Emma - Nine Months

At nine months, I can officially say that Emma has made it over the fourteen pound hump. Phew. With the addition of a calorie supplement to her diet, there has also been an increase in food. And, this little one is loving food. Real food. She wants whatever is on my plate. So far, she's eaten gumbo broth, guacamole, mashed potatoes, and (with the help of Ma Ma Ellen) baked potato with butter, milk and roast gravy. We had to cut her off after half the potato since we weren't sure how her little tummy would handle it. I am remembering continuing to take fenugreek. Along with increased production, I am smelling like I ate pancakes for breakfast 24/7. So, with nursing, food and supplementing, this little one is starting to fill out. And, I'm sorry to say Emma Lou, I think you take after your momma after all. All that added weight seems to be headed right to her thighs.

She is still on the go and can take a flight of stairs like nobody's business. See below video proof. I believe Daddy is working on the baby gates as we speak.

She still has not cut any teeth although I think I see a few coming in on the top. She is definitely in the mouthing phase and will pick up anything and shove it in her mouth. A close eye is required at all times. If there is a speck to be found, she will palm it and try to gobble it up.

She may or many not need a haircut, but Momma is definitely resisting.  Her hair is a wild mess, and more humid days start to crop up, I'm afraid she's got a bit of a curl going.  I definitely am going to have to start practicing doing girl hair.  She remains a great sleeper and a super happy and social little girl. See for yourself.

Warm and cozy in her stroller

This eating is serious business.  Mmmm... roast, rice and gravy.

This child has incredible balance and strength.  This is her famous squat position.

Happy baby girl.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

About a month ago, Noah watched an episode of Sesame Street where the "word on the street," was GARDEN.  Noah is a huge fan of the "word on the street."  He gets so excited to learn a new words and add to his vocabulary.  So, don't be surprised if he asks you, "what's the word on the street?" 

Have I mentioned that my parents have the best back yard ever?!?  Grammy also has lots of gardens, so I figured our recent visit was the perfect opportunity to grow some flowers.  I picked these up from a local nursery.  I was going for rainbow colors, but Noah really wanted to include some pink. 

And off we go.  Step one.  Get some dirt.  Sand toys make an awesome fill in for gardening tools in a pinch. 

Noah was such an awesome helper.  He carried the bucket of dirt and his shovel all the way from the shed to the playhouse. 

I cleared out all the old dirt and leaves, and Noah poured in all the fresh dirt.  In all honesty, it was both his and my first time planting flowers.  I think we had some awesome teamwork going.

Ready to "grow some flowers."  I did the planting, but of course, there is no photo evidence.  I have to admit... somewhat fun.  Maybe I should attempt this in our own garden. 

Admiring our handiwork.

A "Magic" Shirt

Noah has been dealing with a lot of "jumpies" at school recently. There are several reasons what the cause could be, but whatever the case it's becoming a little distracting. Noah's teacher suggested picking up an Under Armour t-shirt one size too small for Noah to wear. The purpose is to give Noah constant pressure throughout the day to help with sitting still and paying attention. It's like a wearable hug.

Whatever day it was that she asked me was one of our longer days. I texted Dean to stop at Academy on his way home and pick up a shirt for Noah preferably sleeveless in an extra-small or small. True to form daddy came home with several shirts in varying colors sized both small and extra small.

I decided to send the shirt to school the next day and let the teachers decide if he needed to wear it. Apparently, they had some trouble getting him to put it on at school. He wouldn't take off his regular shirt. I can understand. He was wearing his solar system shirt. He really loves his solar system shirt. When I picked him up from school, the Under Armour sleeveless shirt which was a size too small for him was on outside of his clothes. He was not happy.

This morning I decided I would send him to school wearing his shirt. He was a little reluctant to put it on but daddy, being the sweet daddy that he is, ran to the closet and grabbed one of his under armor workout shirts. He put it on under his scrubs and came in the room. He told Noah all about his magic shirt and how it makes him feel strong and makes him smarter. Noah picked a color from choices - the gray short sleeve and was pretty content to wear it without a shirt on top. Thank you Daddy!

Today happened to be rodeo day. So now he was wearing his "magic" shirt with his blue jeans, cowboy boots and a button down shirt. He was really complaining about his button down shirt, so I was worried that he wouldn't want to wear two shirts to school. The problem was he didn't like the button down shirt. He did however love his magic shirt.
Too many changes in one day, Momma. However he was totally rocking the rodeo look for about ummm... five minutes.

PS - He wore his "magic" shirt all day, and he had an amazing day at school. Even Daddy may be a fan of the special under shirts too. He called me mid-day to let me know how much he loved his. Smile.

