9 Months Old...

Here we go again...another month gone by TOO FAST! Madison is now nine months old! I took Maddie to the doctor yesterday for her 9 month well visit. She was very good! She was so curious about everything at this visit and let Dr. Woodlief check her out without a fuss! She was all over the place, so I could barely keep up with her! I talked to Dr. Woodlief about several things including switching Maddie to milk-based formula. Maddie has been on special formula for about seven months now. We came up with a plan to see if Maddie will tolerate regular milk. Today I gave Maddie 1 tsp of milk in a bottle. We will wait a week and if no symptoms of irritability, upset stomach, or blood in stools I will then put 2 tsp of milk in one bottle. We will wait 3-4 days and if no symptoms are present we will switch to milk formula! I am really optimistic about this and I pray that our baby girl's tummy will tolerate milk! Maddie also got her flu shot and final Hep B today as well. Of course, she cried big alligator tears...Poor thing (but don't worry, I am not one of those Moms that cry along with the baby) Maddie also has allergies and eczema...she is her daddy for sure! She has started taking children claritin and we have to start using nonscented creams to clear the eczema up on her legs. Oh boy, it is always something...but nothing too major thank goodness!
Here are Maddie's stats:

22.5 lbs (94th percentile)
29.25 inches (95th percentile)
18.31 head circumference (98th percentile)--we knew she would have a big head (just look at her parents!)

Developmentally, Maddie is right on track (if not above!) Here are some things Maddie is doing:

• Crawling (I honestly can't keep up with her...she is gone in a blink of an eye)

• Pulling up to stand on ANYTHING (couch, wall, kitchen chairs, dishwasher, and lots more...)

• Cruising (she has mastered this and can really get to where she needs to go)

• Enjoys banging objects and hearing the noise it makes

• Entertains herself by playing alone with toys

• Imitates us (she does the "indian noise" with the back of her hand)

• Picks up food/things with pincer grasp

• Eating lots of new foods

• Understands the word "NO" but does not like it!

• Says "Mama, Baba" and other consonant vowel combos

Also, I must say that Maddie has been sleeping through the night. We had a bad spell when she started standing up in her crib. Her sleep was seriously interrupted, but I had heard that it could happen during big developmental milestones. She goes to bed between 7:30-8:00 and sleeps a little more than 10 hours each night. She will occasionally wake up, but will go back to sleep on her own. It is rare these days for her to fuss for longer than a few minutes. We keep about 8-10 pacifiers in her crib, so she easily can retrieve them if she needs one.

Even though I am tired most days and being a parent is the hardest job anyone can have, we are so truly blessed to have a happy, healthy, beautiful baby girl! We love you Maddie Moo!!