10 Months and lots of CHANGES

Age: 10 Months

Weight: At your 9M check up you weighed 16 pound and 4 ounces which means you didn't gain any weight between check ups. I think it's because you were getting over the tummy bug and had probably lost a little weight from being sick. Our DR said that as long as you were a happy baby then there was nothing to worry about. Since we've moved to Athens and have gotten you a highchair (and especially since JJ started feeding you) I can really see a positive change in your eating habits and weight. 

Height: 26 in at your 9M check up. The DR said that all your calories went to your height these past few months

Diaper Size: Size 3...the daytime a are still a little baggie but I could buy another box of 2s because you're growing like a weed!

Clothes Size: You wear anything from 3-6M to 9M...12M is still a little too big.

Shoe Size: your little Target Uggs are a size 2. I tried to let you wear the pink Uggs that JJ gave you but one fell off as soon as we entered Target, I didn't realize it until 10 minutes into shopping, and we spent 15 minutes looking for it only to find it at the entrance and promptly leave as our entire "shopping time" had been devoted to find the shoe. Haha! Now that you can stand and push things around, I know that we need some type of shoes to protect your little baby skinned feet.

Schedule: Bless you sweet "on the go" thing. With the holidays and a move you sure have fought a good fight and powered through. Surprisingly I was able to track your patterns and get you on a pretty consistant schedule...though I'd like to see a few modifications :)

6:00-6:30: wake up- I usually let you play in your crib until you start making the "okay mom come get me noise". Sometimes I can squeeze another 30 minutes out of you.

6:30-7ish: Nurse

7:30-breakfast Girl you LOVE peanut butter and eat it nearly every day. I spread some on a toasted English muffin (the same as my breakfast) and you gobble it up! You usually have fruit with this too. You especially love watermelon and the way that it crunches when you bite/gum down. You have a new high chair too and love looking out the window, watching Me cook, or just talking while you eat.

                                                

-You play and play, crawl, pull up, push things around and generally make a mess until around 9- 9:30 when you take a nap.  Your morning naps are usually anywhere from 45 min-1.5 hours.

11:30- Lunch- you started eating Mac and Cheese and raveolie this month. You LOVE anything that you can feed yourself.  Anything that we are eating you want to try too.  You really like to share. SuSu says that you have sharing hands:

                                  

 You nurse before or after you eat lunch too.

1:30- Nap (this nap is longer and can last 2+ hours some days!)

--you usually nurse at some point in the late afternoon 

5ish-Supper

6ish- bath

6:30-7-Bedtime-You've been wanting to go to bed closer to 6 but I am trying to get you to be a 7-7 baby. You are good about staying up later especially if we are out doing something but I haven't been able to get the staying up later to translate to sleeping later! The sun isn't even out in Athens until at least 7:30...

Fun Facts and Milestones:

-You "talk" all the time. SuSu says that you are a lot like me when I was a little girl. You can say your Bs really well and say something that sounds like bAAby. You call everything that is stuffed (teddy bear, dog, baby doll) by this name. You are also starting to say q-awmmmmm, ugh, eeee.

-You are a crazy woman sometimes.  You are not afraid of anything and always wake up smiling.

- When you get mad you rub your fist over your mouth and make a noise. Bahhh, ahhhh, ahhhh 

-You have started making a growling noise and you think it's pretty funny. Whenever we go outside and you hear the birds, you try to mimic their songs.

-You have LOVED exploring your new home and the back yard.  You are already finding some pretty cool hiding places. I let you sit on a blanket and you will spend a good bit of time examining the leaves, gumballs, and grass.

-This month JJ came to Athens to help us get moved in!  Thank heavens for her "worker bee" self!  We would not have gotten moved in and set up without her.  On the days that she was not unpacking and organizing, she took you out on hikes so that Mommy and Daddy could paint and/or unpack.  Y'all had a great time together!  Kate and her sweet mother, Joy, made us supper one night after the movers came and we had to take a selfie to celebrate!

JJ took you for a hike and sent us this picture.  Y'all love swinging together and I am sure that your walks will be right up there with fun things y'all like to do together. She also took us out for brunch downtown.  We were ushered to a "private" room so that you could make all the noise you wanted.  You thought that the New Orleans fare was quite yummy!

After JJ treated us to brunch downtown, we got to walk around and explore a little too. 

You sure do LOVE your Daddy.  You think it's so funny when he lets you ride around on his shoulders.  

