Weight/Length: She was 18.5 lbs at her official 9 month check-up.
Medical Issues: Healthy, happy baby girl!
Sleep: Nora’s still taking 2 naps a day. When we’re home and having a typical day, she goes down really easily and sleeps for about 1.5 hours each. She’s taken a couple of naps in her stroller again recently, which she hasn’t done in quite a while, and I wasn’t sure she’d ever do again. Thank goodness for Baby Einstein Lullaby music!
After a pretty rough stretch of lots of night waking and early morning wake up calls, (turns out she was cutting 4 teeth at once :/) we’re back to pretty good sleep. On a typical night, Nora goes to bed anywhere from 7:30 – 8:30 and sleeps until around 6ish. Then she eats and goes right back to sleep for another 1.5 – 2 hours.
Diet: Breastfeeding 4-5 times per day and eating lots of solids. As those 4 teeth were coming in, she didn’t want much to do with any real food, but she’s back to loving avocado, yogurt and all her old favorites. She also loves raisins, which are great to have with me when we’re out and about, and usually buy me a little more time.
Milestones: Walking!!! Nora took her first steps around 9.5 months and quickly became a full-time walker – all before 10 months! Though she’s getting more stable and faster (She’d run everywhere if she could!), she still falls a lot. My heart just about stops every time, but she usually just gets back up and keeps going. She’s a tough little thing! And she’s pretty good at catching herself or rolling with the fall, so luckily we’ve avoided any major head bangs or injuries. (Knock on wood.)
She’s imitating lots of sounds and trying to say several words such as duck and book. She also definitely says “Hi!” and waves.
She has 6 teeth now! The 2 bottom ones are all the way in and have been for a while now, but the 4 on top are new this month and came all at once. Poor baby! They’re not all the way in, but they are at least through the gums and don’t seem to be hurting her anymore.
Likes: going on walks, swinging, clapping, swimming, seeing new people especially kids, yogurt, raisins, clapping, music, grabbing faces, remotes, clapping, iPhones, books and reading (the lady in the church nursery yesterday even commented about how excited she was for story time!), clapping, peekaboo, being chased around the house, walking, standing in the bath tub (which drives me crazy!) and clapping!
Dislikes: Bibs, having her hands and face cleaned off, diaper changes.
Nicknames: Chicky Girl, Neeny, Nori and Nor, The Ninja
Mama’s Thoughts: Oh my! Nora is the sweetest, most loving, cuddle baby girl out there. I love how she hugs me when I first pick her up out of the crib and doesn’t want to be put down until she’s good and awake; how she tightly holds on to me and randomly pats my back when I’m holding her; and how her giant smiles overtake her whole little face, crinkling up her beautiful big eyes and squishing her squeezable cheeks. Seriously, the thought of that precious smile helps me out of bed in the mornings and pushes me through the days. Motherhood is exhausting and self-sacrificing and challenging and that will probably never change no matter how old she is, but it is oh so worth it. Nora fills my routine days with moments and feelings that a camera can’t capture and that I never ever want to forget. Here’s to making the most of every day that I have this baby girl with me.
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” – Psalm 90:12
