Mila: 9 Months

It's been a LONG time - a long time since I've posted and a long time since I posted a Mila Milestone entry.  The last one was when she was 4 months old.  BAD MOM.  You can also add a note to my Bad Mom Resume because I forgot to feed my daughter yesterday.  She was being super cranky while we were out shopping when I realized I was TWO HOURS LATE feeding her a bottle.  Gah.  Poor thing. 

Her 9-month check up with the doctor was last week.  It was my favorite visit so far because there weren't any vaccinations!  Wahoo!  Here are her stats:

• 15th percentile for weight, 85 percentile for height
• 18.5 lbs
• 7 teeth with 1 on it's way
• Infection in both ears

I knew something was wrong with her ears so I made sure to point it out to the doctor.  It was bad enough that she would have noticed anyway.  It's so hard trying to decipher what might be wrong with a tiny human who can't speak yet.  I forgot how frustrating it can be.  She's been rubbing her ears a lot for the past couple weeks and periodically had a low grade fever, but I kept thinking it might be related to the teething.  The last appointment she had I was worried about an ear infection for these same reasons, but there was nothing wrong with her ears at that appointment.  I was so sad she was in pain that could have been fixed and I did nothing. 

Yesterday and today she is in much better spirits.  She has this gravely chuckle whenever she sees Travis, Aiden or I.  She thinks Aiden is hilarious.  I usually put Mila to bed whenever she gets tired in the evening.  During the week this can be as early at 6 pm (because she refuses to nap at daycare).  On the weekends it's usually between 7 and 8.  When I put her to bed early, I can focus on Aiden at his bedtime.  But when I put her to bed at the same time as Aiden, I can read them books together, which is super cute.  The downfall of simultaneous bedtimes (nap or at night) is they just sit in there and laugh at each other.  Saturday I walked in when I heard them giggling over the baby monitor.  Mila was standing and she fell onto her butt (on purpose) and they both started laughing.  It's pretty darn cute, but a little frustrating.

Mila is a blast.  I love her.  She is so sweet.  She loves hugs.  She loves to be held, unless she wants to explore, and then it's 'leave me be, woman'.  I was gone two weeks ago for a work trip.  Mila had learned to pull up on the bath tub a couple days before I left.  When I got back, she was pulling up on everything.  A few days later she was cruising around tables and furniture. Saturday she stood unassisted for the first time.  Now she does it all the time.  She pulls up on something, then lets go to put a toy in her mouth.  She is growing TOO FAST.  

Oh!  She is a GREAT eater.  She eats all the purées we offer her.  I refuse to feed her that nasty, watery meat mush you can get in a jar, but we have been offering her the meat we all eat since the doctor's approval last week.  She loves eating potatoes, puffs, frozen bananas, steak and all the fruit and veggie purées I offer.  I haven't really run across anything she doesn't like yet.

I just took all the pictures off my phone, so here are the only three photos I have of her with me:

She loves the musical magnet farm that Aiden used to play with.

In the nice weather, we've been going outside more recently.  She likes to pick up every speck of dirt, plants and sticks she can get her hands on.  The trick is to keep a close enough eye on her that she doesn't ingest them all.

My dad asked for a photo of us together.  Mila was a little grumpy because of her ear infection/teething when I took this shot.

 And a quick comparison:

Neither baby has had a hair cut by this point.

Tally Me Bananas

Come Mr. Tallyman from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Travis' 1st Father's Day

Apparently Aiden wore a lot of red this weekend. Not planned, I assure you.

It was a bit of a rough weekend for me. I started to get sick Friday morning and didn't shake the aches until Saturday afternoon. Then I spent the rest of the weekend feeling like I was carrying around an extra fifty pounds. Everything was difficult. Unfortunately, this fell on Father's Day weekend. I wanted to give Travis a break from the daily routine of parenting and it wasn't his fault I got sick. So! I took care of Aiden all weekend while Travis took a break.

I was really bummed to cancel my plans for Friday night, but since I had a low fever, I didn't want to risk passing it on to another mom. Travis did take care of Aiden Friday night for me. Both mornings I let Travis sleep in while I got up with the kiddo. I made muffins for breakfast on Saturday (it is so much fun that Aiden can eat with us now) and then I did a few things around the house while Aiden took his morning nap. I need to mention that I am absolutely DREADING Aiden's switch to the next class at his school when he hits 13 months because they only have one nap. I hope he's ready for that by then! Anyway, Travis really wanted to do some yard work, so when Aiden woke up, I took him to Hobby Lobby and the grocery store with me.

