9 months

This sweet little girl turned 9 months old today.  This 9 months has flown by.  When I think of it in relation to things like, only 3 months until she is 1, or she is half way to being old enough for nursery, I can't believe it!  

Here are her stats:

16 lbs. 1 oz (5%)

28.5 in. (74%)

The Dr. was ok with her weight even though she had dropped a little from her last appointment.  She is trying new things and making progress.  And she is doing everything developmentally (well, almost) that she should be.

So here is what this cutie pie can do:

-Crawls on hands and knees 100% of the time

-pulls up on everything

-walks along the edge of the couch and ottoman

-moves back and forth between couch and ottoman and occasionally forgets and just lets go entirely

-climbs the stairs at a very fast pace

-pulls up at the toilet (so gross!) and unrolls all the toilet paper

-claps her hands

-says "yaw yaw yaw" and "la la la" (but no consonant sounds yet)

-plays peek a boo

-squeals

-has 2 teeth and is very close to getting 2 more

-takes 2-3 naps (not consistent on length, usually short though)

-night sleep, wakes up 1-2 times, 7:30-7

-still loves to be swaddled at bed and nap time

-leaves hair bows in and seems to like them

-starting to fight me to go down for naps and I have to lock her in to a cradle position and then she will finally give in

-loves mashed potatoes and does best with these, just not off a spoon

-will eat chunks of avocado, star puffs, mac and cheese, cheese quesadilla, cheerios, and even tried egg with cheese

-her portions are tiny, but she is making progress

-still no baby puree

-whines at my feet when she wants to be held

-still in a size 2 diaper, but I think she is almost ready for the 3

-3-6 month pants are too short, but too big around the waist

 Can you see her teeth?  I should have edited and zoomed, but that would be too much work!

She was so patient for this photo shoot.  I felt so bad because she is really sick and as soon as it was over, her fever spiked and she zonked out.  She really is the world's best and sweetest baby!

Ward Christmas Party and Santa

Our ward Christmas party was something entirely different this year.  Being in a ward that has such few children, to be honest, I was almost surprised they had Santa there.  The program was long and boring and there was nothing for the kids to do.  Our kids came home upset because we were one of the few parents that wouldn't let their children run through the church.  

But the Santa experience is always fun.  The older two boys were SO cute!  Their faces lit up as they told Santa all of the things that they wanted.  Grey on the other hand wasn't so sure.  After a quick pep talk from Dad and a promise of a candy cane at the end, he hopped up there and was so cute saying the things that he wanted.  When we went to do a picture of all the kids, sister didn't really realize who was holding her at first, but then she turned around.  She gave me an uncertain look, but then we were done.  After all the boys had sat on Santa's lap, I tried to get one individual of Lily with Santa, and well, the picture says it all.  She lost it.  I love those pictures and think they are quite funny.  Even if the rest of the night was a bust, it was worth it for these super cute pictures.  

Thanksgiving

It's no secret around my house that Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays.  It is not that I'm not thankful for a ton, especially my wonderful husband and children, it's just that it seems to be all about food and extended family.  Firstly, the food, no one in my family enjoys the traditional Thanksgiving food.  No turkey, yams, jello's, etc.  So if I do make a more traditional meal, the kids all complain.  Kindof a downer after you spend ALL day cooking.  Secondly, it seems like it is a time to get together with family, which is tough with travel and 4 kids.  So, this year we tried something different, and I am happy to report it was a major success.  We put all the different parts of a meal into a hat and everyone chose a part and picked their favorite thing.  Magic!  Everyone was excited about at least one thing.  

Landon-main dish: BBQ chicken

Cohen-side: Caprese salad (tomato, mozzarella, basil)

Grey- side: rice

Lillian-:appetizer: fruit salad

Steve-drink: crunchy punch

Me-dessert: mixed berry pie

I wish we had done a bread, but next year we'll remember.

The boys did a father/son turkey bowl this year that was a blast, and we did our traditional pumpkin muffins for breakfast.

It was a wonderful day and I am so very thankful for the many many blessing the Lord has given to me and my family!

8 months

This has been a big developmental month for Lillian.  She has started to crawl on all 4's, although she only does about 30% of the time.  She still prefers the army crawl for speed.  She also started pulling up on everything.  She started pulling up onto her bouncy seat, with her buns high in the air, and quickly transitioned to pulling up at the ottoman and couch and anything else that she finds.  Another huge milestone for her is climbing the stairs.  She has gotten much faster and we have had to finally make use of a baby gate again, much to the dislike of Grey.  

She is doing fair on progress as far as eating goes.  She seems to do ok trying things for the first time, provided they are NOT on a spoon.  She eats cheerios and the star puffs, and for a short stretch she did well eating about 2-4 Tablespoons of yogurt.  Although the yogurt didn't last long, we are still happy that she is at least putting things in her mouth, even if she doesn't care for them.  She still prefers things that are non-edible, such as paper, to try and eat.

She has gained so much personality this month as well.  She has a strong preference for me and will even reach for me if someone else is holding her.  She cries often when the boys get in her face and doesn't seem to be afraid to tell them NO.  She has become looser with her laughter and will often give a good belly laugh when tickled or playing peek-a-boo.