                                  

                                  

Daddy shaved his beard (he will not let me include his mustache picture...) and started his new job at Landmark Properties in Athens in the middle of January.  He is a Senior Project Manager and is so excited about the opportunities at this company.  I am excited about all of the young families that are apart of Landmark.  We have already had a few playdates and have many more in our future.  Thank you Lord for bringing us to Athens and for putting this job and these people in our lives!

                               

The weather is AMAZING in Athens right now and you have been enjoying days out in the yard without socks and shoes!  Hooray!!

 

After JJ moved us in, J-Pop, Uncle Bryson, and Michael Brooks came to stay with us.  We showed them around Athens and took them to the Creature Comforts brewery.  Uncle Bryson says that you have been on more brewery tours than him...I think he's right.

Uncle Bryson and Michael Brooks stayed an extra day and took turns holding you and pushing your stroller when we went out to explore.  You do not like riding in your stroller and really never have.  You like to be right in the middle of the action.  SuSu says that I was the same way.

                  

We are loving having so much space.  You can literary play in a new room or location of the house/yard every few hours.  PLUS "cold" in Athens is nowhere near the FREEZING temps in Chicago so we can still bundle up and go outside.  You have enjoyed pushing everything that you can get your hands on. 

You are the happiest baby there is!  You give sweet kisses (mostly to me) and love your Daddy too.  Daddy got a GoPro for Christmas and hooked it up to watch you take a ride on your scooter. 

Here's to another fun month sweet angel!

9 Month Update and Christmas

Age: 9 Months 

Weight: at your 9M well DR visit you still only weighed 16 LBS.  Your DR says that because you grew 2 in all of your calories must have gone to that.  He isn't worries and says that as long as you are happy then your healthy too. 

Height: 26 in

Diaper Size: Size 2

Clothes Size: 9M but can still fit into 6M too

Shoe Size: 2

Schedule:  Mommy is backtracking on this and doesn't quite remember...

Fun Facts and Milestones:

Well...we have decided to move to Athens, GA so that Daddy can begin a new job!  After our visit last month we knew that this fun SOUTHERN college town was going to be a great fit for our family.  I am going to get to stay at home with you and could not be more excited!  At the beginning of December we visited Athens to look for a house to rent.  The Templins were kind enough to let us stay with them again and we enjoyed doing a photo shoot with you and Bailey Bell.  I cannot wait to continue this tradition each year and to be able to compare the pictures as y'all grow and as our families grow!

You have so many Christmas outfits that we just have to document them all!  This one belonged to one of the Coffey girls.

The Valenta's hosted a tacky Christmas sweater party and Daddy scared you just a little :)

One day this month it reached nearly 50 degrees so we decided to take our last stroll through the Lincoln Park Zoo.  We will certainly miss this beautiful city!

We had a few playdates at Marianos Grocery too!  Susan and Eleanor are always up for meeting us there after school for an hour or two.  We meet in the lounge and enjoy a drink while the babies play on a blanket.  Everyone loves to come by the chat with y'all!

I had my last day of school/work and we celebrated the fact that Mommy gets to stay at home with you when we move.  (Daddy may have morned his dual income bank account, a little...JK)

On my last day of school we took the LATE flight in to Memphis and luckily you slept the WHOLE way.  You were snoozing in the airport and a lady walked by and said, "Her hand on your chest is the most precious thing.  You need to take a picture of that Mommy."  So I did.

We stayed at Uncle Timmy and Aunt MAs and left SUPER early so that we could make it to Baby Wilkes shower in Jackson.  You were thrilled to see both your JJ/BahBah AND SuSu as soon as we walked in.

 You and Elsie Lee helped Aunt Maggie open all of her gifts!

 Auntie J-Ellis was excited to see you!  She is going to be the BEST Ellis Aunt to Baby Wilkes!

 Aunt Angie cannot wait for the girls to add a boy cousin to the mix.

You love your best girlfriend, Aunt Maggie.  I have a feeling that she is going to help you get into some trouble as you grow up...

Y'all worked REALLY hard and needed a good nap while we ate lunch afterwards.

After the shower, Daddy and J-Pop met us at Aunt Angie's brewery, Lucky Town, and you got to take a tour.  Uncle Bryson says that you have been on more brewery tours than most adults which is probably true.

We started a tradition of going to Canton Lights with the Grandmothers, babies, and Momma's and we look forward to doing this every year.  BahBah figured out that next year we need a driver and a few bottles of wine. 