Aiden's favorite corner

That afternoon, Travis headed down to Galveston to hang out with Ariel and Robert. Rachel came over for dinner and helped me work on some of party necessities while we sipped on white wine and had Scotcheroos for dessert, courtesy of Rachel. Because we are officially old (I'll have to explain that one tomorrow), we were in bed by 10:30pm. I was a little worried about completing the craft work that night, since there seemed to be a daunting number of items to make. I couldn't believe we completed everything we could that night! I do need to make a run to the store to pick up a couple finishing items, but that will be cheesecake compared to the work we did. (Thank you Rachel for all your help!)

Aiden decided to play in the kennel while Rachel and I ate dinner. YUCK.

Sunday morning I made breakfast burritos for Travis - his favorite. Then we set up the kiddy pool in our backyard so we could relax for a couple hours that afternoon. Right after Aiden went down for his afternoon nap, Travis headed to the golf course to play a round with Chris R. I ran around like a madman trying to organize Aiden's clothes before he went to bed.

Every few months I have to put away all of the clothes Aiden doesn't fit anymore (I keep a basket in his closet where I can throw items as he outgrows them) and pull out to wash the next size up. We have been SO LUCKY to have friends with boys a little older than Aiden. Aside from a few random items (due to slight age differences during different seasons), we have not had to buy any clothes for Aiden thus far. Between Blair, Logan and a friend's child from work, we have been fully stocked for a year. And it looks like we should be good for at least another 6 months!

Anyhoo, that night, I made spaghetti for dinner. Aiden LOVES that meal. Especially the garlic bread. Seems strange to me, but who am I to hold seasoning back from the kid? Travis got home from golf just as I was finishing up the last load of laundry and we headed to bed. It was a LONG weekend. I'm really hoping Travis will let me sleep in one day next weekend!

Aiden's Got the Blues

This morning Aiden started giggling in his sleep while I was getting ready for work. Teehee...

Aiden's Got the Blues from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Baby, Dog, Sister, Father-in-law

Aiden is yet to pick up walking on his own. He will take a couple steps from one piece of furniture to another, but that's about the extent of it. He just does not seem interested in walking without support. Although, he is all about that cruising. Aiden probably walks the perimeter of our living room, dining room and kitchen three times a night. Oh and I can't forget the Kitchen Table Circuit!

We walk him around by holding his hands a lot and the thought of him walking on his own totally weirds me out. It will be so strange once he picks that up on his own! IF he ever picks it up. ;) Just picturing him as a child, instead of a baby, is so abstract at this point. He just gets more and more independent! Now I TOTALLY get why people have more than one child. Once the first one gets out from under that wing a little, you're ready for another one that needs you.

We found out this weekend that Aiden likes spinach. I made fried spinach and he ate an entire patty on his own! I know, I know. Fried food is probably not the best thing to be giving my baby, but who am I to refuse him veggies? Ha! It's funny though, because he wants nothing to do with pureed spinach. Doesn't sound that great to me either, so I can't blame him.

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Callaway is having another bout of skin problems. This time, the doctor let us refill his medications without bringing him in for an exam. I was wondering when they would catch the drift of things. He's been in THREE times with the same exact problem. They do a skin scraping and nothing comes up positive. Plus, the meds that they send home with him work every time. The problem is they don't work for longer than a couple months after they are gone. His skin was probably the worst it's been this time. Poor guy. He's been on the meds for a couple weeks now and he is completely healed. The doc sent home more steroids than last time, so he's still taking that every other day. That helps, I'm sure.

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My sister Ariel is bartending at a new place, but she stayed on one day a week at the other club. I was really excited about this change. I was hoping it would help mellow her out. Instead, she's bored. She prefers the busy atmosphere of the club and preparing all the mixed drinks. The big seller at the pub she works at now is beer. And the only thing you have to do to "make" that drink is pull the tap. Soooo, she's thinking about moving back to full time at the club. I am a little disappointed, but at least she tried it!

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Travis' dad, Curt, has decided to move to Alabama. He and his U-Haul left Monday. He has had a lot of trouble keeping a job near his home, as he is doing mostly contract work. He drives a truck for a company until they no longer need him or go out of business. In the end, there are better opportunities for him in the south, so he is moving to where the money is. His girlfriend and her daughter are moving with him, since they already have family in Alabama. Sadly, Travis' brother Sean is staying in Illinois. His mother has primary custody, so this is how it will be.

Traveling during the holidays should be interesting. He will still be just as far away as he was when he lived in Illinois. Strange how that works out. I don't know if he will go home at Christmas, but he has already decided to go to Louisiana to visit family there. We may meet him there, since that is only 5 hours from where we live. Travis' mom lived in North Carolina for a while, but moved back to Illinois a couple years ago. Now his dad had branched off. Ahhhh!

Fun with Mommy

Please excuse my unruly showing of skin in this video...

A Game of Chase from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Let the Toddling Commence

Travis finished taking down the storm shutters and put the solar screens on the rest of the windows this weekend. I feel like I live in a whole new house now. There are things I see outside, that I never noticed before and frankly it's making me a little jumpy. We have an oleander bush outside our kitchen window. Last night I went out to the kitchen in the dark to get a glass of water, saw the shadow of the oleander blow outside and freaked for a moment because I thought it was a person. Hopefully that jumpiness goes away soon.