She had her first testing done to try and figure out why she's not gaining weight and although the test was normal, we are still doing therapy twice a month and seeing the specialist.  

She currently weighs around 15 pounds and is just a little peanut.  

She is the happiest most content baby and rarely cries, unless she falls, hits her head or is stuck somewhere.  She is still doing mostly catnaps for 45 minutes and usually takes 4 naps a day.  We are stuck at home most of the time because that is the only place she will nurse and so for now we are catering to her needs since she doesn't have any wiggle room when it comes to weight loss.

Her nighttime sleep is hit and miss now, and since she needs the extra feedings, I don't mind getting up with her.  It is usually once or twice a night, but can sometimes be more.  

Sometimes when I hold and rock this baby girl, I can't believe that she is getting so close to her first birthday.  I know that she is our last, and I am enjoying every second with her.  I can even get teary at times, thinking this baby stage has almost come to a close.  It has been fun having her stay small, we just wish it wasn't a concerning small.  Otherwise, a peanut is the very best!

I also wanted to remember that she got her first 2 teeth just after the 8 month mark.  The LL on the 25th and the LR on the 26th.  She is so funny to watch as she tests them out.

Soccer 2011- Go Rowdies!

Landon had an amazing soccer season this year.  He played all positions... goalie, defender, middle, and striker.  He excelled at all.  It was fun to hear all the parents oooo and ahhh at his skills.  It is a different world out here because all the really good players do the traveling teams.  We ended up on a pretty good team thankfully, but there were about half of them that were still daisy pickers.  We weren't ready to commit to the traveling team, but I think we have to next year.  This is Landon's passion and he shows it in his dedication to practice.  We have always pushed him by playing him up to stay with a group of people we know and it really showed in his skill this year.  Couldn't be more proud of this kid!  He scored tons of goals and all!

Cohen's first soccer team

Cohen started playing soccer this year.  The soccer here for the 6 year olds in my opinion is a little lame.  They don't get any official practice time except for 20 minutes before the game and then they play 4 6 minute quarters. They don't play with goalies and the goals are about 3 feet wide. But, Cohen loved it.  He scored goals at more than half of his games and really is developing his skill of dribbling and shooting.  He was one of the better players and was always ready to get on the field.  It was so cute to see how his height gets in the way.  He had the hardest time just staying on his feet some games. He is amazing and we are so proud of how well he did and how much fun he had this season.  Go Firebirds!

7 months

Lillian is changing more and more each day.  I am kicking myself for not writing about what she has been up to, because now I'm not sure what is a 6-7 month thing and what's an 7-8 month thing.  But, as of now here are the things she is doing:

Eating-nursing solely still.  Only solids she is taking are the star puffs and she usually gets about 20 down a day.

Sleeping- lots of short cat naps during the day (4-5) and night, to bed around 7:30-8 and up usually once around 4-5 to eat then up for the morning around 7. She definitely started asking to go to bed earlier this month.

She is army crawling everywhere.  She is getting so fast and even starting to crawl in, over and around things.

She is starting to tell me more that she doesn't want me to leave the room or have other people hold her, but she is still the happiest baby I have had.

We are taking her to therapy every other week and she is making progress, but it is VERY slow.  I know that most people wouldn't think that the mere fact that she tastes a food is amazing, but we do!  She gags at almost everything, but the things she tolerates a little taste of are paper thin slices of banana and mashed potatoes.  The sum total of what she eats may equate to 5 calories, but it is progress to get things in her mouth.

8 is Great!

On October 23, Landon turned 8.  This boy has forever changed our lives and it was so great to celebrate his big day with him.  We decided to do a small party at home.  We invited 3 friends from school over and they played soccer, ball wall and danced a little.  It was the perfect party.  They had snacks and cake and ice cream and Landon had requested a 49ers cake.  I think it turned out pretty great.  I was nervous because it is a gold helmet, but at the last minute I found gold sprinkles.  It was so cool.  

Landon only got 3 gifts this year from his family, a 49ers football jersey (dad), a wall ball (brothers) , and we actually built him a wall to play wall ball on (mom).  We usually go overboard, but it was so great to keep it simple.  He spends almost every free minute he has hitting a ball against any small space he can find.  The only bummer is that it is getting into the cold/rainy season.  He loves it and has played on it almost every day since.

Here are some things about Landon at 8:

Height: 54"

Weight: 68 lbs.

He is still an early riser, almost always around 6:30, and is going to bed around 8:30.  

He is doing well in school and is a great reader and is placed in the highest reading group for his grade.

He gets amazing remarks on his behavior and personality from every teacher that interacts with him.

He has made so many friends, yet is a bit reserved still.  (It is really cute to walk the halls with him and see how many kids say hi and how he just raises his hand.)

Still gets extremely nervous before the start of anything new.

He loves to play soccer still and it is still his favorite sport.

He loves to dress up and seems to always find a reason to wear his football pads.

Can finally turn the TV on and get shows started for all the kids.

Rarely snuggles and seems too cool to hug and kiss us already.

He is a great helper and knows when I really need him to just behave, although he still struggles with being sassy.

 He loves art and drawing.