nine months!

I think I'm starting to get a hang of how this parenting thing goes. Every month I think the current age is the best age. I don't want her to move to the next age, because the current age is obviously best. But then she stubbornly does move to the next age...and then it becomes the new best. So this month, for once, I'm not going to dread and lament the changing of the month. Because the next one will probably be the best one yet, too.

(But surely this stops being the case at some point, right? Like currently, when I'm around much younger babies...I don't really miss that age. Even though I loved it when she was there, now I'm like...tiny baby, kinda boring. Older babies are my jam. But when she's three, will I finally start missing her baby self...or will I be SO fascinated by her three-year-old self (assuming she's not one of the notorious "threenagers"...), that I don't even wish she were a fabulous eight-month-old again? Such deep thoughts.)

Millie is NINE MONTHS OLD.

But I don't look a day over eight months, Mom.

 Aliases: Millie, Mills, Millsie, Nuggie, Nugs, Snugs, Little Bit.

I'm still the nuggiest Nuggie you've ever seen.

Stats: She weighed 21 pounds, 8 ounces on Saturday. She's mostly in 12-month clothes now, but a few 9-month things still fit. Mostly things that don't require squeezing around her glorious thighs...

Just yesterday I unsnapped the last row of sizers on the rise on her cloth diapers. She wears disposables at night and she's still in a size 3...but she'd probably be better off in a 4. Since she only wears 1 disposable a day, it takes a long time to go through a whole pack...but next time I buy, I'll probably go with size 4.

Her feet are still mini. And adorable.

Habits:

• Eating: She's a fan.

•  She's been cutting back on how much formula she drinks this month. I guess that's the weaning part of baby-led weaning, eh? Now that she's a pretty efficient food eater, she doesn't need as many calories from her bottles, so she drinks less. She still takes a bottle every 3-4 hours, but now she'll drink between 2-6 ounces at a time, for a daily total of 20-30 ounces. She's obviously pretty good at figuring out how hungry she is and how much she needs to eat, because I'll notice on days that she eats more real food, she drinks way less formula...but on days when she only plays with her food and throws it on the floor, suddenly she wants her whole bottle. Such a smart girl! (We still make most of her bottles 4-6 ounces, so that she has the option of drinking a full meal if she's hungry, and we'll give her seconds if she drinks it all and still seems hungry...but more often than not she doesn't even finish a bottle these days!)
• Her favorite foods are yogurt, asparagus, bananas, eggs, prunes, pickles, cucumbers, pancakes, applesauce, strawberries, waffles, pears, squash, broccoli, refried beans...okay, basically everything. She's a good eater.
• Sleeping: Great at night (around 11 hours each night), but naps are all over the place. If she gets a combined two hours of sleep during the day, it's a win.

Likes: Still likes pretty much everything. Animals (of the live variety) are her most favorite right now. She will stare at/try to touch Lola or our cat all day long if we let her. She's starting to really enjoy all of her toys, which is fun to watch. She'll put toys in and out of a box or container, hit them together, push buttons...it's really cute.

This (clean) yogurt container is really her favorite toy lately. Maybe it reminds her of all the good times she has eating yogurt? She loves books- either being read to, or just looking at them on her own. She will touch all the pictures and flip the pages and study them for the longest time!! I think she's going to be a bookworm like her mama and daddy, and nothing could make me prouder! She is still a huge fan of being outside, either to go on a walk or sit in the grass or on the porch...just being outside is enough to make her pretty giddy. Ah, and she loves paper. Mostly crinkling it up and tearing it and putting it in her mouth...ah, delicious paper. She is also ticklish now and just looooves having her tummy and legs tickled!

Dislikes: Having her nose, eyes, or face wiped is a CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY and she will make sure everyone knows about it. Don't even think about wronging her like that. She has also decided she hates the Nose Freda, so basically her life is miserable each time she has a snotty nose for a few days. Poor girl. Too bad her mama hates seeing snotty/crusty faces so much. She has also decided that she hates having her toenails and fingernails trimmed. This is a bummer since HER NAILS GROW LIKE DAGGERS and I value having a non-bloody face. Oh, and her most unique dislike is the second song on an old mix CD Matt has. We had it in the CD player in her room (I know, we're so old school...) and EVERY TIME track 2 came on, she started crying hysterically!! It was the most bizarre thing! Change it to track 3, she's fine. Track 1, great. Song 2? AWFUL. For the record, the song is by Moby, so...take that for what it is. She's not a fan.

Undecided About: People other than mom or dad holding her. Learning to crawl. Sippy cups.

Special Skills: Well, she can't crawl (yet- she just may learn, though), but she can get around via her version of hopping! She sits like this:

...and then bounces up and down from her feet and bottom and can actually cover some distance! It's the funniest thing...and also, when I try to imagine how that feels, it makes me hurt. It seems to make her pretty happy, though, because it's usually accompanied by happy squeals and laughter. She's also still an extremely chatty baby. She has a lot of things to say all the time, and it's awfully cute. We spend a good bit of time waiting in line at the pharmacy at Target, and that seems to be one of her favorite places to chat up a crowd. Being around our pets also brings out her chatty side. She is also still really good at independent play...although now that she can hop around a little, I have to make sure she's in a more baby-friendly area to do that! One of these days, I just may get around to childproofing the house...who knows.

I'm nearly out of gushy things to say about this girl. She is my joy. Her little smile lights up the room and fills my heart with peace. What a sweet redemption.

Eight Months

Seven Months

Six Months

Five Months

Four Months

Three Months

Two Months

One Month