9 months old

Nola Grace is 9 months old.  She's the sweetest little baby who loves everybody in her family and squeals with delight when she sees each of us. 


It never ceases to amaze me how much a baby changes in such a short amount of time.  I mean, how do we go from this....

8 lbs 6 oz, 20 inches

to this....

18 1/2 lbs, not sure on length except LONG

in only nine months.  And yet, as far as animals go humans are some of the slowest to develop as babies and children.  If there's one thing I'm learning as a third time mom, it's that God's timing is truly perfect.  He orchestrates our lives to the smallest, most minute detail.  And as a mother, it's such a gift to be able to witness every second of my child's God-designed life.

Nine months was definitely a month of changes for Nola and me.  Here are a few of them.

Growth: Exact numbers to come next week when we see Dr. Schuster for her check-up, but she was around 18 1/2 lbs at a doctor's visit for an ear infection earlier this week.  Looking forward to the fun 9-month check with no shots. Woo hoo!  I'm hoping he doesn't make a big deal of her not gaining the half ounce a day, but with her chubby legs I don't see how he could really be too concerned.  Either way, it's still primarily mama's milk for Nola!

Clothes: Wait for it.....Nola's in 18 months clothes for the most part.  Especially now that it's colder and I really want her legs totally covered.  So we're rolling sleeves because her arms aren't as long as her legs are.  Love that I have one of those chunky babies.  And just in the past week, I've really started to enjoy dressing her in little outfits instead of keeping her in sleepers all the time.  It makes diaper changes more challenging since she has very little patience for those, but she looks so cute that it's worth the trouble. 

Eating:  Still primarily nursing, and I've really been enjoying a nice boost in my supply as a result of a growth spurt that she had a couple weeks ago.  It's such a satisfying noise to hear the milk splashing around in her mouth as she swallows.  Sometimes she gulps so hard that she gets ahead of herself and I have to stop her before she chokes.  She has also been eating a lot more real food.  She loves sitting in her chair at the table with the rest of us and munching on whatever we're eating.  She tried blueberries the other day and absolutely loved them.  She also loves bananas, apples, toast, cheerios, chicken, and beans.  Nola has mastered her sippy cup.  And she will very adamantly demand it when she needs a drink.  Next up for Nola to try are dairy products - cheeses and yogurts especially.  She had a little taste of yogurt off my finger tonight and seemed to like it.  So far, no tummy upset so we'll continue to cautiously try it. 

"This is yummy, Mommy!"

Even with only two teeth, she gets some apple....and she loves it!

Sleeping:  She's had some trouble over the past couple weeks, but that probably had a lot to do with a brewing ear infection which we caught early, THANK GOODNESS!  She's been much better the last couple days, so that's quite the relief.  Thankfully she sleeps well with me in bed if all else fails, so at least we always have that to fall back on.

Don't let the peacefulness fool you...this was only a 30 minute nap.

But she is soooooo beautiful, I can't help but watch her.

What she's doing:  This is my favorite thing...she's making sounds that I understand as words.  At bathtime when I take her back to the bathroom, she'll say "baaa  baaa" for bath.  When we finish a diaper change, she says, "ahh duh" for all done which is what I've been saying to her since birth.  And after getting dressed for bed, she starts saying, "buh buh" for her book.  Sometimes she'll say it at other times when we're reading a story, but I've mostly noticed it for her bedtime book.  All these verbal developments make me think of Natalie.  She was about the same at this age if not a little more advanced.  It's incredible that they're able to "talk" at this age.  She has also fully mastered crawling and pulling up on anything and everything.  She's beginning to cruise along furniture and has let go in an attempt to walk on her own a couple times.  Of course she lands on her bottom when she let's go, but it's fun to see her try.  She absolutely loves her brother and sister and shrieks and squeals when she sees them coming toward her.  She and Nathan are becoming good pals, which is so sweet to watch.  And she's really falling in love with her daddy.  She'll sit on his lap for the longest time -- especially when he has a snack for her. 

This has been a very exciting month for Nola in a lot of ways.  She was dedicated at church this past Sunday, and that was really special.  I had a new realization of how important this commitment is.  More on that in another post.

All ready to go on dedication Sunday morning

In the front of the church being introduced and prayed for

 Nola is such a joy, and we are so blessed to have her.  Here's to your nine months, baby girl, and many many more!!!