Dear Sadie

Tomorrow you will turn one. I can't believe it.

There was a time I didn't think I would be a mom at all. Then our plans changed and I thought I would become a mom through the gift of adoption. Then came a positive pregnancy test that was so unexpected and unbelievable. I worried about you when you were growing inside me. I loved being pregnant with you, but I was so scared that you would be taken away from me. Then you were here, and all the worry melted away. Hearing your first cry and seeing your daddy's face as he held you made my heart so full it could burst. I would relive that moment a thousand times if I could.

Part of me is sad you are turning one because I miss cuddling with my little, squishy baby. But a bigger part of me loves the wonderful little person you have become. Jabbering and moving and playing and into something new each day. You are so much fun. I love hearing your laugh and seeing your beautiful smile.

Tonight as I nursed you before bed I thought of our first night home from the hospital. You were up almost all night nursing. The next day I remember crying- telling my mom and my friends that I didn't think I could do it. But I did it. We did it. You are a wiggly, busy nurser now, and can't be bothered to sit still for more than 10 minutes, but I am so glad I still have my snuggle time with you.

I put you to bed tonight as a baby, tomorrow you will be a toddler. But you will always be my sweet, miracle baby no matter how fast the years pass. I love you so much, baby girl. Thank you for healing my heart.

11 months

I'm a little late. Sadie is just such a busy girl lately that I don't have much time to blog!

Age: 11 Months

Weight: about 20 lbs

Length: 28 inches (I haven't measured in several weeks)

Size: She is in 12 month clothes, but some are starting to get snug. We may have to move to 18 month sooner than I thought.

Hair: brown and getting pretty long on top. It may be long enough for a tiny ponytail, but I haven't tried.

Eyes: still big, beautiful, brown, and aware!

Teeth: 2 bottom teeth. Her top left is poking through as I type this, but technically it wasn't on her 11 month birthday :). The other top one is coming soon.

Sleeping: She was sleeping very well, 10-12 hours mostly through the night, until we went on vacation. More on that later. Now she is waking up 1-2 times again but I think it will get better as we settle back into our routine. Naps are going well. She is on a pretty predictable nap schedule now, they are just too short sometimes. Sometimes I miss the little cuddly baby who would only nap on my lap! Now she is too busy to sit still.

Eating: Still nursing regularly and eating lots of table food. She loves macaroni, grilled cheese, pizza, spaghetti, and quesadillas. She also loves blueberries and yogurt. She is a very good eater. Cheerios are a favorite too. When I get the box out in the morning she gets so excited. She also got some out of her diaper bag and was able to open a baggie to get to them. I will post a pic of that below. We have given her whole milk a few times in a sippy cup. I don't plan to stop nursing her at 12 months (I will follow her lead with that), but I will not be pumping anymore so she will have to drink milk at the sitter in the fall. She will drink a little milk but she prefers water.

Movement: She is a super fast crawler, and regularly "furniture surfs." She loves walking with her shopping cart and anything else she can push. She loves to stand, and will pull herself up on anything and everything! She will stand for a few seconds on her own. She decided that climbing up the slide was easier than the steps on her outdoor play set. I gave up trying to keep her from climbing on the couch and I'm now trying to teacher how to get down safely. She also dances when her toys play music. She shakes her hips and bottom- it's so cute and funny.

Milestones: waving! She will wave and say "buh-buh." It's so cute. While we were on vacation she would wave to random people. She also says several words (meaning she says the first letter or syllable, but she uses it in context). In addition to bye-bye, she says ball, dada (daddy), and dog. When we go in the backyard so will look in the neighbor's yard for the dahs (dogs) and wave to them. She had her first zoo trip while on vacation and all the animals were dahs. She loves the pool, and while swimming at my friend's house she kept point to all the bahs (balls) until we brought them to her. If one floated away she would point and say bah until we brought it back to her. She will say mama, but it's usually just when she's crying. Little stinker ;). Other milestones include moving to a big girl carseat, getting her first pair of "real" shoes, riding on a carousel, and traveling! On vacation we went to St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Des Moines, and Indianapolis. 5 cities in 6 days! She did wonderful. She tolerated a time change and a different hotel almost every night. Dave figured out that combined with our Boston trip last fall, she has visited 15 states before her first birthday!