Double Trouble and a Dose of Good News

The long dreaded GI appointment was today. I've thought about canceling it. With adding a little food (yogurt, fruit) and supplementing 4-6 ounces of formula a day, she was gaining a bit of weight. At least curving at the third percentile.

I took her to the regular pedi yesterday for a weight check. She's definitely been gaining, so I wanted someone to say it was ok to skip the gi appointment, if I wanted to. Instead, Emma left with a script for augmenton and a double ear infection diagnosis. Seriously, we both were feeling a bit crummy last week, but nothing like last time. And, clear snot, people. And, this week no symptoms. Happy. Baby. Sigh.

I decided to keep the GI appointment today, and I am really glad I did. Dr. K was great and didn't run a single test. Phew! He aaked some questions and let me talk. He said he sees this all the time, and 90% of babies just need a little help.

I left with a supplement called Duocal. It's has no taste and no texture. Just calories. He told me to put one teaspoon in her food three times a day. (Insert note to self. Time to feed Emma three times a day.) A teaspoon has 14 calories, so the added calories will be like adding a couple ounces of formula. He was very pro breastfeeding which was nice, and he thought with a bit more food with added supplement, I could get her back up to average in a couple months. Wouldn't that be nice.

I'm so glad I kept the appointment.

Time for Gymboree

I signed up Emma for a trial class at Gymboree. I found a class at the perfect time. Unfortunately, the age started at 10 months. I figured I'd go ahead and sign her up anyway. Mobility should countp for something. Not only was she the youngest, she was also the littlest. She had so much fun. Crawling up to all the kiddos. Playing with the squishy balls. Stopping to clap and wave. Precious. The instructor confirmed that she was in the right class and that she would definitely be a bit bored in the younger class. I'm looking forward to Wednesday mornings with my little girl.

I loved watching her try to push the air log with all the big kids. She totally tried her baby heart out.

I can't wait for our next visit.

Small Has Its Advantages

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Noah is not a fan of movies. They're long, unpredictable and most likely have a scary part. He's been to a few movies, but aside from the popcorn, candy and bouncy seats. He probably wouldn't list the outing as a preferred activity.

Regardless, when I heard the Lorax was coming to the theaters, I knew we would try again. Noah loves all things Dr. Seuss, and a favorite book of his is the Lorax. So, we were going to see that movie like it or not.

For the record, Daddy would like me to tell you that he has read the Lorax as many if not more times than I have. Noted.

So, this morning I decided to plan a date for just the two of us. If I'm going to go to the movies, I'm a fan of contributing to opening weekend ticket sales. Speaking of sales, our tickets were 6.75 each. Something to be said for hitting the early show.

Noah and I arrive at the theater after picking up some snacks from CVS. Lollipops for Noah. M&Ms for Momma. Nothing like teaching your kids to sneak the cheaper snacks into the movies. We ordered a medium popcorn and a bottle of water, and off we went to find our seat.

Noah was a bit afraid with the big blank screen and low lighting. We got there early so we'd have a good seat. He covered his ears and buried his head in my lap. I showed him where the projector was in the back and tried to distract him by counting the wall lighting. Once the previews started, he was a little more comfortable, and after ten minutes, the previews started to get a bit old, and Noah kept saying, "Next up. The Lorax."

Finally, the movie started. Obviously to make a 20-page book into a full length feature, characters needed to be added. So, I heard a bit more of "Next up. The Lorax."

The movie was well done. And, I think Noah liked it. He was really into the part that stayed most aligned with the original book. Personally, I kept wanting them to break out in a bit of rhyming, but you could tell it was a very conscience decision to avoid it.

The story was cute, and not overly long which was nice. There weren't any scary parts although Noah did get a bit sad towards the end of the Oncler's retelling. The part when the Brown Barbaloots, Humming Fish, and Swamee Swans filed away from their destroyed and barren home in a single line. "Get back here." Noah shouted at the screen. I get that. It's much easier to read something sad (or scary) than actually watch it in live action. I guess that reaction means the movie maker did his job.

It's tough to know how much comprehension he gets from a show. So, when we got in the car, I decided to ask a few questions. He answered some of my questions right, but I did have to give him a bit of prompting. He did remember that the animals ate truffula fruit and marshmallows (an addition to the film.) And, I loved how he spontaneously told me, " Humming fish got toothpaste." He was referring to a scene early in the movie where the Oncler was unpacking his truck and his toothpaste splattered in a humming fishes face.

What a fun date with my sweet boy!