty much back to sleeping through the night, although sometimes she needs a late night diaper change.

- On December 14 Anna Grace started sitting up by herself. She has a pretty good sense of balance and can mostly catch herself if she starts to fall backward. This has been one of the developments that really makes me feel like time is going by too fast. I swear we just brought her home and she couldn't move at all on her own and now she is sitting up.

 

- Anna Grace and Camden's relationship has been developing a lot lately. AG is fascinated by Camden and she reaches for him and pets/grabs handfuls of his fur any time he is around. Camden pretty much lets her do whatever she wants and it's really cute. I really want them to be best buds.

- Andy has been getting a few cuddles lately and I'm so jealous! Sometimes, if she is really tired, after her last bottle Andy will lay her on his chest and AG will fall asleep. My heart just bursts watching him hold the baby and pet Camden with his other hand. My little family all curled up in one spot.

- Goodness knows we are head over heels in love with this little girl and can't imagine our life without her. Now prepare yourself for a bunch of cute baby pictures.

Our Baby Must Have Items

When you go to register for baby stuff for the first time it's scary. You have no idea what you actually need and even when friends suggest things there is no way to know whether it'll work for your baby. However, some of the products out there are amazing. My mom says all the time, "We didn't have anything like that when you were born". Here are a couple items that have worked wonders in our house.

SwaddlePod and SwaddleMe Wraps

There is no way around the painful first couple of weeks home with a newborn. You will be exhausted and up every two to three hours. But there is nothing more annoying than getting baby to sleep and as soon as you put them down they jerk themselves awake. Ahhhh! I had two friends, and Classic Annie, recommend the Summer Infant SwaddlePod and it was a game changers. Babies look like a peapod but it stops them from startling themselves awake. We are still using the next step up, the SwaddleMe Wrap, and love it.

Boon Suds Bottle Washer

I saw this on The Girl in the Red Shoes blog and after watching the video I had to have it. It is an easy way to wash a lot of bottles quickly.

Nose Frida

I was definitely one of those people who took one look at this thing and said "Ewww, gross, never". Well then the baby got a stuffy nose and the bulb just wasn't cutting it. So we bought it, tried it, and now we are believers. Heads up: while I can do it, Andy is much better at it because his lung capacity is larger. It's tough for me to do.

Angelcare Movement Monitor -

I had no intentions of buying a heartrate monitor. It wasn't until we got baby home and started talking about putting her in the crib. Then I had to have it. After reading Carolina Charm's experience on her blog it was all I could think about. I'm pretty sure Andy thought I was crazy, until it was set up. Now he will tell you that he also sleeps so much better knowing it's on. Honestly, if I were doing it again, I would wait on buying the video monitor and just buy this.

Boppy Waterproof Changing Pad Liners

These are one of those duh products that make so much sense it's crazy. They just lay on your pretty changing pad and save you the hassle of having to wash the whole thing when accidents happen. Because they will happen. Could you just use a burp cloth, yes, but the waterproof element is a nice touch.

Sock Ons

Babies are oddly really good at kicking their socks off. I can't tell you how often we would look down and AG only had one sock on. Well a mom at her school found these Sock Ons and know everyone has them. They go around the foot and gently keeps the sock secure.

Again, while these things worked great for us, there are probably a dozen moms who tried and hated everything. It really is just testing what works for you and your family.