Favorite Toys/Activities: She continues to love books and will read anywhere and everywhere. I had to hunt for vinyl books for her to read at the pool and in the tub. She loves going to the pool! She also enjoys chasing Shorty and stealing her blanket (poor puppy), climbing, and emptying bins and baskets. She can throw a basket of laundry around her room in less than a minute.

Dislikes: She hates getting her hands and face wiped. She will try to block me from wiping her face. She also dislikes things being taken from her (because despite all her toys she always tries to play with things she shouldn't have). She lets out this high pitched squeal when she is upset. Right now I think it's funny. Maybe in a few months I won't ;).

Words & Sounds: I mentioned all of her words above, but she also does a fake laugh and a fake gasping sound. They are both so adorable.

Her 12 month will be my last monthly update. I seriously can't believe how fast a year has gone. This year has been filled with so much joy! We are so blessed.

Reading a few books

Playing at the pool

Bye bye

She found a book in our hotel room!

Sadie will get the luggage, don't worry

The face of innocence...

First carousel ride

Shopping for birthday decorations is exhausting!

I am so cool!

My very own swing

Checking out the rhinos at the zoo

10 months

Double digits?? How did we get here already?? My sweet baby is growing so fast.

Age: 10 Months

Weight: She was 18 lbs 5 oz at her 9 month appointment so I'm guessing around 19 lbs

Length: 28 inches (she's grown an inch in a month!)

Size: There are a few 9 month things that still fit, but she is mostly in 12 month clothes now

Hair: brown and a few hints of red in the sun. Her side wings are really starting to fit in with the rest of her hair.

Eyes: still big, brown, and aware!

Teeth: she has her 2 bottom ones. I don't feel the top teeth yet, but she's been chewing a lot lately so I wonder if they will poke through soon

Sleeping: Sleep continues to improve. She has an off night here and there, but that is normal. She still wakes up about once per night to nurse. The pediatrician said she is old enough to make it through the night but it's up to me. I have no problem getting up once with her. I know someday she will be older and may not want to be near me, so I will enjoy our middle of the night snuggles/nursing while I can.

Eating: Still nursing regularly and eating lots of table food. She is not a picky eater. We have started to just give her bits and pieces of what we are eating. I think macaroni is her favorite right now. She also loves spaghetti. Yesterday she tried watermelon for the first time and it was a hit! She has decided she doesn't like eggs anymore though. She ate scrambled eggs several times and like them, but now she gags and spits them out. I even put cheese on them and she still didn't care for them. It was pretty funny to watch her gag and spit but I tried not to let her see me laugh. I think she just doesn't like the texture of eggs all the sudden. She also really loves these chicken veggie nuggets I make her with broccoli, cheese, bread crumbs, and chicken. She loves pizza, just like her daddy! She is a pro with her sippy cup now, but has started to drop it on the floor when she is done drinking. It's another time I have to not let her see me laugh, because she looks right at us and just drops it. She does that with a lot of toys too, so I think it's the noise she wants to hear.

Movement:crawling, crawling everywhere! She started crawling the first week of May. She is super fast now. She skipped army crawling and just went straight to her hands and knees. She is also standing all the time now! She can pull herself up just about anywhere. It's really funny when Dave goes outside to let Shorty out and she stands at the sliding door and watches them (and sometimes licks the door..haha). She is also standing in her crib now. Sometimes I think she wakes up, stands, and forgets how to lay back down. She can clap her hands now too. Oh! Her best new trick is learning to climb Shorty's doggie steps to get up on the couch. We thought it was cute that she was playing on them, and then within a day she climbed them! Uh oh.

Milestones:crawling, standing, and clapping. She did her first Furry Scurry, the charity walk for Shorty and I do for the local humane society. She also celebrated her first Memorial Day and went to her first parade.

Favorite Toys/Activities:I don't know if she has a favorite toy. She LOVES books and will pull all her books down from the shelf and sit and "read" them for long periods of time. She has gone to the park with her babysitter, and with my parents and they all say she loves the baby swing. She loves going for walks in the stroller. We try to take Shorty for a walk every day.

