Keeping Up with the Buckners: 9 Months Old

Little Miss Addison,

Two days ago you turned 9 months old.

Time is a-flyin' and you are just getting cuter and sweeter by the minute.

Here we are getting some use out of your sister's 1st birthday tutu. Had to squeeze you into it before you outgrew it!

Here are some fun facts about Addie at 9 months:

22 pounds, 10 ounces (96%)
27 3/4 inches (55%)
Size 4 diapers
Some 9 month but mostly 12 month clothes
You don't wear shoes yet, but you're around a size 2
You have 6 teeth - 4 on top, 2 on bottom.
Your hair is starting to really come in now, and it's a color I would call "very light brown/dark blonde"
Your eyes are gray (like mommy's).
You have skin that naturally tans (like daddy's). You currently have tan lines in all your arm & leg rolls!
You have a very sweet demeanor. You smile all day long and rarely fuss.
You love to clap your hands AND just this afternoon you started to wave!
You looooove to babble all day long. My personal favorite is "mamamama" with "dadadada" a close second ;)
When you get excited you twirl your wrists and ankles... it's really cute!
You are not crawling, and honestly, you're not even close. I'm putting bets on you crawling at 11 months old. In the meantime, you're doing a great job scooting around on your bottom to get to the toys that you want!
You still despise tummy time. But we do it every day anyway!
Your way of giving kisses is to basically ram your forehead into the person you are trying to kiss. So if she does this to you - know that she loves you ;)
Here is your current schedule:

Wake & Nurse: 6:15-6:30am
Breakfast: 7:30 or 8am
Nap 1: 8:30 or 9am and you sleep for about 1 hour & 15 minutes
Nurse: 11am
Lunch: 12pm
Nap 2: 2pm and you sleep for about 45min-1 hour (not long enough!)
Nurse: 3:30pm
Dinner: 5:30pm
Nurse before Bed: 7-7:30pm & you sleep straight until 6:15-6:30am.

I know that schedule looks really pretty, but it's really just a rough guideline, and it changes from week to week. Up until about a week ago, you were going through a major sleep regression. You were only taking 30-minute naps (which meant you got 3 naps per day) AND you were waking up in the middle of the night again! That really threw us for a loop because it was a different time every night. The nights when you woke earlier (between 1-3am) I let you cry and you went back to sleep after about 10-15 minutes, but when you woke later (4-5am) I went in and fed you. I knew this was a sleep regression and would only last 7-10 days. Thank goodness.
You love your sister. That girl can make you belly laugh like neither daddy or I can. She loves to put on shows for you, lay on by you, and make funny faces at you. You just crack up. It is so completely adorable.
You do not like to be left alone, even if I'm just getting up to let the dog out, get a drink for your sister, or go to the bathroom. And you are in the middle of a big "stranger danger" phase at the moment. I don't mind holding you though - my right arm is getting really strong! ;)
I almost forgot the biggest news of all! You are taking a bottle!!!!!!! This is BIG. I now have freedom, and it's a beautiful thing. And I can take my trip to Boston next month with confidence that you won't starve!
As far as food is concerned, you are starting to like it more than previous months. And, another big development, you have become a pro at self-feeding! We've only been doing it for about a week now, and your favorite thing to pick up is bread. Mama's so proud of you! You are still a fan of most of my puree concoctions. The only thing you still really, truly do not like is avocado. We are still gagging on that one...

Current favorite purees are:

Sweet Potato/Mango
Sweet Potato/Applesauce
Carrot/Garbanzo Bean
Carrot/Black Bean
Carrot/Broccoli
Oatmeal/Pear/Prune Juice
Oatmeal/Banana/Breastmilk
Yogurt/Banana/Prune Juice
Yogurt/Banana/Blueberries
Yogurt/Pear

To sum it up, you are amazing.

Your daddy and I are so lucky to have such wonderful, easygoing, healthy children.

I thank God every day for blessing us with you and for entrusting your lives to us.

We couldn't be happier.

Here are my favorite pics from month #9!

Lots of trips to the pool this month... you love the water!

This one is really special to me. We were in Jeff City visiting our Comer cousins, and we were at the pool during nap time. You fell asleep on me for the first time in probably 6 months. I really, really enjoyed it.

There were a nice smattering of cool days this month, too, so we got a lot of time in at the park!

Picnic & Playing at Tilles Park: