October 20, 2016

Adelaide is 9 months old.

Month 9
September 19th - October 19th
What an exciting time! I think this is my favorite baby age - around 9 months. Babies are gaining so much personality and learning big skills like crawling, cruising, and eating. I've loved watching Adelaide hit those milestones!

This month Adelaide:
-has learned to crawl and actually move around the house. She was rocking on all fours and taking one 'step' here and there for a couple of months but now she is officially on the go. It is so strange to see a baby crawling on all fours! Genevieve never did that so it's fascinating for me to watch.
(Also, her 9 month picture was IMPOSSIBLE because she does not sit still, ever)

-is pulling up to standing and walking assisted. What!?

-still has no teeth. This makes for trouble eating. Genevieve had a bunch of teeth at this age so this is different. But Adelaide is doing a great job gumming at all sorts of food like - sweet potato, avocado, banana, and humus.

-still does not sleep. Like seriously, waking every 1-2 hours at night. We have not encountered any sleep regressions because she has NEVER slept. But the beauty about it all is that I have not once googled, "my 9 month old is waking every hour" like I did with her sister. I am not trying to fix it. I am just nursing and surviving and it makes me not miserable. One day all her teeth will appear and she will sleep through the night and I won't know what to do with myself.

-is starting to get stranger anxiety. 97% of the day she is ALL smiles and totally content. She giggles at her reflection and is simply loving life. But 3% of the time she sees someone who is not me and drops that lower lip and loses it. It's actually quite adorable :)


Genevieve:
Our days are full of tea parties, coloring, bubbles, play dough, blocks, i-pad games, and Peppa Pig. All day every day, Peppa Pig. She will shake it up with a little Doc McStuffins in there but she loves her Peppa. And she's even picking up some British words which is so cute, like instead of saying go outside she will say she wants to go to the garden or instead of "ready, set, go" she says "ready, steady, go". It's precious. 

The 'fall' weather, or really the extension of summer, has allowed us to play in the sand at the nature playground behind our house. It has become her favorite outing. She asks to play in the sand every morning. We also try to play with her cousin Nora at least once a week and those two are truly sisters. I have loved watching their friendship grow. Whenever they are together they hold hands. They simultaneously fight and have each other's back. It is a very sweet friendship. 

And I can't believe I am saying this but she will be 3 years old in a little over 2 weeks! How is that possible!?!?


Other Happenings:
Guys, my life is insane. It's so insane. I am full-time caregiver to my two children under two, I run our Airbnb and flip the space 3+ times a week, I am running a doula agency which has really picked up in business, I've been writing all my essays and statement for Vanderbilt's Midwifery application, and I am taking night classes. My brain is mush most days and I am either going at 110% or barely able to get off the couch. It's insane. But I am doing it. And I am trying my best to care for myself while I am in this crazy season. I treated myself to a float and it was exactly what I needed. I went to Float Nashville a few times when I was pregnant but I had never gone not pregnant. It was as amazing as I remembered :) I felt like I reset. I am also getting help with our Airbnb space and extra childcare help as well which is making my life so much more manageable. And I officially submitted my Vanderbilt application which feels like I am done with one of my part time jobs, what a relief!

Besides the absolutely craziness of life going on, we took a trip to see my dearest friend, Karlie, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Michael had a work conference in Louisville so I met him up there with the girls on the last night of his conference. We spent a day in Louisville, a night in Charleston, West Virginia, and then a couple of nights in Charlottesville. It was actually the perfect road trip. I wasn't sure how the girls would do but they were amazing.

In Virginia we got a sitter and went out without kids. It was one of my favorite nights! We ate incredible food, danced to reggae at an outdoor music festival, played games, sat outside by the fire, and talked late into the night. The next day we hiked a mountain (I am so out of shape!) and enjoyed the beautiful outdoors of Virginia. It was the perfect time to get away and enjoy my family and friends. 


My Sweet Adelaide,
You are my joy and my delight. You smile SO MUCH. And my heart aches when I look at you because you are just so cute. You love exploring and discovering new things and you're proving to be more adventurous than your sister at this age. Now that you are pulling up and crawling all over the place, I am getting glimpses of what it will look like when you are no longer a baby. I will always be so grateful for the love that you and Genevieve have for each other. I hope that bond will run deep. Don't worry, if another kid gets anywhere near you Genevieve yells, "no that's my baby!" She won't let anything happen to you. This next month let's see about getting a tooth or two and maybe a 3 hour stretch of sleep at night? ;) I love you dearly my little boo and I am so glad I am your person. 
Love, Mama