Dislikes:Waiting for food (still) and she is starting to hate getting her diaper changed. She will kick her legs and arch her back as soon as I put her on the changing table. Funny because that used to be her happy place when she was fussy! She also hates being strapped in her car seat. Basically anything that means she has to be still.

Words & Sounds: She is a little quieter now that she's focused on standing and crawling, but she will still babble dadadada. mamamama and babababa. We think she was copying us and saying "yay" the other day.

Wow, pretty soon my baby will be a year old. I can't believe how fast time passes. We are so blessed!

"Reading" in her chihuahua jammies. About 2 minutes later I fished part of that paper out of her mouth.

Shorty kisses are good!

The best 10 month picture we could get

First parade!

Grass feels funny

Climbing the steps!

All dressed for the Furry Scurry

Big girl standing!

I love spaghetti!

9 months

Wow. I can't believe we're here. I know I say that every month but it seems like each month passes more quickly. I am so scared I will miss something! My baby will be one year old before I know it. I also apologize that my blog has basically boiled down to monthly posts. I always mean to write more but it's so hard to find time. I am hoping to write more this summer.

Age: 9 Months

Weight: 18 lbs 5 oz (they weighed her fully clothed this time so I'm guessing it's more around 18.2 or so)

Length: 27 inches

Size: she can still wear her 9 month onesies and some 9 month pants, but she fits into her 12 month stuff too. She was in her 9 month size the longest. All the other sizes I felt like she barely wore anything. I was actually getting tired of her 9 month clothes and was glad to put some new ones in the rotation.

Hair: brown, with maybe a few hints of red. My hair is auburn, and I'm hoping she takes after me. She still has her side wings, but the rest of her hair is catching up. Soon we can do some barrettes or pigtails!

Eyes: big, brown, and full of awareness!

Teeth: she has 2 bottom teeth now. She's had a mystery fever now for 2 days- I'm hoping it means more teeth are coming rather than another cold or virus. 

Sleeping: She is doing really well! We still have nights here and there where she wakes up 3-4 times, but for the most part she wakes up once to nurse and that's it. Last night she went to bed later than usual because we had company, and she slept straight through from 9 pm- 7:15 am. Naps are hit or miss. She will nap in her crib sometimes but her naps are still short. The only time she has a long nap is after her swim class (too bad it's over!)

Eating: Still nursing regularly, and eating pretty much anything. At her 9 month appointment the pediatrician said she can eat whatever we are having (within reason) except for peanuts and shellfish. She had scrambled eggs and loved them. So far she is showing no signs of food sensitivities or allergies. I'm so relieved! She loves to eat. In fact, it's the only time she gets really fussy because if we don't keep the food coming, it makes her mad! Last night she had her first whole piece of pizza (a little square). She's had bites of mine here and there but my mom just gave her the entire square and she loved it. She also loves hummus and pita, any kind of fruit, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, squash fries, etc. Squash fries are delicious! It's a pain to cut the squash but once you bake it the edges become caramelized and it's so good. I had to stop myself from eating them. I've been experimenting with different recipes from a baby food website. I make large batches and freeze them so I can just grab things to pack for the sitter. I made these veggie "nuggets" with chicken, broccoli, and cheese and they are so good. She eats better than we do at this point.

Movement: She can roll anywhere, and can easily get from a laying to sitting position. It's so strange to come get her from her crib and see her sitting up. What happened to my little baby?! A few times I've found her sleeping in a half laying, half sitting position. It's so hard not to want to move her, but I know she has to figure out how to get herself comfortable. No crawling yet, but it will be any day now. She gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. She does a very cool roll, sit up, roll, sit up, roll, sit up, find a cord or something else she's not supposed to get, rinse/repeat when mommy moves her away from it. She is already trouble- so I'm afraid we are in for it when she does crawl! It's funny because she has been somewhat "late" on her movement milestones (based on averages) but early on her verbal ones and she's always been so aware. I'm not worried at.all. that she isn't crawling- she has the rest of her life to be mobile!

