9 months old today!
Nine month seems like a huge one. Maybe because it's only three months away from the big O-N-E!? Maybe because in past history (as a nanny & babysitter), nine months has always been a favorite? Maybe because in past history, nine months has brought new and great things!? Maybe because nine months means that she's now been alive for exactly a year and a half (9 months in belly, 9 months outside belly)? WHO KNOWS. Regardless of the reason, I just feel like nine months is a biggie! And it makes my heart happy to know she has arrived!:)
Today has been special. It's been *one of those days.* One of those days where I have reflected on my life, and what I saw was happiness and love. And because of it, I'm so full of gratitude. God is so faithful and has been so gracious to me.
Aliyah and I went on a beautiful walk around our neighborhood this afternoon. May I add that she FINALLY sat nicely in her stroller, and lasted that way, THE ENTIRE DURATION OF THE WALK!!! AHHHHH! I could cry of happiness! Anyway, going outside on a walk is such a beautiful way to feel close to God. To see Him in His creation and in everything around you; in the wind, the sun, the trees, the flowers....He is such an amazing God! And to experience it with my precious baby girl, who sat so lovely in her stroller, it was more than just beautiful. It was so special. You may never understand what that moment meant to me!:) I was a proud Mama to my Aliyah, and filled with endless gratitude to my God.
These past couple months have, like all the others, meant new things and new discoveries! She's doing so great.
First things first, she's huge. (Well, in comparison to all the babies around her!) I'm not sure exactly how much she's weighing, but it has to be close to the 22 mark. We will find out on Monday, as she has an a appointment that morning.
She's all over the place, crawling, crawling, crawling! She is basically non-stop. Anyone that spends anytime with her usually has a comment about how she never stops moving, ever. And it's totally the truth. She looses breath, just being herself. She doesn't stay in any one place longer than a few seconds at a time. She is always, always, moving. Am I exhausted, you may ask? Yes.
What else? She is pulling herself up and standing now. She also loves to walk (holding my hands). She's so speedy though! She tries to run, which of course doesn't work out for her. So then I end up letting her just crawl. Or I pick her up. She is so heavy though, so I try not to hold her as much. Everyone that does hold her, usually tells me they have achy arms the next day! :)
Her sleeping schedule, like always, continues to remain A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! She goes to bed anywhere between 5:30pm and 6:30pm (depending on how naps went during the day), and then gets up anywhere between 5:30am and 6:00am.
Routines, routines, routines! We love routine.
Her bedtime routine is pretty much solidly set in stone, since we have been doing it for months now. I feed her dinner, Beto gives her a bath and gets her all ready for bed, then I have been giving her her evening bottle, then put her in her crib. She is great about going to sleep, and has actually grown to love bedtime - she practically dives for the crib! She then moves around and/or plays for a good ten minutes or so, then she is out like a light. Then we have THE WHOLE EVENING to ourselves!!! It's pretty much amazing. Some of you may say, well that's not fair, mine doesn't go down until 7 or 8, or even 9! All I have to say to that is that I am SURE your child at least sits still for a solid minute during the day. Or sits nicely on your lap. Or can hold their bottle and feed themselves peacefully. Or can play in one spot for more than 5 seconds. Or can lay their head on your shoulder for more than 7 seconds, to show their state of relaxation. Ha. Do I sound bitter? Let me assure you, I am not!:) I am just one tired girl when 5 o'clock rolls around, and am thankful that she goes down early. I think that is the Lord's gift to me, for having given me such an active child! He knew I would need my evenings! :) OH, and I should add. Even if I did choose to put her down later, she still wakes up at the same time. That is why we chose to just go for the extra early put-down! Honestly, she can hardly keep her eyes open past 6pm anyway!:)
She takes two naps a day. Usually one is much longer than the other. If her morning one is a good 2 or 3 hours, then the afternoon one usually only ends up being like 45 minutes. Or vice versa. I have been trying to cut her back on bottles, which I thought would be tricky, seeing as she usually takes a bottle to go down for her naps. Thankfully this week has gone very well with the changes! I have her down to three bottles a day. One in the morning when she wakes up, one at noon (or when she wakes up from her nap), and then one in the evening. She hasn't enjoyed the whole falling asleep on her own during the day. But she will get used to it! :) Everyday has gotten a little better. She still cries when I put her in her crib, but it only lasts a few minutes. Then she plays for like 10 or 15 minutes, and then finally, she's out! I love watching her in the monitor... One time this week, she got onto her knees, looked straight up at the camera, and waived. TOTALLY COINCIDENTAL I know - but it was SO funny and cute!
Speaking of waiving..... She waives for hello's and goodbye's. She claps, constantly. And my sister taught her to do "SO BIG!" (hands raised in the air)! That one is my favorite! It is SO cute! She doesn't get her arms all the way above her head, so she kind of sticks them out, like superman, when he flies. It's adorable.
Last week she caught a cold, which is never fun for anyone!:( It was the first time she had ever been "sick." Thankfully she is doing much better - just a little bit of a runny nose. The worst of it really only lasted about a day. She had a cough, and was acting up, but nothing serious! Beto gave her bubble baths with Vicks Vapor liquid. She really enjoyed those!
:)
These are just a few things. Of course she has accomplished so much in the past few months, and has grown like crazy! She keeps us laughing constantly. She honestly is just one of the funniest people I have ever known - and she's only a baby! I can't imagine what she'll be like as a toddler, or a child. I can't wait to find out!
She's so much fun. We love her so dearly and are so thankful for her life, and the joy she has brought to our hearts and to this family.
I wanted to write more, update you a bit on us and the house, but I can hardly keep my eyes open! I'm not even going to proof-read! :-0 Ha! So forgive me in advance for all the wordiness and mistakes!
Love you all, and will update again soon! I miss the more frequent blogging!
P.S. VAMOS ESPANA!! (Most of our month has consisted of watching the World Cup. We have hardly missed any games. I thought this would be long and boring for me, but it has been SO exciting! We're all three into it - big time!):):) I will actually be very sad once it's all over.
