9 Months Old

Yay! Addison is 9 months old now! It seems as the days go by and the older she gets, she gets into such fun stages. I love seeing her personality come out more. I love seeing her get in silly moods where she'll just burrow her head into the carpet or blanket and jabber away while kicking her feet. I love seeing her babble to herself, especially when she starts grunting. Makes me wonder what she is saying when she has such cute inflection in her voice.

We went to the doctor last week and luckily for her AND I, her 9 month appointment is the only appointment that doesn't require shots of any kind. Can't say the same for our future ones though. :(

Anyway, ever since we switched doctors, it's been SO much better. This doctor gives us all the time in the world to ask our questions. And if I don't have any to ask, he offers advice and explanation all on his very own! I didn't think a doctor like that existed out there! However, the only downfall is that he is a family practice doctor, not a pediatrician. Typically, not a big deal - but this means he lacks all the gear to do measurements on kids. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little makeshift. I had to sit Addison on the adult scale for her weight. I had to lay her down on butcher paper while they marked off her length and got out their measuring tape. And I had to hold her still while they used the same measuring tape (6 times!) to measure her noggin (each with a different result!) When I kept asking for the percentiles they kept assuring me that she was healthy and within the norm. I was like uh yeah I realize that HOWEVER I want them for her baby book! They never could quite give me the stats so I finally just rolled my eyes and decided I'd google it myself. But, since he is such a good doctor and very patient, I'm letting this little quirk slide. Thank heavens for Google.

So here are the long awaited measurements. She seems to be sticking to her "norm". A chunky baby with a big noggin and a little on the shorter side. She wears it all so well and makes for such a cute and squeezy chunky monkey so we have no complaints whatsoever.

Weight: 20 1/2 lbs (73%)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (39%)
Head: 18 inches (88%)

And now for her accomplishments. Really there seem to be sooo many I'm afraid I'll forget some. She's learning and doing so much almost everyday. The one thing I will start with is what we seem to hear from a LOT of people. She is such a HAPPY baby! She smiles about 99% of the time. I thought this was a character trait of all babies but have since done some field research and apparently it is not. We just love all of her smiles. Her shy smile, her toothy grin, her ear to ear smile, her scrunchy nose smile. She has such a variety and isn't afraid to share them with everyone she meets. She has two teeth on the bottom (her little rabbit teeth) and just recently started working on her two top teeth.

She also has learned to clap when we say "Yay!". After she's done clapping she'll clasp her hands (fingers intertwined) and just hold them by her mouth (see pic above). She has also turned into a little baby bird that flaps her little arms so fast it seems like she is learning to fly. She always does this when she gets really excited and it's usually followed by a squeal or a cute little cackle of laughter.

She is still learning to crawl. She'll get to the pivot and get on all fours and even bounce for a bit but after one leap forward she flops on her belly and goes back to her rolling. Which by the way, she has mastered really well. It seems she has adopted all forms of transportation except for full blown crawling. She has even incorporated some backwards crawling movements and the army crawl.

It seems she is finally getting through her separation anxiety phase. I'm WAY excited about this one since now it seems more hopeful that I can leave her with babysitters once again. I was always an extremely shy child growing up so I try to introduce her to a variety of people to ensure she is more well rounded than I was.

I'm also convinced Addison is going to be a little thrill seeker, if she isn't already. It seems the things that get her the most excited usually involve some sort of thrill or breathtaking moment. She LOVES when Daddy throws her in the air. She loves hanging upside down. She loves rolling down the hills in her stroller. She loves getting chased or playing peek-a-boo. I'm excited for when she grows up a bit so we can ride the roller coasters together! :D

In addition to her smiles, she has a lot of really cute mannerisms. One of my favorites is when she is trying to get your attention. She'll lean over, angle her head toward you, and smile and wait until you see her. She also loves to fake laugh. We do it a lot while we are driving down the road to ensure she stays happy until our destination. She also loves to hear me sing Old McDonald, Bingo, and The Wheels on the Bus. If we are in the car, these songs almost always bring a smile to her face (even if she was crying). However, if I break out in song in any other location, no reaction whatsoever. Thankfully it works in the car so I'm not complaining.

She has now learned to say "Mama" however it sounds more like "mamamamamamama" and I doubt she knows what she is saying - but it's close enough so I'm counting it! She learned "dadadada" a few months back so I'm glad it's my turn now. :D

She absolutely LOVES the water. Yesterday we went to an indoor hotel pool while my sister and her family were visiting. The water was FREEZING cold so we just sat on the step. She would keep leaning down trying to get in. I sat her in the water on the top step and she loved it even though her little teeth were chattering. I kept trying to take her out and get her warm but she kept leaning toward the water. She's gonna be our little water baby. Summer here we come! :D

I'm sure I didn't cover all the cute things Addison has been learning lately so you'll have to stay tuned for next month. She seems to be doing something cute, exciting, or adorable every day so it's hard to remember all of it. She's at such a fun age now and I think I'm finally getting my feet wet on this mothering thing! Enjoy the pics!