They had a parade that consisted of 3 floats pulled by tractors and every costume they could find.  There was a snowman, Santa, Superman, and Darth Vader, of course.

You enjoyed seeing all of the lights and the crowd!

Your first carousal ride was a success!   

When we got home, BahBah dressed you up like Little Cindy Lou-Who and let you eat supper with your feet on the table...I guess there are no rules when you are at your grandparents house.

Daddy B and Mr. Terry built all of the Ray grandbabies a swing set for SuSu's yard.  You and Elsie Lee LOVED swinging with Uncle Duff.  Thank goodness for hats with your names or else we might not know which is which. 

You helped SuSu swing EL.

You LOVED SuSu's "office" and y'all played for hours and hours.

Daddy B got down on the floor to play with his girl too.

Christmas was not complete without an illness and you were kind enough to share the tummy bug with me, Daddy, and the whole Moore family.  Luckily the two of us were okay by Christmas Eve but Daddy did not get to celebrate with us.  We held his picture in our First Christmas picture...here's to next year.

Aunt MA and I bought these matching nativity scene dressed for EL and you last year and they were perfect!  EL can sit up but for some reason she was enjoying just relaxing!

SuSu and Daddy B LOVE before Christmas Eve church at FBC Madison.

On Christmas morning we woke up to check out the Christmas tree and all of the gifts.  We said, "Thank you LORD for sending your SON.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!"

Lots of matching outfits for these cousins...and many more to come!  You loved ripping the paper off your gifts, looked cool in your new fur vest, and cruised around with your new walker.  You even roar like the lion!

  

SuSu says that this picture is one that she has prayed for and hopes that it gets even more crazy as the years go on.  You can tell that we had a GOOD time!

 

You and Uncle Duff waited for breakfast and you posed with Mommy for a picture.  We sure missed Daddy!

Aunt Angie ad Elsie Lee left later that morning so that they could visit Grandma Judy and the rest of the WI crew.      

    

While Daddy continued to get better, we played outside and enjoyed the nice warm weather!  It makes us even more excited to live in the south!

This was the first time in your life that you have been able to sit up on your own, in warm(ish) weather and explore the grass and fun things on the ground.  You picked up little blades of grass and dirt and showed the to SuSu.

Luckily Daddy was feeling better by that afternoon and was able to come over to celebrate with us.

That Friday, the rest of the Moore crew was feeling better so we had Christmas #2 with them!  You looked BEAUTIFUL in your vintage Christmas dress.  SuSu made this for me when I was a little girl.

Uncle Bryson and Uncle Ryan loved your grand entrance!

You enjoyed playing with Daddy's new Go-Pro camera.  He cannot wait to find a strap that's your size so that we can see your view!

Uncle Bryson liked your toys even more than you!  

JJ was so glad to see you playing with all of the cool toys and puzzles that Santa brought to her house for you.  

Y'all played and played all morning long!

Daddy installed your gift to JJ outside on her porch.  She and J-Pop LOVE to sit outside on their porch and we knew that this would be the perfect gift for y'all BOTH to enjoy.

You and JJ swang and swang outside.

After y'all played outside, you read a few books and played with an activity book that Sissy had made for Daddy when he was a little boy.

Later that day we traveled to Pontotoc for the Duff Christmas.  You liked scooting all over GanGan's house and finding her treasures.  When I was a little girl I loved exploring at GanGan's (old) house and finding all of the little nicknacks that used to belong to my mom and her siblings.  Her house is FULL of fun things to play with and she has a story to go along with most of her things too.  She is a great storyteller and I hope that you have lots of good memories about GanGan and trips to Pontotoc.   

I cannot get enough of your precious giggles.  You think that Maggie Agus is hilarious!

We pray that we are all as beautiful on the inside and out as our GanGan.

We traveled to Memphis to see Uncle Rob's restaurant OPENED.  You LOVED the cookies and cream milk shake and riding on the tractor that's INSIDE the restaurant.  We are so proud of that Uncle Rob (AND Aunt Angie).

When we returned home you got to open your final gift from Susana...a lion walker.  Daddy is excited to set up BOTH of these walkers so that you can have races with Bailey once we move to Athens.

Even though we were SICK for a few days during the holiday, it was a WONDERFUL time spent back in Madison.  Holidays have a whole new meaning now that you are here and I know that each year will bring even more fun.  Happy Birthday Baby Jesus!