9 Month Haley

9 months.  Haley has been in the outside world, almost as long as she had been in my body.  I will tell you what, these last nine months went by a lot faster than the 39 weeks I was pregnant.

Let's get right to it.

Haley @ Nine Months
I had to look back the 8 month post to remember how far she has come.  I think I have seen the biggest changes in her in the past month.

• Haley is now crawling in the traditional sense of the word.  Not just crawling, but crawling at a sprint of a pace.
• She is starting to pull up on things and stand.  While holding on to an object, she is starting to take a few steps.
• She is starting to jabber.  Sometimes it sounds like she is repeating words that I say, but it is hard to tell at this stage.
• She says mama, dada, baba, and bob on a regular basis.  She hasn't been consistent at calling me mama and Ian dada, but she is starting to get it.
• She knows what "no" means.  She is really into trying to get in the dog bowl at both my house and my little buddy's house.  I don't totally kid proof everything, because I would like to teach her boundaries.  So sometimes I leave the temptation there.  When I notice her crawling towards it, I give her a firm 'no'.  At first, I would have to pick her up and remove her, redirecting her to something else.  But now when I say no, she will stop, look at me (and see my stern face)  smile, and start crawling away from the dog food!   I'm going to enjoy this while it last, because I know when she is a toddler, it won't be so easy--but I figure it is never to early to start.  
• Haley is still on formula (until at least 1).  Which she still takes from a bottle.  She is drinking around 24 ounces per day which is a big change since last month.  Last month I was still giving her 32-36 ounce, and was probably over feeding her a bit.   She drinks juice and water from a sippy cup.  She is eating baby food, baby snacks, cheerios, pureed or mashed food, and table food from time to time.  
• She is still fussy when it comes to separation, but I'm finding it happens more when she is tired or hungry (go figure).  When she starts the fussing, I usually try to render one of the two, which ever it is, and this has helped me regain some of my sanity.
• Some of her favorite things are the dog, stuffed animals (my mom has a Clifford the Big Red dog that she is crazy about), and shapes that she can hold in her hand.  She really enjoys being read to and will sit on my lap while I read and entire book, while looking at the pages.  
• She takes at least one nap a day around 10 or 11 in the morning.  An afternoon nap is a struggle.  If I can get her to take a nap, it is usually only about 40 minutes.  I am thinking this is because she is accustom to sleeping 12 hours at night, so if she were to be taking two naps a day at 2 hours long, she would hardy ever be awake.  If she continues to fight the second nap, my goal is to make the one nap a day more in the middle of the day, so she is better rested in the evenings.  
• Haley moved to a big girl car seat.  Yay!  And I think she really enjoys it.  Not more lugging around a baby carrier.  

Mommy @ 9 Months

I'm just going to say it.  I'm overwhelmed.  But not all bad.  While, I find myself overwhelmed with her fussiness, I am also overwhelmed by the amount of love I have for her.  When I am bogged down with laundry and cleaning, I find myself overwhelmed with joy to take a break and play with my child.  I don't know how to describe my life right now, except that it is a lot.  

Before I go on.  Just for chuckles:

I think they are all pretty accurate except for what my mom thinks I do--She has a great perspective of what being a SAHM is all about because that's exactly what she was.  

But anyways here is what having a 9 month old child is like for this momma

• I totally love the fact that she sleeps through the night for 12 hours.  If not, I would be a complete mess.  See second bullet.
• I stay up until midnight pretty much every night.  I try to go to bed early, but I just can't.  After a long day of go-go-go I am just ready to sit back and relax.  Because she sleeps until 8, I still get about 7 to 8 hours a sleep a night most nights.  
• Having Haley on the move has me exhausted.  It requires most of my attention, and she can't be left unattended--ever.  Even when she has my undivided attentions, bumps and accidents happen...which breaks my heart. 
• The days of taking her out to dinner with us are probably over.  
• I'm starting to find a good balance.  For now, I play basketball once a week & find time to either visit with a fellow momma friend or go out with girlfriends once a month.  With working at the tanning salon 3 hours a week, I'm able to keep my sanity.  

Well Haley is up from her nap, so that means I am back on duty....