Also completed this weekend? Repainted the non-storm shutters. You know, the decorative kind that flank each window. The next chore that will hopefully be completed prior to Aiden's party, is repainting the trim on the outside of the house. One side has taken a thorough beating over the years and is in desperate need of a touch up.

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In more important news...

AIDEN CAN WALK. Well, not really, but sort of. He took his first steps this weekend. I mean, there has been the occasional 'I think I can take one step from the coffee table to the ottoman', but never more than one step on his own. This weekend he was all over it. I took a video of it, but I still need to upload it. Sadly, it ends in Aiden crying because he falls down before Travis can catch him. =(

Still - it is a happy thing!! He is doing really well about standing on his own. Usually he does it while playing at a toy, but this weekend he did it when we let go of his hands in the middle of the room. After a moment, he realizes he is standing on his own and slowly lowers himself to the ground.

Amazing! AMAZING I tell ya. Having a kid is the best.

Upright Escapades

A couple weeks ago, I was pulling the car in the garage when I noticed a baby toy box sitting up in our storage area. We saved some of the boxes that toys and baby gear came in so we can repack it and save it for the next baby, but I didn't recognize that toy. I pulled it down and remembered that it was a toy we had stored away after Christmas because Aiden was too young to play with it at that point. Stupid memory... But I'm glad I noticed it before Aiden got too old for it!

Ball Popper from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

Aiden likes to grab the balls the second they pop out. Usually he hold onto the toy for balance with one hand, then grabs with the other hand. Well, this weekend, while playing with this ball popper, he decided that it would be easier to catch the balls with BOTH hands and suddenly, MY BOY IS STANDING ALL ON HIS OWN!! He stood like this for a good 15 seconds, legs a quivering, before he realized, "crap! I am not holding onto anything!" Then he grabbed a hold of the toy again. He's so close to standing on his own!

He'd rather stand than sleep

Had to use the "nanny cam" to get this one. Little stinker would never stand up in front of me, so I was unable to get it on camera. I sure showed him!

Standing Up from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

New Elevations

It's official. Aiden can pull himself up. It started Saturday with him pulling up on his knees at his table toy (seen above). I made a comment to Travis that night that we needed to lower his crib mattress so he doesn't pull himself out when he stands in his crib. BUT we didn't get to it that night.

The following morning, I laid Aiden down for his nap. He just WOULD NOT go to sleep. I could hear him talking through the baby monitor, but let him be since he was not upset. After 45 minutes of chatter, I decided to go in to help him get settled. The kid needs his naps! To my surprise, Aiden was STANDING in his crib. I freaked and pulled him out immediately to lower that crib mattress. Thankfully it only took about 10 minutes by myself (Travis was working at HD).

Fifteen minutes later, Aiden was STILL not asleep, so I went back in to lay him down and this is what I found:

Untitled from Nicolette Ward on Vimeo.

He ended up only getting 20 minutes of sleep during that nap, which was unfortunate because he is sick. He spent the entire day before (so sad we missed Blair's birthday!) fighting a fever. Then Sunday, we both had severe sniffles and a cough (same cough that we've had for TWO WEEKS).

Aiden still cannot crawl on his hands and knees. He's mastered the army crawl though. He can hover on his hands and knees, but the second he tries to take a "step" he falls to his belly. I guess the reason he can pull himself up onto furniture is because he can hover in the crawling position. Gives him some height.

I tell you what, it was a little bit of a shock once he started army crawling. Suddenly he cannot be left alone for even a moment, nor can he be trusted with anything on the floor level. I put away a bunch of stuff that he could really hurt himself with, including a guitar on a stand and I pushed the DVD towers into a corner together. We put a baby lock on the cabinet under the sink where we keep our household cleaners.

Aiden recently showed an interest in outlets (the one in the hallway in particular), so I told Travis I wanted to get outlet covers. He told me that Aiden could not electrocute himself by sticking his fingers in an outlet. He said that there is no way he could get his fingers in far enough to reach the electricity, plus he'd have to have his fingers in both holes at the same time in order to get a shock. My response? So you don't want outlet covers? You'd rather risk our son's life? What about forks? Or other items he might actually be able to fit into the outlet besides his fingers. Travis said, "No, we should get outlet covers." THEN WHY ARE YOU ARGUING WITH ME ABOUT THIS? Sheesh.

Ugh, anyway. My point is, I thought Aiden being able to move around on the floor was a shock. Saturday when Aiden was able to pull himself up on the coffee table I just about had a fit! A whole new level has opened up for Aiden. Guess that means it's time to start packing up anything below 3-4 feet. I guess we'll be ready if another hurricane ever hits.