Milestones: Spending her first whole night away from home. Dave and I went to an adult "prom" and Sadie stayed with my mom. She did great and surprisingly I was fine too. I plan to let my mom take her more often after she's a year old and can having regular milk. Right now it's stressful for me when she spends long periods away because my freezer stash is basically gone and I have to make sure I have enough milk. I don't plan to wean her at 1 year, but I will no longer pump and she will have whole milk when not with me. I've been very lucky to pump as much milk as I do. It's definitely a chore (she's worth it) and I can't wait until school is out and I can kiss my pump goodbye. I plan to do an entire post on breastfeeding soon. Other milestones: we took a parent/child swim class (which she loved!) and she got her second tooth. She is also starting to clap, and we think she's made the sign for more once or twice (although this could be our imaginations!). We also put away all of her pacifiers this month. She was losing interest in them and would just pull them out and chew on the nipples, so we put them up before she could become attached. She hasn't missed them at all!

Favorite Toys/Activities: Now that she can sit up and play by herself, we just surround her with bins of toys. She will dump them out and play. She plays with everything, but loves her remote control, her shape sorter (she takes the lid off and dumps it, no sorting yet) and she LOVES books. This makes me really happy because I am a big reader. She will study each page while we read to her. Right now she really likes Five Little Ladybugs and any touch and feel book. She also likes balls and will roll them back and forth with us. She loves when people cheer and clap for her (not that my whole family has done this), and she loves walks in the stroller and being outside.

Dislikes: She still hates waiting for food, and she's not a huge fan of diaper/clothes changes anymore because she doesn't like being still. She also hates being strapped into her car seat. Once we're moving she's usually okay. She is very laid back and we are grateful! Her pediatrician said, "It's amazing how babies already have such personalities. I've always thought parents take too much credit for their babies' behavior, good or bad." He's right. Fussy baby parents feel like they are doing something wrong and laid back baby parents want to pat themselves on the back! I do think it's helped her that we are laid back too- but I won't take too much credit for her being so content. We are just LUCKY!

Words & Sounds: She still says dadadada all the time, but she also throws in some babababa and mamamama. She will just jabber to herself over and over. It's adorable. Most mornings she wakes up and just talks to herself in her crib for awhile. I can't wait until I hear real words!

Just going for a walk

Playing happily

I can walk the dog by myself, mom

I'll just pull ALL the books down

I really don't want to sit still

Yummy yummy (don't worry, I cleaned the table first)

The paparazzi is at my house again!

First time in the pool!

8 Months

8 months. 8 months?!!!! I blinked and another month passed.

Age: 8 Months

Weight: 17 lbs 4 oz

Length: 25 inches at her 6 month appointment

Size: still in 6-9 month and 9 month clothes

Hair: brown, still with adorable side "wings." Her wings are starting to blend in more as the rest of her hair gets longer. It's almost long enough for a barrette in the front.

Eyes: big and brown. She gets compliments on them a lot, I think mostly because she is so aware so they are big and bright.

Teeth: I finally felt a tooth 2 days before her 8 month birthday. Her bottom right one poked through. I'm guessing more are coming soon. She didn't act much different with the tooth. She had a strange diaper rash that appeared out of nowhere the day before it pushed through, so I'm wondering if this will be her teething sign.

Sleeping:We have made huge improvements with sleep, mostly because I was consistent the whole month. I realized how unfair it was to her to not have a clear plan and to sometimes pick her up, sometimes let her cry, sometimes nurse her, etc. She was probably so confused! She was getting up 5-6 times a night when I finally said enough is enough, she is way too old to be up that much. We tried Motrin and Tylenol just in case it was teeth, but I honestly think she just wants to nurse back to sleep. So our plan was to let her fuss and try to soothe her without picking her up, unless it has been more than 5 hours since her last feeding (in that case I would nurse). We would go in and make sure she had her silky a+a, and just pat her and tell her goodnight. She is down to 1-2 wake ups now! I usually feed her during the second one. She is also getting a lot stronger and I think she is able to get herself into a comfortable position easily. Before she would get on her belly and cry because she felt disoriented and "forgot" how to roll back. Now she just rolls. She has also figured out that the breathable bumpers can easily be pushed down by her hands and feet, so when she cries out I go check to make sure she's not stuck in her crib slats. I'm wishing we went with a video monitor for that reason. Naps still aren't going great, she mostly naps on me, but I plan to work on that more once school is out. Of course she takes great naps at the sitter!

