My sweet princess is 9 months old (as of the 15th) and I can hardly stand how amazing she is! She continues to be the most determined and motivated baby I know. She just doesn't give up when she wants something and falling down, bumping her head or mommy pulling her away doesn't even phase her. I am so proud just watching her. Tonight in the bath tub, Addison fell backward and she can't get herself up from that position, so we always have to rescue her. Her face clouded over with shock and fear, and it literally broke my heart. Once I sat her back up, she didn't even cry or whine. She is such a trooper. But I hugged her and kissed her anyway. And I told her that mommy will never let anything bad happen to her. And then my heart sank as I realized, I can't promise that forever. Some day soon, she will be bigger and more independent and I won't be able to protect her from everything in this world. My heart couldn't tolerate that thought, so I just hugged and kissed her some more and tried to distract myself. I don't know if it is because she is my baby (as opposed to my big boy:)) or my girl or what, but I am intensely protective of her. I literally feel her sadness, her pain, her fear to my absolute core. I can't even think about her not being happy. She just always has to be happy. That's all I ask.
Addison is pulling up to stand everywhere on everything. She can cruise along furniture but doesn't choose to often. She seems to prefer crawling. She can really get places fast that way! She is babbling a lot and has been saying "ma ma ma" a lot. She also shakes her head back and forth when I say "no no no." It is so adorable! Addison has pretty much refused all baby food lately. She just sees the bowl and starts waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head. She makes her wants (and dislikes) very clear! We found out recently that she absolutely loves macaroni and cheese and mandarin oranges. Unfortunately, she just picks and can't possibly eat an entire meal of that stuff. She is not getting the nutrients she needs from it. She needs her baby food. But, again, she refuses, so what can I do? She still can't tolerate thicker baby foods, like stage 3, and just gags on them. The doctor tells me to just keep trying and practicing eating food with her and she'll eventually get it. I have a feeling we have a very picky eater on our hands. Addison still gets up twice a night to eat pretty much every night. I also asked the doctor about this - and his answer is that she probably is hungry because she's not eating her solid meals. I was actually relieved to hear him say this. I was worried he would tell me she wasn't hungry and to let her cry. And I just know that's not the case. So, we keep getting up. One day, I will sleep a full night again. One day...
Addison is 19lbs 5oz (61st percentile) and she is 29.25 inches long (95th percentile). She is tall, tall, tall!! She has to wear 18 month shirts now! And 12-18 month pants. It's crazy, I tell you! She is just soooo long! She is gorgeous. I can hardly believe she is mere weeks away from being a toddler. I hope I can survive her growing up, because it is hard to even think about my baby not being a baby anymore. We love you, sweet baby girl! Happy 9 months!
