Zoe is nine months old today, three quarters of a year gone and I have no idea where it went. (To be fair, the fact that I had to check my math on that four or five times would indicate that much of it has been taken up by sleepless nights. But I digress.) Since last month, her mobility has increased in leaps and bounds. She's cruising everywhere, pulling herself up with almost no effort, climbing stairs like a champ and even standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time. Thankfully she seems to realize that crawling gets her anywhere she wants to go, so she hasn't made any serious moves towards walking yet. I'm not ready for that.
Eating still isn't her favourite thing to do, unless it's the aforementioned middle of the night. We're trying to discourage that, but have you ever woken up hungry? I can't blame the kid for not being able to fall back asleep with an empty belly! We're on a slow track as far as solids go, since anything with more texture than a thick puree inevitably ends in a tray full of barf and a sad mama bemoaning the fact that we're heading for yet another wakeful night. I've been getting a bit obsessed with the feeding thing, honestly, desperately trying to figure out a combo that will get her sleeping better at night, and the pressure I put on myself when she won't nurse for the magic number of minutes that I've decided will do the trick just isn't okay. To that end, we've started a slow transition to formula. The sheer relief I felt when we made the decision was enough to show me just how unhealthy my thinking about the whole thing had become. I'm hoping to have her transitioned fully within the next month, and then if she still isn't sleeping, at least it's not 'my fault' anymore.
She seems to be focusing on physical skills rather than the verbal side of things, but just in the last few days she's started to imitate sounds we make. (As a side note, the fact that she chose wow as her first 'word' is pretty funny when she decides to practice it right as you go to feed her. At least it's funny to me. I'll take what I can get at three AM.) She's working hard on sign language, and signs more and water occasionally. All done is her favourite; I get to see it at least four or five times every time I try to feed her. She can wave hello and goodbye, but reserves that particular skill for when she feels like it. Not a performing animal, my child.
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Every day, I see less of my baby and more of the little girl she's becoming. She's strong-willed and silly and independent and beautiful, this one. In Liberia, her name means powerful woman; I think we've chosen well.
Eating still isn't her favourite thing to do, unless it's the aforementioned middle of the night. We're trying to discourage that, but have you ever woken up hungry? I can't blame the kid for not being able to fall back asleep with an empty belly! We're on a slow track as far as solids go, since anything with more texture than a thick puree inevitably ends in a tray full of barf and a sad mama bemoaning the fact that we're heading for yet another wakeful night. I've been getting a bit obsessed with the feeding thing, honestly, desperately trying to figure out a combo that will get her sleeping better at night, and the pressure I put on myself when she won't nurse for the magic number of minutes that I've decided will do the trick just isn't okay. To that end, we've started a slow transition to formula. The sheer relief I felt when we made the decision was enough to show me just how unhealthy my thinking about the whole thing had become. I'm hoping to have her transitioned fully within the next month, and then if she still isn't sleeping, at least it's not 'my fault' anymore.
She seems to be focusing on physical skills rather than the verbal side of things, but just in the last few days she's started to imitate sounds we make. (As a side note, the fact that she chose wow as her first 'word' is pretty funny when she decides to practice it right as you go to feed her. At least it's funny to me. I'll take what I can get at three AM.) She's working hard on sign language, and signs more and water occasionally. All done is her favourite; I get to see it at least four or five times every time I try to feed her. She can wave hello and goodbye, but reserves that particular skill for when she feels like it. Not a performing animal, my child.
Every day, I see less of my baby and more of the little girl she's becoming. She's strong-willed and silly and independent and beautiful, this one. In Liberia, her name means powerful woman; I think we've chosen well.