Claire - 9 Months

Claire, you are 9 months old! You're growing up so quickly right before our eyes! It's wild to me that you've now spent as much time "on the outside" as you did in the womb.

Here are your measurements from your 9 month doctor visit:
Height: 28 inches (64th percentile)
Weight: 21 lb, 6 oz (90th percentile)
Head: 18.5 inches (99th percentile)

At your 6 month visit you were in the 89th percentile for height and now you're in the 64th, but Dr. Spellings isn't concerned about this change. She thinks you went through a big growth spurt right before 6 months and that now you're just leveling out. You wear size 3 diapers during the day and size 4 overnight diapers. You can still fit in some 9 month clothing, but you're in a lot of 12 month clothing. You fit better in 12-18 month pants from Old Navy than you do in the 6-12 month size!

Here's what else you've got going:

- You are crawling all over the place. You move super fast! You're into EVERYTHING! It's crazy how fast you can get into trouble - ha! I even had to call poison control a couple of weeks ago because I found you eating cat litter! Thankfully, the lady at poison control assured me that cat litter is not toxic and that this happens all the time. You are constantly trying to get to the cat's food and into the fireplace. We're having to get very creative with where everything goes now. You are such a mess and I love you to pieces!

- You can cruise the furniture with ease. You love to make the loop around Pinky & Papaw's new round coffee table! You've let go and stood on your own a few times!!! We were at Gigi and Poppy's house the first time you did this and they got to see the whole thing - we were all very excited! I'm not sure you even realize you're standing on your own really. Dr. Spellings thinks you'll be walking in about a month - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

- You're talking and babbling a lot! You can say mama, dada, dog, hi, and just today you've started saying "no no no no" (you learned this from your cousin Grace). You're very vocal and expressive! Lately, you're shrieking/yelling/howling at stores and restaurants. Sometimes you also yell at me between every bite of food - I think this has to do with teething.

- You are cutting 3 teeth right now. That will bring you to 7 total! The last week or so you've been fussier than normal and not completely yourself. At times, teething almost makes you like a different child! I hate seeing you in pain and hope those chompers finish coming through soon! In the interest of keeping it real, here's a few outtakes from our 9 month photoshoot that show how you really feel about taking pictures during teething...

- You're a good eater and it's fun seeing you try new things. You're still eating purees and oatmeal, and we're starting to try new foods. Lately you've been having pieces of cheese, ham and turkey for lunch. Last week you had a little bit of pork and tortilla from a Torchy's Tacos - my little Austin girl! You're still obsessed with Cheerios! Cheerios are a lifesaver in stores, restaurants, and the car.

- You're also still nursing. Your sharp little teeth have made for a few painful moments, but we're going to keep on trucking!

- After your upper front teeth pushed through, we started the Ferber method again and you were sleeping better...not through the night, but better. Now that you're cutting more teeth, the nights are really rough again. You're a great napper - you usually take a long morning nap and usually take a shorter afternoon nap. Sometimes the afternoon nap doesn't happen. You still nap in your swing. I know we need to transition away from that, especially since you will grow out of it soon, but when you had a hard time napping in your crib a few months ago, I made the decision that it was more important for you to get into a nap routine and then we'd worry about the location later. I've been on a great crusade to find curtains for your room. I am totally clueless when it comes to curtains and find them totally overwhelming, so I have none in my house. NONE! The ones I ordered should be here this week and then we'll start transitioning your naps!

- Earlier this month you made your first trip up to East Texas and attended your very first Strutton family reunion. It was a lot of fun and I was so proud to introduce you to everyone! Daddy and I are a little nuts, so we decided to also attend his 10 year high school class reunion that evening in Houston. This made for 14 hours of driving in a 72 hour period. We were very nervous about all that time in the car, but you did so great!!! Since we've been home you kinda hate your car seat, which is pretty understandable. You're reaching that phase where you don't like to be confined in a car seat, high chair, etc.

- You had your first fever a couple of weeks ago. You were pretty quiet that day, but I thought it was because we'd had a very busy day. Later in the afternoon, we met a friend of mine at a restaurant and you started acting really lethargic and then you fell asleep in your highchair. This never happens! I felt so bad when I realized you had a fever. Thankfully, your fever was gone within 24 hours, but the stomach virus that accompanied it lasted for several more days. It's hard seeing your baby sick - I'm so glad you're feeling better!

- A few weeks ago, we went to your first storytime at the library. I actually think this is where you caught the bug you had. It was really interesting to see you around so many other kids your age! You've been around other kids when we hang out with friends/family and in the nursery at church, but never a group this large. I suspected you'd stick close to me, since you tend to be a mama's girl, but I couldn't have been more wrong! You were in the middle of all the action, mixing it up with all the other kids! It was so cute!

- You're entering a really fun, interactive stage! You're starting to dance and wave to people. It's just so sweet and amazing to see you do new things.

Current nicknames: Clairebear, Toot, Tootie, and Tooter. I know that will embarrass you someday, but for now you're our little Toot! ;)

Favorite toys: books, blocks, tea set, your pumpkin pillow, and anything you can chew on!

Claire, you make each day so much fun! You make me and your Dada beam with pride. We love you to the moon and back!

Love,
Mama