9 months

Happy 9 months, Harper!

Like I always say, I can't believe it's been 9 months already!  Time is just whizzing by.  Harper is more fun than ever & really coming into her personality.  I feel like a broken record saying that, but it's true.  Her 9 month doctor appointment was with Dr. McClard instead of Dr. Denison.  I really love Dr. McClard (she's around my age & has a little girl a few months older than Harper & she went to med school with a friend of mine), so I didn't mind at all that Dr. Denison had her cover his patients' 9 month check-ups.  Harper squealed & hammed it up for the doc, perfectly demonstrating her personal & social skills (she passed that section of her Ages & Stages questionnaire with flying colors).  She ripped up all the paper from the examination table (I wish I'd gotten a video of it) & managed to rip the little urine bag they taped to her bottom in one tug.  Guess we'll try to get a urine sample at the 1 year check-up.  Here are her stats followed by the things I don't want to forget that she's doing right now:

Weight:  15 lbs 13 oz - 8th percentile - YAY!  I'm so proud that she's back on the charts again.  She's got some yummy, rolly-polly thighs to show for it too.
Length:  26 3/4 in - 30th percentile
Head:  17 in - 25th percentile

* Harper sleeps LIKE A CHAMP!  11.5-13 hours a night & if she's at home, she'll take 2 good 2 hour naps (except at daycare, but it's not because they don't try!).  She sleeps in a sleeveless sleep sack with a long sleeved onesie or footed PJs. 
* Eats really well.  She's eating chunkier purees & has tried almost everything (at least the normal things that are in our house).  There isn't a food she doesn't like right now.
* Claps ALL THE TIME.  If you say "Yay!" she will stop what she's doing & start clapping.
* Waves to everyone & even seems to say "Hiiiiaaaa"
* High fives when prompted
* Still no teeth! Although I think it's right around the corner. Her new thing is sticking her tongue out all the time & I think she's feeling her gums with it.

May 15, 2010

* Started saying "Mama" the day before Mothers Day (5/8/10) - oh be still my heart!  I love to hear those words come out of her mouth!
* Gets up on her hands & knees & rocks; getting better at army crawling; crawls backwards & rolls like a log flawlessly
* Blows raspberries like it's goin' outta style
* Had her first double ear infection & we didn't even know it (April 30th - weighed 15 lbs, 4 oz)!  Daycare thought she had pinkeye because both eyes were extra goopy, so we took her in & apparently that's an indicator of ear infections.  She was prescribed antibiotics (which we had CVS flavor with banana) & antibiotic eye drops.)  Then I got a sinus infection & had to also be on antibiotics.  If she's sick, I'm sick.  That's how the story usually goes.     
* Gives kisses & hugs all the time!  She's so sweet & especially affectionate to me (I think we're entering that mommy preference phase).  Probably explains why I'm sick all the time.
* Wears size 2 diapers, sometimes size 2-3 at night
* Wears 6-9 mo clothes (could possibly go up to the 12 month size in the Carters brand I think)
* Extra squirmy on changing table & just in general.  Dang, this girl is CURIOUS now!
* The same daily routine as 8 months
* Has found a new favorite friend

early May 2010

* Started puffs & cheerios as practice finger foods.  Well actually I tried giving her pieces of avocado dusted with cheerio dust/crumbs, but that stuck to her fingers too much.  The puffs seem to dissolve in her mouth faster than the cheerios, so she has an easier time with those.
* Ate her first "table food" - green beans from Texas Smokehouse on our way home from Shreveport.  I ordered them as my side item & she was acting interested in them since she was sitting in my lap.  I took a plastic knife & just chopped them up into some pieces & fed them to her with my fingers.  She absolutely loved them!  I'm sure it was the grease & salty goodness they are cooked with, but I think this is a step in the right direction.  The eating whole veggies part.  Not the grease & salty goodness part. (May 16, 2010)
* Her favorite toy is her dollie.  We call her Baby (I'm not real creative with names).  Actually, I call her Baby; Ryan calls her Mrs. Huffines.  I'm not kidding.  It's because she's a Baby Huggums Madam Alexander doll & he can't remember that for some reason.  So he started calling her Mrs. Hufffines.  And that's pronounced Miss-us.

*To soothe, she sucks on her pointer & middle finger of her right hand & loves the satin-y side of her lovey.  We were playing "Donald Trump hairdo" in this picture.  We pretty much do that after every bath.  I don't know that it will ever get old.  You can see she isn't as amused as we were. 

*She is already showing dominance over her 5-month-younger cousin, Daxton.  These 2 are going to be a mess when they are older!

We are loving life with our little girl & are so blessed!  Our cup runneth over.

Here are some pictures from her photo session on the chair.  I was having camera issues due to taking the pictures at dusk which made the camera freak out about the lighting.  Well, that or I'm just not good at figuring out my camera settings yet.  That couldn't possibly be the reason though.  Ha!  Some of the pictures aren't as centered or zoomed as I would have liked, but they will do because they did capture Harper's personality right now.  It's getting harder to do these pictures because she is so squirmy & mobile as you can see from the very last picture.  Luckily, Ryan was there to save the day!