Finally Bought a Video Monitor

and it's worth every penny.

If you are debating this purchase for your baby, DO IT. When I was expecting, I didn't think we hardly needed a regular monitor let alone one with a camera (we have a small house and she's right next door to our room.) Big mistake. Not knowing what is going on in Lyla's crib has created a lot of stress for me the past few months, and now that I do know, I feel so much better.

Plus it's way better than TV.

Giggles

Yesterday's video seems to only appear on some browsers.

I really wanted to share it, so here it is again~

Lyla at 9 Months

And the final trimester of the first year begins!

I was looking at some old pictures this week, it never ceases to amaze me how much change can occur in so short a time. Look at these two bath shots, from June 3rd and July 27th (still over a month ago!):

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We're really enjoying our Thursday playgroup. I'm the organizer and it's a great group of women and babies. We rotate each others' houses and a local park.

Lyla is still a really good sleeper. She goes to bed between 6:30 and 7pm and wakes up between 6am and 7am, with one wake-up around 4:30am-5am to nurse. This is a quick 10-minute visit, so while I certainly wouldn't mind when she cuts this out, it's perfectly bearable. We still have some crying issues for naps and bedtime about 25% of the time, which is definitely an improvement. The bad days are really hard for me, so I can't wait until we get past this phase.

She does sleep exactly like me- on her tummy with her bottom in the air, and hard. :-)

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If I had to pick a theme for this month, it's talking and movement!

Lyla has always babbled a lot, but now she does it with inflection and gestures. At times I feel like I'm talking to a grown-up who just speaks another language that I don't understand. This past week she said her first word, "Wow!" I don't think it will be long before she adds more words to her repertoire, and I wouldn't be surprised if she talks long before she walks. Reading stories is one of her favorite activities; we read about a dozen books every day and she sits quietly looking at the pictures and listening. And she loves to turn the pages! She has favorites too- the first was Baby Animals, which is now out; The Color Kittens and The Poky Little Puppy's Counting Book are in.

Rolling clear across the floor and belly surfing have been replaced with arm and core work, as she practices getting on her hands and knees more. I never considered what a complex movement it is just to go from sitting to all fours and then moving forward- but it truly is! So many things going on at once to make it happen. She can do a really great plank right now.

In the mornings she nurses in my bed before I put her down to get dressed. Her favorite toy

during this time is my chapstick, which I use before giving to her to play with. She immediately pulls the lid off and clangs the two together like cymbals.

This is called, "mommy, gimme that camera!"

Eating solids. . . . .

I put three meals a day in front of her, but she eats very little. I mean, like, 2-3 bites per meal. Breastmilk is still her primary source of nutrition by far. Her pincer grip has developed a lot recently and so she able to feed herself much more and this has created a bit more interest. As this skill continues to develop she will certainly start eating more. Meager as her consumption is, her favorites have been yogurt (plain, full fat), millet cereal, pears, and peas. Yogurt is the only food she'll eat in any decent quantity. A recent discovery, she really likes Veggie Booty. I've given her little pieces as a snack in between meals, more for the practice. She likes to lick the pieces or gnaw on them a bit, for the most part she wittles them down to a gloppy wet mess.

There's a piece of Veggie Booty behind that fat little hand

Lyla loves the swings! I try to take her to the neighborhood park every day for some swinging, and the three of us go on Saturday mornings.

taken this morning. she looks like a toddler, not a baby!

She also loves baths. No matter how fussy she is in the evening, her bath is a calming and playful time.

I took this video of Lyla yesterday, and I can think of no better way to sum up this post~

Plank

. . Foreshadowing . .

Catch Up

I missed Lyla's 7 and 8-month updates! With so many action items to cram in during naps, it's tough to find the time to blog. I need to do a better job though; all the mommy bloggers out there, I salute you! A lot has changed since my last post, I'll try to do some catch-up on what's been going on around here.

We've been going to a music class on Fridays for the past six weeks. Lyla is almost the youngest in our class, but she really enjoys the music and gets more comfortable around all the toddlers around her.

Solid food eating is. . . so-so. She's still not terribly interested. We try for 3 meals a day but she rarely touches breakfast, nor lunch. She has begun to eat a few finger foods, hopefully those will inspire more interest. The one food she consistently goes for is whole milk plain yogurt. She loves it!

She's a super happy and funny girl- when she's well and rested. :) I suspect that's a caveat for just about every baby. She had her first illness at the beginning of August, not fun for both of us. She recovered very quickly, she has a well-functioning immune system.

This is my best attempt to catch what I like to call her "ooo" face. She makes it all the time, it's so charming.

I love this shot. Look at the dancers' turnout on my daughter at 8 months!

Baths are now a permanent part of the bedtime routine, and she loves them. She has a bunch of toys and loves to play and splash. That orange frog is definitely her favorite bath toy.

This is just a pretty photo of her, one morning while still in jammies.

Finally, cooking utensils are fun toys- especially my baking brushes, both silicone and wooden.

9-month post coming up this weekend!