Nine Months

9 Months

• You are everywhere. You love crawling under the desk, over to the piano to play with the pedals, and then onto the steps where you cry to join me in the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, I have to put the dog food up. Your clothes are trashed because you will sneak out to the back porch. Whatever. Good thing you are the last so I don't feel like I have to keep it perfect for the next child. 
• Fourth of July went really well with you. I never know what to do with babies so late at night. We just put you to bed around 7pm and woke you up at 9:30pm when we headed out to see the fire works. You treated it just like a nap, were so happy to see the lights, and then went right to bed when we got home. I didn't get any pictures of you in your outfit because you got it so dirty at Pine Bar that we just changed you wen we got home. 
• You diet has been really expanded lately. We went on an adventure to the Selway Falls and you tried dog poop, sand, and power bait, along with Chinese food that night (though you liked all of them the same). 
• We introduced you to playing balls and it makes you crack up. We just pass the ball back and forth. At one point, you were laughing so hard, you would fall backwards. I got a video of you and sent it to the grandmas. They love seeing you.
• You have been so grumpy this last week. At points during the day, I have had to leave the other kids at home and just push you in the stroller for 20 minutes to calm you down and give me some quiet. Dad was on call this weekend, so it has been hard on me to deal with your crying and clinglyness all by myself. I kept checking your temperature, but never a fever. Finally, a week into this new mood, I started giving you medicine (makes you so much happier). So is it teething? Well, a fever finally came (though honestly I think you had one for a while, out thermometer just wasn't working) and you woke up with crusts in your ear. Poor baby, you have had a horrible ear infection this who time. We finally got you on real medicine and drops, so there is hope again. What was hard is that you wanted only me, but you hate being rocked so I don't know how to comfort you. Really the only thing that comfort your is me holding you while walking around. I did this a lot because I love you so much and really was trying hard to make you feel better.

Eight Months

8 Months

• Oh my goodness, could you get any more cuter? Wherever I take you, people always comment how cute and happy you are. You really are a happy baby, but at the same time, you are not afraid to let me know that you are not content at the moment.
• Crawling, moving, shaking, that is what you do all day. You love to crawl around the furniture but then will get stuck in the legs of the side tables. I am having to sweep and mop more because your cloths are getting so brown from army crawling all over the floors. The living room has serves sort of a play pen for you because you can't climb the stairs yet, but now you discovered that you have to left in the room by yourself, so you crawl over to the stairs where you can seeing me cooking, and cry for me to pick you up. I don't love you in the kitchen because you found the dog food and the floor in the kitchen is so dirty at times, I feel like I have to change your outfit afterwards.
• Swim season has started and you really enjoy the water. It is still tricky knowing when to go-before or after nap-but you usually a good sport about it.
• We went to CDA over Father's Day to visit the lake and spend a day at Silverwood. You were obvious to small to have done anything, but you were happy the whole time, especially since you only napped a total of 40 minutes the whole day. 
• After reading the other kids blog at this age, I realized that we were behind on having you stand up. You just love the floor so much, you usually sit right down the moment we stand you up. The kids have been working hard on getting you to practice standing along the fireplace. You haven't taken any steps while standing, but you will stand for a whole minute or two before just sitting down. 
• Food is still your favorite and for the most part, you love it all. I have introduced a bit more dairy, which you seem to hardly well. The other thing that had bothered you are really cold food like fresh cold smoothies or watermelon straight from the frig. 
• You are a crack up. You will do the blowing bubbles/spitting sound. You know that it makes us laugh, so you will do it over and over to see us laugh. If I lay you down on the bed to get you dress, you start laughing while trying to crawl away. I love seeing these glimpse of your illy personality coming through. I have a feeling you are going to be a real goof ball.

Seven Months

7 Months

• The fun news this month is that you learned how to sit up and you got your first tooth! It is amazing to see you grow and get bigger. You still aren't amazing at sitting up, but not due to lack of ability. You are so wiggling that when we get you into sitting position, you just flop back onto your tummy because that is how you prefer to be. Being able to sit up makes it such that now you are sitting in your high chair at the table (bring on the JoJo zone). The other morning, you woke up early and I was able to put the basket of toys in front of you and go back to sleep on the couch (love this stage). 
• Your tooth also came while we were in Oregon. Although that tooth does not do much to increase your food consumption, there is no worries in that department. You are an eating machine. There has been nothing that you haven't liked. Also, the amount you eat is crazy. When we sit down at the table, you start screaming to feed you. You will keep screaming because we can't shovel it into your mouth fast enough. Uncle Joe kept commenting how much you ate. You have a lovely rolly poly figure to prove it.
• You are beginning to say Dada more. I don't know if you actually know what it means, but you do seem to say it more when Dad is around than when he is not.
• You have amazing big sisters and brother. We have been really busy getting the garden ready and building the chicken coop. They have been taking turns watching you while we work on those projects. 
• Your wiggling around has led us to put up our first baby gate ever. It is not found having it up, but when I found that you had wiggled yourself under the piano, I knew it was only a matter of time before you wiggle down the stairs. 
• You are so incredibly happy and smiley. I really have loved the baby you are growing into being (plus that reflux med helped). 

