Hellobee

It’s been a month since Christmas, marking 9 months since Baby O was born. I’m not gonna lie; it’s been one long, challenging month but also one marked with many new things! On Christmas Eve, Baby O started to come down with a cold which proceeded to hang around nearly the entire month. It went through peaks and valleys but the end result was she was sick for a very long time. As a result, I feel like much of her update is a bit skewed due to the cold. Nevertheless, here goes…

Baby O weighs 20 pounds 8 ounces. All is on track with her growth curve.

Sleeping 

Sleep was very different and challenging for all of us last month. Starting with Christmas Eve when we brought her in our bed because she was sick to just this last week, Baby O slept with us in some capacity. We are not co-sleepers, but I found when you have a sick baby, you will do whatever it takes to make her feel better. She couldn’t breathe, she was uncomfortable, and was waking very often. Sleeping with us was the only thing that worked so that’s what we did. Naps diminished to 45 minutes or less. She was so fussy because she was so tired. Missus Scooter, late in the month, discovered that Baby O would sleep significantly longer during nap time if she slept on her chest <Oh My> ! We were in survival mode when it came to sleep, and it was just going marginally. When the dreadful cold finally started to dissipate, her sleep began to return to normal. Naps and bed in her crib returned. Getting back on a solid, predictable schedule took a long time.

Teeth 

Baby O sprouted her two bottom front teeth right around the first of the year. She was very preoccupied with these teeth, playing with them with her tongue and lips. She bit me a few times while nursing after she got them, but after those few times, she didn’t do it anymore. It was almost as if she wanted to test them out and then she was done with it. We feel other teeth around the surface, but I don’t think any are close to cutting.

Communication 

Baby O has been getting a lot more vocal, babbling and mimicking. She really likes to talk to the dog. She’s probably bossing her around already. Baby O mastered the wave and seems to understand it as a greeting and goodbye. She loves to blow raspberries and has just started to make a trill sound with her lips. It’s so sweet and smooth. Baby O also learned how to clap and does so quite often. It’s my favorite.

Motor Skills 

Baby O learned to crawl this month! True to her nature, I feel like she could have crawled well before the point that she did but she chose not to until she mastered it. For example, on a Monday, she made her first crawl (stringing together two knee and leg movements forward). By Wednesday of that week she was crawling the length of the house, following Missus Scooter as she was vacuuming. She is very proficient at crawling, but she isn’t extremely gung-ho to do it. She’s just as mellow about crawling as she is about everything else. Baby O has also become very good at pulling herself up to a standing position without any assistance. I can tell she really wants to walk….oh boy.

Eating

Baby O’s appetite was also affected throughout the month she was sick. Solids were largely unappealing and breastfeeding was too. When she was so congested she would have to release to breathe through her mouth. I felt so bad for her. One day when she was really feeling bad, she only drank 6oz of breastmilk during the whole day! Since she’s been well, however, her appetite is back and even greater than before. She has been much more adventurous with her solids and is consuming a lot more. It’s so fun to eat with her.

Personality

Baby O continues to be serious, contemplative, and mellow. I adore her personality because while she is serious, she is very sweet and happy and demonstrative. Baby O still plays very well on her own, but now that she’s crawling, she will often come find us if we are elsewhere in the house. We recently did a “toy overhaul” and sorted out all the ‘baby’ toys and bought some new things that would be more challenging and stimulating. We bought some large wooden shape puzzles. I admit she doesn’t get it, but they are much more interesting than a teether or cloth rattle. That is soooo 6 months old!

Mama(s) 

As expected, both Missus Scooter and I got the dreaded cold after Baby O came down with it. In fact, we’re still sick! We thought we licked it, but woke up a few days ago congested and feeling tired and run down. We are so sick of being sick in this house!

We are looking forward to Spring (I know, I know, I’m rushing it) and some house projects that will be fun: we’re adding a new deck, remodeling our master bathroom, as well as adding overhead lighting and new windows in Baby O’s room. Missus Scooter also signed up for swim lessons for Baby O at the Y in February. Many fun things to come!