Natasha Pehrson: Gretchen 9 Month Update

I really meant to post this at the beginning of the week on her actual 3/4 birthday, but got caught up in life. I mean after all it is my birthday week :) That's right, yesterday, I turned 26. But enough about me, enjoy my little monkey and the progress she has made this last month.

This was the very first time she pulled herself up to standing. So glad I caught it on camera.

Weight: I am guessing close to 20 pounds. She has a well child visit in the next few weeks so we shall see...she is getting heavier every day though.

Height: Tall! She has long legs. Maybe 28 inches.

Clothing Size: None of her 6 months clothes fit anymore. I cried the day I put them all away. She is in 9 month and some 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

Eating: She got some teeth this month and is a biter so I am exclusively pumping as of 2 days ago. She still loves her solid food and is mainly eating purees. Sometimes I will give her some shredded cheese or small bits of food from my plate. She also likes to hold onto and bang her teething biscuits. Side note: I think she might be left handed (like mommy) because it is the only hand she uses to pick up food.

Sleeping: Sleeping has taken a turn for the worse this month. It is not as bad as it was in her newborn stage, but there was probably a 2 week chunk of time where she was skipping one nap a day. Then throw in daylight savings and we are still trying to figure things out. We switched from 3 naps to 2 naps and then the teething started so it's just a big mess...lots of cuddling though which I don't mind.

Health: When her 2 bottom teeth started to come up she got a cold. She has never drooled much but now she has enough snot to make up for lack of drool.

Speech: Her favorite thing to say is "ma ma ma ma". Surprisingly she has not said "da da" yet, but she is getting lots of practice with different consonant sounds. She also loves blowing her lips and sticking her tongue out and blowing. AND the best thing ever, if I pat my hand over my mouth she will start making a noise so she sounds like an Indian.

Personality: Everyday I see more and more of my personality in her. I don't know if it is DNA or because she is with me all the time. She is very determined and does not like to be told no...sometimes she even laughs at me when I tell her no. She is super curious and always into everything. She always has to be doing something.

One example of her sassiness: I put her in the back pack so I could clean the house because she was really cranky. She was fine for about 10 minutes, but then she realized she needed to be doing something. She started punching/massaging my back and then she reached up and started pulling the baby hairs on my neck! Ouch! I peaked over my shoulder at her and asked her nicely to stop, but she just looked up at me and gave me a giant smile.

Baby Gear Love: Ergobaby Baby Carrier. Now that she is big enough to carry on our back it has been a lifesaver for those times when she cannot be put down without having a meltdown. I have gotten good at putting her in it too! The online instructions where you put them on your hip and swing them around, I found too difficult. Dave had a great idea to lay it out on the couch and position her in it and then sit down in front of her, buckle the hip strap, and then pull her up when I put the arm straps on. Works like a charm.

Milestones: She was pretty stagnant in the milestone department for a few months and then all of a sudden, within 2 weeks she:

Started sitting up on her own
For real crawling (not hurling herself across the floor)
Clapping
Waving
High Fiving
Pulling herself to her knees
Pulling herself to her feet...once

Likes: Opening drawers, sitting on her bum bum (I don't know why but that is our cute way of referring to her butt), and most of all, her cardboard box that once housed her diapers.

Now you see me...

Now you don't...

Dislikes: Some new foods we have tried like garbanzo beans and peas. For now I just masking them under applesauce.

Signature Move: Making this face:

And eating all of the furniture. I like to tease my brother when he compares Gretchen to his dog Wilson and used to say "well at least she doesn't chew on the furniture"...I think I need to recant that statement.

Mom's Proudest Moment: Teaching her how to clap. See this blog post.

Dad's Proudest Moment: Watching her cut some teeth. She is a champ! (You can see one tooth really well in the pictures at the top.)

Things I Don't Want To Forget:

These chubby yet petite little legs.