9 months

3/4 of a year old! Where did the time go? And why can't I remember how tiny she actually was at birth?! Spring cleaning this week led to putting away outfits (to save) from the past 9 months and I really can't remember holding a 4lb 15 oz baby who fit into premie clothes!! This month brought a few new things and mastering a few old things.

• Standing
• Clapping
• Waving to anyone and everyone
• Asking for more by holding her hand out
• Closing her mouth tightly when she's done eating something
• Shaking her head no if she doesn't want something
• Sleeping 11 hours straight in her crib (this is more of a feat for mommy though, I really enjoyed having her in my bed and close by)
• Can almost get herself into a sitting position from laying down
• Rolling across the room to get places
• Pets the dogs and mimics them when they are panting
• Whines when you take something away from her (sooo cute but I'm sure in a few months I'll be tired of it! ha!)

She's tried a few new foods and so far the only thing she doesn't like is Cod (fish) and carrots, which is fine because we don't care for those things either. She loves asparagus stalks, so easy to hold and the tops are so soft they fall apart in her mouth.


Cheese quesadillas are her most favorite snack though, and I must admit that they are so helpful while I make dinner. She can't bite them yet (still no teeth poking out) but she pretty much sucks them to death.

She's also tried the new Starbucks baby food! Not because we're that posh, but because we have "connections". It is wonderful for adding flavor to oatmeal, but it is too runny for just plain eating. Although in a pinch, I'm sure it would work.


Kaylee and I suffered through sinus infections at the start of the month. I got it first (I blame the walmart shopping cart for the germs) and then poor little girl caught it a few days later. It was her first and only illness in her 9 months so I can't complain. Gotta hand it to the goodness of breastmilk!

Hopefully month 10 will bring some teeth!! I can feel them coming, they're just being stubborn.

Gotta have your sound on for this one...

We're coming to San Jose in June so I thought I should get Kaylee prepared...

(excuse the pile of clothes behind us...putting laundry away just wasn't as fun as this!)

Spring has sprung!

You are my sunshine!

It was BEAUTIFUL today!! All 3 of us went for a walk in the morning before John headed to work. Then Kaylee and I hung out on the front deck to enjoy the sun and warmth.

Kaylee was fascinated by her shadow and tried very hard to catch it...so hard that she got frustrated when her hands came up empty! Good thing she is easily distracted and we moved on to taking more pictures.

we need Wendy-bird to sew the shadow back on!

Random

Life as a stay at home mom of an 8 month old isn't all that adventurous, so we have to make up our own fun. This week consisted of reminiscing about my mom, in the best way possible...food.
Memory #1: Yogurt
I have no idea why, but Safeway brand yogurt stands out in my head as something we ate often as kids. Kaylee has started eating yogurt this past week and she absolutely loves every flavor tried so far - Dano-nino's vanilla, peach/mango, and strawberry/banana. Before you get upset that I gave my baby dairy before she's a year old, I DID check with a registered dietician and our pediatrician who explained that the proteins in milk that cause allergies are limited after the culturing process. So we tried a little yogurt and waited to see if there were any reactions. No negative reactions, so yogurt has become a favorite. Here is the mess we make with yogurt...I'm sure I could be a lot more efficient, but how cute is this face?!

If you're up to date on your Lady Gaga music, you might sing "yo-yo-yo-yogurt face" like I do while bouncing around the kitchen. Maybe that's why her face looks like this!

Memory #2: Chocolate and pretzels
My mom often said that chocolate went well with salty things (she would have loved the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks) and so another snack that was common in our house was mini-pretzels in a little bowl with chocolate chips. The BEST way to eat them is to put a chocolate chip upside down in each hole in the pretzel (3), then put the whole thing in your mouth at once. Well, I didn't have mini-pretzels or chocolate chips, but I did have pretzel sticks and dipping chocolate so this was my snack one day this week. Kaylee will have to wait awhile for these though.


And last but not least, Memory #3: Sewing
Not just sewing straight lines, but actually following a pattern to make an outfit for Kaylee. My mom made many of our clothes over the years. Matching Easter outfits for us 3 girls, cheerleading uniforms for my whole team (oops, did I just let that cat out of the bag!), costumes, and we even had matching dresses for my cousin's wedding in 2001! She was an excellent seamstress and creator, partially due to her insane attention to details. I, on the other hand, hate details. So following patterns is not my forte. However, I did feel that it is my duty, as a mom who does know how to sew, to make at least one outfit. Here's a sneak peak.

See food, pick up food, eat food...sounds so easy!

or even better....

picasion.com

So this is what a blog is for....

5 years, 6 months later I finally got angry. Now mind you, my "anger" lasted a few minutes and really only took place in my head as I drove to the grocery store with Kaylee sleeping soundly in the backseat. You would think that having a baby would have triggered missing my mom more than it really has, but I blame that on me being too practical in daily life. Sure I can miss my mom, but what good does it do Kaylee and John to have me moping around the house? No good comes of that, so I express my sadness occasionally, talk about my mom often, and look for ways to remember her. What brought this on you ask? Last night Kaylee ate chicken and rice off my dinner plate, one of many milestones in her 8 months, probably not something huge to anyone but her own mom. But today as I tried to share my excitement I realized that the one person who I really wanted to hear this story was my mom. So I got angry. Believe it or not, today was the first time I have ever wanted to slap that stupid guy. But in true fashion, my anger subsided quickly and I was back to having forgiven the guy. Someday I'll see my mom in Heaven and she'll tell me that she heard all my stories along the way. Until then, I'll continue sharing my stories on the blog. Here is the chicken and rice story...again, it's a pretty boring story if you aren't Kaylee's mom, but sharing it with the "masses" feels good.

So I made New Orleans style rice (similar to rice a roni) and Chipotle BBQ'd chicken for dinner. Kaylee was sitting in my lap as I attempted to eat my meal. She reached onto my plate, grabbed a handful of rice, and shoveled it into her mouth. What makes this a milestone is that she is just barely learning to grab at small things on her highchair tray, and even when she does grab small things she doesn't get them into her mouth easily. She hasn't had extra flavored food yet (i.e. salt, bbq sauce, spices, etc) so I was expecting her to spit it out, but she chomped away at the rice, licked her lips, and opened her mouth for more. So I gave her more! She sat there smiling and opening her mouth for more and more. Feeling bold I gave her a few tiny bites of the spicy bbq'd chicken to complete the meal. She munched on that with her gums, swallowed and opened for more. I cut her off after a few bites since it was all so new and there were so many different spices involved. I wasn't sure how she'd react. Today all has been good, no signs of intolerance, and infact had rice again for dinner. I am amazed at her eating. There hasn't been anything that she turned her nose up at (other than the unripe mango, but who wouldn't say no to that), and meal times are stress-free. I really credit the book Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter for our great food successes. Thanks Kathy!!!

8 months

Kaylee continues to be a busy little girl this month! We joined a mom's Bible Study through church a few of months ago. There are 5 other babies in the group and quite a few older children. Kaylee is especially having fun playing with Sawyer, 7 months, and Logan, 4 months, each week and I am enjoying my time with a wonderful group of ladies.

This month has been full of interacting and reciprocating. Kaylee loves to wave the "Miss America" wave where she rotates her hand. She waves hello and goodbye, and any other time someone waves at her. She's very proud of herself...of course the fact that mommy and daddy wave emphatically back to her while squealing with excitement, doesn't have anything to do with her pride I'm sure. ;) She's working on crawling, but loves to stand.

She also gives kisses on demand...which we tend to "demand" a lot just because it is so fun to have her love on us back. She's likes to play peek-a-boo, especially if you hide behind something big like a door or the couch. She knows who we all are and will look at the appropriate person when you ask her "where's daddy/mommy?" She even looks at the computer when we say "Where's Grandpa?"!!

She's still eating very well, and a lot! She actually enjoys zucchini which is good because we eat a lot of that around here. The ice cube tray trick is wonderful...here is zucchini and sweet potato ready for freezing. She'll eat 1-2 cubes (reheated of course) per meal plus half a banana in chunks, or pear chunks, or apple sauce, plus her never changing side dish of oatmeal.

Still working on teeth. She's had a couple of biter biscuits, but prefers toys to chew on.