Eating: She still nurses often, just in shorter sessions because she's too busy to spend more than 5-10 being still. I continue to be lucky with pumping and have been able to provide her with plenty of milk for the sitter. Sadie decided this month that she is VERY into solids and she wants to feed herself! We still do a few purees, but mostly we've graduated to finger foods. I've been creative this week during my spring break and have made her many new things to try. She loves banana toast, Greek yogurt mixed with apples, homemade squash and sweet potato fries, and pears with oatmeal. I also made her some broccoli and cheese muffins and she likes those. I plan to let her try scrambled eggs this week too. She is a great little eater.

Movement: She can definitely roll to where she wants to go, and this week I've noticed her getting very frustrated when she's on her belly because she wants to crawl. She will rock on her hands and knees and grab at the carpet with her hands, so I'm sure crawling will come soon. I'm scared ;)! She is also sitting up very well and will happily sit and play with her toys for awhile. 

Milestones: Sitting up, her first tooth, coloring Easter eggs for the first time with daddy, sleeping most of the night. She also got her picture with the Easter bunny. She made a funny face while grabbing his arm fur, but she smiled and we got a great picture.

Favorite Toys/Activities: She loves this new "house" my mom and I got her at a consignment sale. She still loves her beauty salon, and she loves taking the lid off her shape sorter and dumping it. She also has a drum and she has figured out how to hit it over and over. She will play with most of her toys for awhile. She loves her cash register she got from Aunt Char too! The past few days I've been playing with Shorty while she is sitting in the same room. Shorty has a lion on a stick and we move it so she can chase it and dive for it. Sadie thinks this is hilarious! Yesterday she was a little fussy close to bedtime so I started playing with Shorty and she perked right up. Shorty is loving this new favorite activity.

Dislikes: Waiting for food. We are blessed with a very happy baby, except when she's in her high chair and we don't feed her fast enough. She will throw a fit! I've learned to have finger foods ready as soon as I put her in the seat. We are still working on the sign for more.

Words & Sounds: She continues to say dadadada like crazy. We are working on bababa more. She loves squealing and laughing. I just love hearing her voice. I can't wait until actual words come out.

Waiting for the Easter bunny with daddy

Who is that guy and what is he wearing?

I love food! I love food!

Check out my cool new bath seat!

This is how this supports my head, right? If I eat the tag?

I'm too busy for these pictures, mom.

Love those thighs!

That flash is bright mom, I'm trying to play my drum.

Paparazzi

My brother pointed out how today's generation of kids will have their lives recorded because of camera phones. We've been lucky to record so many adorable moments because we almost always have our phones on hand. Here are some recent cute ones. I have some videos too but I'm having trouble uploading from my phone. 

Best friends

Getting ready to go to the babysitter

Sadie has recently decided she LOVES to eat and she wants to do it herself!

Yum, Yum!

Sitting up well and playing

I was playing, and then I got stuck in my blanket. Sad :(

7 Months!!

Here we are again. I just can't believe how fast my baby is growing!

Age: 7 Months

Weight: 16 lbs 9 oz

Length: 25 inches at her 6 month appointment

Size: still in 6-9 month and 9 month clothes

Hair: brown, still with adorable side "wings." I have some natural red highlights in my hair and I *think* I'm starting to see some in her hair.

Eyes: brown. Many people have commented on her eyes and how big and bright they are. She has always been a very "aware" baby. Even the pediatrician commented on it.

Teeth: Still none in sight!

Sleeping:We are struggling with this. It seems like we'll make progress and then something will happen (illness, travel, etc) and we start all over. I am trying to soothe her without nursing unless it's been 5 or more hours since she's eaten. It's very difficult in the middle of the night when I'm exhausted and I know that I can nurse her and she will be back to sleep in 5 minutes. Standing over her offering the paci and patting her can sometimes take 15 minutes or so. Last weekend we were out of town and she ended up sleeping with me. This week she has been up every 3 hours. I'm not sure if the weekend caused this or not, but I hope it gets better. Until then, I remind myself what a gift I've been given and that I'm so lucky to have a baby to be up with all night :).

