9 Months Old!

As of May 7, Kendall Jean is 9 months old. I can hardly believe my fingers as they type that! She is as sweet as ever and over the past month has really developed in some areas and has also been keeping us on our toes - lil stinker! As you might see, Kendall had me working hard to get smiles and simultaneously keep her 9-month sticker on her shirt for our little photo shoot! 

Yesterday's 9-month check up went really well - much better than previous appointments in terms of stranger anxiety towards Dr. Tammy and tears from the pokes. She did not bat an eye when they pricked her finger for a blood draw and she only cried for about 3 seconds after her Hepatitis B vaccine. Way to go, little lady! She's healthy and happy! Here's how much she's growing:

Weight: 19 pounds (53%)

Length: 28.5" (80%)

Head circumference: 17.25" (45%)

She's wearing size 3 diapers and mostly 12-18 month clothes. We expect that she will be able to fit into Katelyn's 18-month summer clothes in a few months, which is wild considering their "seasons" are about 6 months off!

Disposition: Kendall is a happy, content, easy-going baby the vast majority of the time. We know that because lately she hasn't been so happy and it's so out of character for her. She's been a drooling, nose-running machine; couple that with some big-time fussy stretches and it all adds up to one word: teeth! None of which she has yet, but they've gotta be just below the surface of her red, achy little gums. Most days though, Kendall is our sweet sidekick coming along to all of our activities and is just a peach of a girl. Many people ask me, "Is she always this easy-going? She's so happy!" Yes, she really is!

Sleeping: Not much has changed this month in the sleep department. Kendall sleeps as solid as a rock at night - hitting the hay between 6:30 and 7 and sleeping soundly until about 5:30 am when she wakes to eat and then goes back to sleep for another hour or more. Naps, on the other hand, are just short little snoozers. She takes two of them - around 10:30 am and 2 pm - and each one is 30 minutes. Tops. She loves to sleep on her side and her tummy. I rarely take sleeping pictures of our kids because I don't want to chance waking them up, but I couldn't resist this sleeping beauty in her favorite resting position...

Eating: Kendall is still nursing 5 times daily, but she's also making strides in consuming baby food. She generally eats purees for breakfast (a fruit combo of some sort) and lunch (a veggie). It still takes her a day or two to eat a full jar or pouch, but we're getting there. She eats 1-2 ounces at each meal, which is big progress compared to 1-2 bites a couple months ago. She's acquiring a taste for fruits now and actually prefers them over veggies. She likes interesting fruit/veggie combinations such as banana/beet/blueberry and broccoli/peas/pear. Even her first love (sweet potatoes) have taken a back seat to fruits. She has started trying Mum Mums (organic rice rusks) that dissolve easily in her mouth and is doing well with those too. 

Development: Kendall is on the move. She loves to roll all over the place. The picture above shows her new favorite move - getting on all fours from a seated position. Sometimes her left leg gets stuck, but she's pretty good at eventually wiggling it out. She has yet to really move forward or backward on her hands and knees, but it's probably not too far away. Eeek! She has perfected the wave and does it most of the time we say, "Kendall, can you wave hello/bye-bye?" Just within the last couple days, she's caught on to pointing with her index finger and will do it when we say, "Can you point with your finger?" Then she giggles and grins with pride! 

Kendall loves to get her hands on things and will reach for anything. She especially likes things with unique textures and usually explores by putting things in her mouth. She also loves to roll over to bookshelves and pull all the books down one by one and has even gotten used to knocking herself in the head a few times that it doesn't faze her now.

She's still exercising her voice by making sounds like, "da-dah, bah-bah, ma-mah, doh-doh." She is most vocal when first waking up.

See these leg rolls? We love them. So. So. Much.

Kendall's hair is getting longer - see how it's growing over her little ears? Her hair is still light, very fine, wispy, and sticks up straight in the back. One of her teachers at church calls it "dandelion hair." When the sun shines through it, that's pretty accurate :)

Likes:

- Bathtime. She bounces up and down and squeals with delight when it's time for a bath!

- Playing with noise-making toys (xylophone, drums, tapping two toys together).

- Being outside. Sunshine and breezy, fresh air, ahhh...

- Being held. Or being close to people.

- Being in the Ergobaby carrier - still at 9 months. She is so content and hasn't reached the wiggly, let-me-outta-this-thing stage yet. (Yay!) It definitely makes our park outings easier!

- Playing with Katelyn. Both of them giggle and squeal with sheer happiness. 

Dislikes:

- Being hungry.

- Being tired.

- Being confined for too long (in the car seat, in the stroller, etc.)

Little Kendall, our blue-eyed girl, you are such a joy! Who knew our hearts could hold so much love?! Thank you for 9 wonderful months of smiles, snuggles, and pure sweetness. You've got a lot to teach us and we look forward to all that's in store. xoxo