Ava Rose at 9 months...

What. A. Handful.

Nine month facts:

• Someone is a goofy girl, super social, loves to be around other babies and children.  Loves crowds.
• Waves hello/goodbye
• Claps her hands
• Plays Peekaboo
• Tries really hard to pull herself up.
• Still not crawling but she can scoot.  Doesn't seem interested in crawling but she will play on her tummy.
• Started sleeping in her own room at the end of the month, no more bedside bassinet for this girl.
• Sleeps in a crib for naps at daycare.
• Attends chapel on Wednesdays and gets a snack with the big kids at the "table".
• Still a toothless nugget.
• Talks and babbles all the time, "sings", giggles, and blows raspberries.

Nicknames: Nugget, Nugs, Nuggie, Rootie Toot, Bunny Rose, and Bear

Weight: 16 lbs 8oz

Length: 28 inches

Eyes:  Brown or Hazel, depends on the lighting

Clothes: 6-9 months for length be we still wear a few 6 month outfits.  I love Gymboree, specifically their generous sizing for 6-12 months - I racked up on the end of season sale.  We bought a few things at Belk for next year too.  She's petite so it can be difficult to buy ahead.  She still wears sleep sacks at night and they size out at 9 months so when we are finished with them it will be PJs only at night.  She's in a size 2 shoe and her fleece Zutanos and Sweet N Swag Moccs fit best.  She has a pair of boots and a pair of Mary Janes, but we can't seem to keep her from pulling them off.

Diapers: Size 2.  It's so odd that size 2 and size 3 overlap so much, we are nervous to buy in bulk because technically we can go to a 3 but they would be big on her.

Sleeping: If she's sick (which happens every other week it seems) then we are up every 2-3 hours. The days following Christmas Eve were HORRIBLE, maybe she was too stimulated or maybe it was teething or a cold, or bad luck...who knows?  What I remember from those weeks was sheer exhaustion because she didn't want to sleep for more than an hour without being held, cuddled, rocked, or nursed- R and I took shifts with her at night. We aim for at least 2 naps per day and 3 on weekends - they don't have to be long naps but she needs some sleep or she falls apart.

Likes: Lavender oil in her humidifier, Pandora Piano Guys station at night, playing in the bathtub, afternoon snack time, "circle time" in class - the teacher calls her "the star student" (insert proud mama smile), a plastic sensory bottle filled with jingle bells.

Dislikes: Playing alone, being ignored, when someone doesn't wave back at her (she doesn't understand why the dog and cat don't reciprocate), lentils, waiting for a meal, having her nose wiped or suctioned, and naptime.

Feeding: She wakes around 5 am for first feeding and usually eats twice before she leaves for school.  She gets three bottles during the school day and free feeds in the afternoon and at bedtime. She gets one jar of food during the day and a snack of puffs or yogurt melts at school.  Sometimes she gets a teething cracker or some pieces of banana after school.  We give her another meal at dinnertime - We like Earths Best for baby food but if we are eating something suitable then we will feed her what we are eating. She is on stage 2 foods but we can break up foods that can be easily "gummed" - she likes meat, turkey, chicken, pork, beef, or fish.  And she likes most vegetables and fruits, and yogurt.  We haven't tried any nut butter, pasta, or cheese with her yet, but that's next.

Ava's Favorites: Baby Stella (we mimic feeding and diaper changing alot), Little People Playhouse, felt play food, Uncle Goose blocks, 3 in 1 bounce stride and ride elephant, Nuk sippy cups, bandana bips, Gerber Puffs, and Happy Baby Teether snacks.

Milestones: 1st Christmas (and all those events that I recapped in the last post), 1st New Years Eve, 1st night in her own room, first school pageant/concert, first visit with Santa, learned how to wave and understands to clap when I say "yay".

Most pictures were shared in the holiday post but here are a few extra from the month.  Most of these were taken with a phone so they're blurry but I love all pictures of my girl, even the blurry ones.

Postpartum: Following a pump schedule, every 3-4 hours when I'm away from Ava Rose.  Just a weird note - I discovered that my nail polish wasn't staying on my nails...fingers or toes.  I gave up on my hands because I wash my hands 100x a day at work and sometimes Ava puts them in her mouth, but I like my toes to stay painted.  I have deep vertical nail ridges and I've never had them before, after doing some research it seems that it is totally common in the months after having a baby from changing keratin levels.  I have to give my nails a good buffing and use ridge filler now before I apply any color for it to stay on.  I'm feeling good, and ready for the new year; now that Miss Rose is getting some independence I'm hoping to get in more physical activity in 2016.