Eating: Still nursing for almost all of her nutrition. I am so lucky to have enough milk that I am able to pump enough for her while she is with her babysitter. She is hit or miss on solids. Some days she eats a lot, some days she's not interested. Her favorites are squash, pears with oatmeal, apples, and green beans. I have made all of her fruits and veggies just by buying whole ones and baking or roasting them. Oh and she LOVES puffs. She will open her mouth and stick out her tongue for them. Those don't exactly fill her up, so we've been trying to give her more table food because she wants to feed herself. Last night we gave her a bread stick and she "bit" off a hunk right away. My mom, grandma, and I gave her some crackers over the weekend and she liked those. I made homemade teething "biscuits" by rolling up a piece of bread and placing it in the microwave for a minute. It becomes hard and she is able to suck/chew on it for quite awhile. She has also been eating rice cakes and seems to like those. Tonight I am making chicken and noodles for dinner and I'm hoping she will like it. We've done some cottage cheese, but otherwise she hasn't had much dairy. So far no allergic reactions to anything!

Movement: She is rolling all over the place. I will put her in one spot and the next thing I know she is halfway across the room! She knows how to roll to what she wants. She is not showing signs of crawling yet. She is still a little wobbly when she sits on her own. She can do it for awhile, but I still like to put pillows around her because eventually she will topple over. She will grab for anything! I am amazed at what she can pick up. During a family gathering she dropped a piece of celery on the ground. My brother jokingly held her over it, not thinking she would actually pick it up off the ground. She did! Last night she picked a CD case up off of our desk.

Milestones: She had her first illness and fever. She had a virus/bad cold and her temp was up to 102 for several nights. We had lots of warm baths and snuggles. I stayed home with her the first day, but once she was back at the sitter she did well. Then 2 weeks later the same thing happened! I hope this cold is gone for good now. She celebrated her first Valentine's day, went on her first tour of Dayton, and is learning to drink water out of a sippy on her own. and went to Gatlinburg to visit her great aunt Char, great uncle Greg, and cousin Michael. We had a lot of fun just being together for a weekend. She did a great job on the car ride there. We found a town called Sadieville in Kentucky! We stopped and changed her poopy diaper there :). She also starting saying dadadada and babababa. She is very into her voice and will squeal and babble over and over. I think she just likes hearing herself. She has also learned to "kiss." Basically she will open her mouth and stick out her tongue when you kiss her. I've caught her and Shorty kissing more often than I'd like to admit.

Favorite Toys/Activities: She still loves her beauty salon. My mom got a pop-up toy at the Goodwill and she likes that a lot too. She lights up for daddy and just loves looking around out in public. We were at Target earlier and she as happy and babbling until we got in the fitting room. She fussed until we came back out because she didn't have anything to look at except boring old Mommy! She loves anything with a tag. She had "Taggies" toys, but she will find the tag on anything and chew on it. She likes her exersaucer. One of the toys on top is loose, and if she pulls it enough it will come off. She knows exactly which toy it is and will go directly for that one.

Dislikes: She doesn't like waiting for food. I need to do my finger foods because she has started making this grunting sound in between bites if I don't feed her fast enough. We've been doing the sign for more to hopefully help with that. She also doesn't like being in her car seat for extended periods of time (who would?), and she doesn't like taking naps in her crib. She is very easy to put down at night, but for some reason during the day she thinks it's party time in her crib. She will go from almost asleep to wide awake quickly.

Words & Sounds: I mentioned the dadada and bababa above. It's amazing how things change so quickly. She will make a sound for a couple of days and then move on to something else. For awhile it was this gasping noise that made it sound like she was scared. It was very dramatic. Then it was squealing. Now it's mostly dada and baba. I love hearing her sweet voice.

Big girl!

Valentine's Day. Sorry boys!

Rolling around

Ears are fun toys

She nursed at a rest area right in front of this milk truck on our way to TN. We had to pose her after.

New toy from Nana. 33 whole cents at the Goodwill!

Playing in the saucer