Margaret Elizabeth…9 months old

I can’t believe that in 3 short months, we will be celebrating your first birthday!! You are such a sweet, silly baby girl. You make all of us smile and laugh a LOT!

Some things about you right now…

• You still have the same tooth you sprouted at 8 months, but no more. I check almost daily for the one next to it, but I’m just not feeling anything yet.

• You are still in a size 3 diaper, but can wear 2s in a pinch if that’s all we can find.

• You are wearing mostly 6 and 9 month clothes, but I have bought you some 12 month outfits that you should grow into in the next couple months. There are a couple of 3-6 month onesies that still fit you, too.

• You are still sleeping so well! We usually put you down between 7:30 and 8:00. You usually sleep until about 6:30, when Daddy wakes you to eat and get dressed.

• You often have problems with coughing at night. I’m guessing it’s because of excess drainage in your throat. We consistently elevate the head of your crib, use saline/suction (a lot), use a humidifier at night and sometimes even use a little baby Vicks on your chest. We have been to the doctor twice since October and you are currently on your second round of antibiotics. You never run a fever, or even really act sick. Just lots of coughing that keeps you (and us) up at night. This last time, the doctor saw a little fluid in your right ear, so we go back next week to check on that.

• You take four 6-8 ounce bottles a day and eat baby food about 3 times a day. You always like your food mixed with a little cereal to make it thicker…you hate the runny texture of just the food. You would probably eat ALL baby food if you could. You are just not too interested in bottles anymore. However, it’s still important for you to get about 24 ounces of formula. I think we are getting ready to transition to three 8-ounce bottles and three meals of baby food. You can easily eat 2 containers at each meal, then sometimes some puffs. You’re still pretty tiny, though.

• I haven’t measured your length in a while, but at your last doctor’s visit (on 12/23) you weighed just 17.9 pounds. You are our tiny girl!

• You can easily roll both ways, especially when you are reaching for something. You haven’t quite figured out how to crawl. Rolling just seems to be the fastest way for you to get where you want to go. I am always trying to tempt you forward with your favorite things…my phone and the TV remote. You just don’t want to go!

• You are sitting up and playing most of the time.
• Your sister still ADORES you! She gets in trouble sometimes for squeezing you too hard, though.