Six Months

6 Months

• Oh my goodness, you need to stop growing up. First of all, you are the master tummy timer. The moment I lay you down, you roll over to your tummy. And you like it! You haven't figured out how to roll over the room or crawl, but you pivot around a circle all day long. Even when we are holding you, are are antsy to move.
• You are loving food now. Some of the food that we have tried are peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, rice with sauce from dinner, banana, bread, oatmeal, applesauce, and obj sandwich. Ever since we discovered you wanted food with flavor and a bit of texture, you just gobble it all up.
• You are close to sitting up. You can sit up by yourself for about 30 seconds before tipping over. But in all honesty, whenever I try to have you sit up, you purposely tip over so you can get back to you belly.
• We started the reflex medicine and it has made all the difference in your personality. You are so giggly and smiley. Before, you hand a hard time being set down, especially in the evening, but now you are a lot more chilled.
• You think your siblings are the funniest thing in the world. You will crack up watching them wrestle, dance, and especially swinging on the swings. 
• The weather has been nicer so we have taken you outside more. You are an awesome hiker in the ergo and will bounce away in the bouncer while in the garden. 
• You are babbling more and more. Sam and Millie love to think that every coo is your first word. 

Five Months

5 Months

• Although you won't remember anything from this month, it will go down in history as a big month in your life time. COVID 19 has come to the US and our world has shut down. School and church has been canceled. Businesses have to shut down. Idaho has mandated a stay-at-home order. We don't know how this is all going to pan out, but it has been a challenge. 
• This was birthday month for your siblings. Each of them was able to have party, which you tagged along with. We may have snuck you a few bites of cake each time, which you willing accepted.
• Food! We finally figured it out. We have been trying for a month with rice cereal and you scream each time we give it to you. Oh my goodness, I have felt like nothing has come super easy the first time of round with you. Well, one night, we were having curry and rice for dinner. I thought, well it can't hurt to just try. You gobbled it up. Curry. You ate a lot of it. The kids were freaking out that you liked curry but not baby food. Well, you have since tried just giving you table food and it seems to have work.
• We bought a used play structure that came with another baby swing. With the warmer weather, we have been able to go outside and push you on the swing and sit on the trampoline. This is one way to really get you to giggle.

Four Months

4 Months

• This has been a roller coaster of a month. You started the month refusing the bottle. It caused me a lot of anxiety because I felt like you weren't getting enough, even though I knew I was making enough. You were down to one feeding at night when suddenly you were waking up three times to feed. It was really wearing on me. Triple play was hard because I was feeding you every two hours. When we got home, I was finished. I pumped and gave you the bottle. It took just a day for you to take it well and it felt like a huge weight was lifted from me. I continued to pump until I had enough for your four month mark. That was my goal when you were born, and we made it. I feel like you are happier also. You take the pacifier better, are more happy during the day because you can go longer between feedings. You even went back to one feeding at night.
• Now for the down part for the roller coaster part. You got a cold and bad cough. Because of that, you are back to waking up for two feedings, but some nights, you have woken up 4 times. I wanted to have you cry it out this last weekend because Dad was on call, but with the cold, we will have to wait. 
• On happier notes, you are laughing more. I love tickling and kissing your neck to get you to laugh. Baths are a favorite of yours. You kick the water all over the place and wiggle your way down the sling until your head is in the water. You are starting to hold on to "Ellie" your elephant and I made you a wooden play thing that goes over you when you lay on the ground and has toys dangle from it.
• Are you very social in the fact that you want to be able to see people or be held by people. Having you sit in the gumbo on the counter has been a life saver.
• You are so wet all the time. You are still drooling all over your shirts. Some days I have to change your onesies just because of your drool.

Three Months

3 Months

• We celebrated your first Christmas. We didn't need much, so we kept it simple. You got that onesies you are wearing in the picture, a JoJo book, and pacifier clips. You took a lot of naps. Next year will be more eventful. We headed to Utah for New Years, and you were the best travel baby. You slept well in the car, did well sleeping in different cribs, and loved all the attention that you got. Grandma Matthews kept taking you from me, which I was totally fine with. 
• While in Utah, we took you swimming for the first time. You seemed to like it, or at least tolerated it. 
• You are sitting up a lot better this month. We have had you sitting in the bumbo a bit. I like having you on the counter while we are eating a snack. The other day, Millie wanted to do a tea party with you, so I put you in the gumbo next to her while she pretended to cook for you. At one point, I found the food basket on your head so we had to stop the party at that point.
• You are laughing! Your first chuckle was for dad on Christmas Day. I did get a video of you laughing really well. You don't do it often, but I love hearing it when you do. You are so smiley though. Many people comment on how smiley you are.
• You are sort of our sour patch kid. You will be so happy and smiley and then suddenly, you will start crying. It is pretty night and day. 
• You still have the mark on your cheek this month. We have tried to so many different creams. It is just a crazy ring worm that is holding on tight.