10 Months with Baby E

Wow...this month has been a blur. We have been super busy and it seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye. It almost seems like someone flipped a switch because Baby E has grown and developed a ton this month. She seems less like a baby every day.

I so big Mommy

We started the month with Baby E's first ear infection. That was no fun, but she handled it like a champ. She didn't even let on that she wasn't feeling well. I felt like a terrible when we went in for her 9 month check up and the doctor said she had a bad ear infection.

Next on the agenda was a trip to WI for Mother's day weekend. Baby E handled her first plane flights like a champ. She nursed a good portion of the time we were in the air with a couple of short naps and some playtime. We managed to spill drinks on both flights, but it could have been worse.

Mother's Day with the Family

The WI trip was a lot of fun. We met up with friends, did a 5k (yeah, I still need to do a recap on that), held a meet and greet for Baby E, went to the park and spent a lot of time with my family. It was nice to all be together without some sort of health crisis going on.

She loved the flowers

Friends and babies

Swinging is the best

Baby E also had her first trip to the beach last weekend. She loved playing in the sand and was intrigued by the water. While she was more than happy to try and eat the sand, she did not like the taste of the salt water. She got a little in her mouth when we were playing in the water and she immediately started clawing at my swimsuit to try and get a drink. She knows were the milk hides.

Beach baby

The biggest change this month is that Baby E is walking. I don't know how it happened so quickly, but she went from taking a step here and there to walking across the room in less than two weeks. This video is from last week and she is already so much steadier on her feet.

She still loves her alarm clock and her DVDs. She is also getting into more and more things around the house. Taking her snacks out of the diaper bag or playing in the pantry are two of her favorite things.

Baby E learned how to fist bump when we were in WI (thanks Auntie Heidi) and waving came shortly after. Baby E is also starting to pick up some words and meaning. She seems to understand and often use Dada, Mama and hi in context, but that may just be wishful thinking.

Watching Baby E develop over this month has been amazing. I know that every stage has its challenges, but so far, each one has been more fun. I can't wait to see what the next few months hold.

My First Mother's Day

Today is my first Mother's Day. It is amazing to that last year at this time we were planning and preparing for Baby Marron to make her arrival (not that we knew it was a her). This year she is quickly moving from baby to little girl.

When did she get so big?

We are visiting my family in WI for Mother's Day and it is nice to spend my first real Mother's  Day with my own Mom. My sister and her husband also gave me a wonderful gift...they took care of Baby E last night so my husband and I could a have a date night.

I know that Baby E will never be this small again, so I am trying to take in every moment. Her hugs and snuggles are an amazing gift.

I am so blessed

9 Months with Baby E

I can't believe that 9 months is here already. Each month seems to go faster than the last. Welcome to parenthood. This was a pretty big month for Baby E.

Baby E is now almost 20 pounds and 28 inches tall. She also has 5 teeth. I swear it seems like she grows overnight. She is still wearing her 9 month clothes, but most of those are going to need to be put away soon because most of her pants are turning into high waters.They still kind of fit, so I am not in a rush.

Always on the move

The month started out with a visit from my best friend and her son. He is about 2.5 months younger than E. We took the babies to Lake Eola for a baby play date and E loved being outside and playing in the grass. She did not like me holding the other baby. When I picked him up she gave him a look that could of killed. Who knew that a 9 month old could be jealous? That girl knows her Mommy.

Friends

 

Grass tickles my toes!

Warmer weather also means that we have been able to take E to the pool a couple of times. She seems to like it and she is getting better about keeping her hat on. I am excited that she will be old enough to enjoy the water this summer. We are trying to plan a trip to the beach soon. 

Playing in the pool!

  This was Baby E's first Easter celebration. She went to visit the Easter bunny and didn't freak out, but wasn't so sure about him. Her Easter basket was filled with some clothes, hair bows, pacis, a pool float, Cheerios and bananas, but she wasn't really interested in it. She also did great during mass, which I am thankful for. I think her favorite part of the day was the Easter egg hunt. She got to play in the grass with some plastic eggs. Her cousins were excited for the candy inside. 

  Baby E is a master crawler now. She has been exploring more and more of the house. This means we are keeping more and more doors closed. Our office, which is still a complete disaster from moving, is one of her favorite places to try and go. She also wants to play under our wood table on the tile floor. This makes me very nervous, and I often spend a good part of my day keeping her from going under the table. 

Turn your back for 30 seconds and this is where I will be

She still will pull herself up on everything. At daycare they said that some days she doesn't want to play with toys, she just wants to stand and jump. Around the middle of the month she started standing up without holding on to anything. We were amazed the first time she did it, because it seemed to develop quickly. Now she will stand and clap or play with toys. She still hasn't started walking without holding on to anything, but she is reaching further and further to go between things. I know it won't be long and she will be running.

Baby E is starting to remember where things are located. This blows my mind. I know every parent says it, but she is ridiculously smart. She looks for things when you put her down in a room. Unfortunately, many of the thing she remembers are things she is not allowed to play with.

We have a house full of toys, but baby E's favorite things to play with are door stops, CD/DVD/Game cases and cords. I keep the cords away from her, but figure she can't really hurt herself on a doorstop or DVD case. 

Taking my video games with me

As for me, I am doing pretty well. My weight/fitness is still about the same. I am still nursing and pumping and every time I cut calories or really increase exercise my supply seems to drop. There are only a few more months of pumping left, and the benefits to E far outweigh my desire for smaller pants. I am becoming far more comfortable with this whole mom things. There are still tough days, but I figure that is part of being a parent. This month my husband had to go out of town for a funeral and it was the first time I was a single parent for a couple of days. I think I only cried once during the three days he was gone, so I call that a win.