May 5, 2016

thea - nine months

OMG NINE MONTHS.  I feel like nine months is really getting up there.  We're now just under three months until she is one and if we don't have any more babies that means I won't ever have another little baby and for the love I'm going to go in a corner and cry now, mmmkay?
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Anyway!  Miss Thea continues to grow and grow in so many ways.  Today she weighed in at 17lbs 12 oz and measure 28 inches long.  I was definitely expecting her to be a little bigger!  She is starting to wear the 12 month size from Carters, though 9 month stuff still works too.  She's in 6-12 from Gap and Old Navy.  She still seems just fine in a size 3 diaper and also wears a size 3 shoe.

We continue to be treading the teething hell waters.  She cut another two teeth up top this month, bringing her total to six.  More than both Ryann and Elsie had at this age.  And the way she chews the heck out of anything she can get her hands on, I think there are still more coming close behind.  The thing that Thea seems to have less of than the other two did, is hair!  None of the girls have had a ton of hair before they were one or anything, but Thea definitely has the least.  I can't wait to find out what kind of hair she is going to have!

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Eating is still going pretty well across the board (not that anyone would ever look at her and think she is underfed!).  I'd say Thea nurses 5-6 times in a 24 hour period.  We relatively consitently offer her 'lunch' and 'dinner', and depending on when she is awake or when we're eating, breakfast too.  Bascially if she is crabby or it is convienent to have her strapped in we give her some food.  She loves purees and she LOVES puffs.  She is getting better at picking up small pieces of food and putting them in her mouth, she just isn't the greatest at mashing everything up yet.  She'll just keep it in her cheeks like a squirrel for a while.  So far the only thing I'd venture to say she doesn't like is blueberries.  I don't know why.  The first time I fed her an actual piece of a blueberry, she cried.  A lot.  It was comical.  She likes cheese, sweet potatoes, little pieces of ham, and anything else she manages to shove in her mouth.  She also loves when we put fruit in the mesh feeder.  She has done great with avocado in there as well.

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As far as a sippy cup goes, Thea is pretty meh with it.  However, one day last week she boycotted nursing for like 12 hours.  I have no idea why.  It isn't as if a let down happened and the taste was different or she just snacked.  She plain old turned up her nose at my chest and wouldn't latch.  No interest whatsoever.  At the same time, she was SO fussy, I knew she was hungry.  We fed her purees and stuff.  She wasn't constipated.  Definitely hungry.  Finally around 5pm I pumped and put some milk in her sippy.  She managed to drink down maybe 3 ounces?  I was surprised.  Thankfully before bedtime she nursed as usual.  The middle of the night was also fine.  The next day I had one instance where she didn't want to, but other than that she has been fine.  I don't have a clue what her deal was.

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Sleep remains about the same.  For the most part, lately, she has been going to bed between 7:30 & 8pm, waking up to nurse around 4am, then sleep until 7-7:30am.  Not perfect but I don't hate it.  Naps happen more or less at 9:30am & 2:30pm.  She sleeps for 1.5-2 hours.  It works.  I pretty much just nurse her to sleep during the day.  I haven't ever tried just setting her in the crib and walking away.  I spent a good six weeks making sure she wasn't falling asleep nursing before I set her down, just letting her get drowsy, and she cried for almost every nap in those six weeks.  I just felt so bad.  So whatever.  She gets a decent amount of sleep now and I don't mind too much.  It's working well enough, despite the pediatrician basically telling me I need to quit nursing her to sleep and stop feeding her at night cold turkey.  Psh, woman, I do what I want.  Yes I'd love for her to sleep through the night, but no, I don't really want to listen to her scream right now.  Elsie eventually grew out of it, I'm sure she will too.

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Thea's mobility seems to increase daily.  Still trying to climb everything, getting pretty good at cruising, I've caught her transfer furniture pieces a couple times.  And on maybe three occasions she has stood unassisted for a few seconds.  She has also gained a lot of control getting down from objects after she pulls up on them.  I can't say the same for getting down from something she has climbed up on to, such as a Pottery Barn anywhere chair.  When she decides she is done up there she just dives out head first.  Real smart kiddo, real smart.

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This little girl is LOUD.  Maybe this is some kind of third child syndrome?  Ha.  She is constantly just yelling and making noise, surely just to hear herself or get some attention.  Still a lot of da and ma noises.  'Na na na na' has also been pretty popular this month.  Sometimes I think she is starting to associate da da with Christopher, or di da.  But for the most part I think she just likes to make noise.  Almost any time I ask her to say mama she gets a huge smirk on her face and responds with 'da da da da'.  Punk.

Thea definitely waves now.  I love it so much.  So do the girls.  It is just so fun to wave at her or tell her hi and have her actually respond.  Last week she waved at the school bus after Ryann got on and I yelled bye.  I about died of the cuteness right then.  No clapping, no pointing, but waving for sure.  She doesn't give as many kisses as she used to, but she will still do that as well.

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Baby dolls are still very much a favorite.  I did go ahead and get Thea one much like the purple one we already have that her and Elsie fight over.  They still fight over it.  Naturally.  But she puts up with the other baby dolls, we've given Elsie full claim to the purple doll.  Thea also seems to really enjoy playing with books, but has little interest in letting us read them.  She is much too excited about trying to rip it out of your hands.  She has started understanding the touch and feel books, and it is so cute to watch her carefully use a finger to feel the little section.  I love it.  She also enjoys knocking over anything I try to build, and has discovered the joys of flipping the light switch.  :o)  She giggles as she pulls my hair every chance she gets, and will 'attack' with a giant smile on her face if she catches me laying on the floor.

As most babies do, Thea HATES getting her diaper changed, or having her clothes changed, having her finger nails clipped, laying still for pictures... Basically anything that requires her to be the slightest bit still or contained.  Yet she does pretty darn good when we are out and about and I have to hold her for an extended period of time.  I get lots of comments about what a good baby she is, and really she is.  She is my little side kick, she goes every where with me, and while it isn't always puppies and rainbows she manages to win over all the strangers with her shy smile and those big blue eyes.

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Miss Thea, I love you to pieces.  Don't grow up so fast.