9 Months Old!

Hollis Leigh is 9 months old today!
Below is her 8 month summary...

Weight: 20lbs 9oz 77th percentile
Height: 28 inches 63rd percentile
HC: 17 1/4 inches 43rd persentile

**Update from well visit: Dr. Steele was happy with Hollis' growth and said she is on track for a 12 month old! ha! Big girl! Dr. Steele also said to Hollis "well, I do believe you are advanced!"...She was also pleasantly surprised with Hollis when she waved and said "bye bye" to her when I asked her to at the end of her appointment.

Sleeping is still going great! Hollis will nap for about a hour and 30 mins to 2 hours each nap, and sleeps from 7:30 PM to 7:30ish AM! We had a few nights of awful sleep due to teething. On those nights, she would wake up 4 hours into her sleep and just cry! She couldn't get herself back to sleep, and only wanted to lay on me. I tried passing her to Daddy a few times (so I could get some sleep), and she would cry and reach for me. Sometimes all you want is your Mama! ;)

Speaking of teething, Hollis' top 4 teeth are coming in! Her front left tooth is already poking through! We give her Tylenol at night and that seems to help. During the day the teething doesn't seem to bother her. When Hollis teethes she gets a runny nose and diaper rash. She's been battling a diaper rash for over a month! It will get better and then come back the minute she poops. I did some research and apparently diaper rash is common in teething babies because the acid levels are high in their stool and saliva. I'm glad I figured this out because we have done EVERYTHING to help her...we changed diaper brands (twice), switched to using washcloths and water only (unless there is a poopy, then I will use wipes prior to the washcloth), we've tried 4 different creams and ointments, took her to the doctor (had a yeast infection ruled out) and was given a prescription burn cream to apply 3 times a day, we have given baking soda baths, switched to a bland diet, and change diapers every hour-2 hours (we are FLYING through diapers). I will be thrilled when this diaper rash clears up!

We hit a lot of milestones in the last month! Hollis will say "Bye Bye" (ba-ba), "Kitty" (kuh-kuh), and "Daddy" (Da-Da) when asked! She will also wave bye bye and gives kisses when she's asked. She can clap her hands, and usually claps when we sing or say "yay".

Hollis is CRAWLING!!!! She is crawling fast, pulling up on everything and into EVERYTHING! She is the least bit interested in her toys and enjoys exploring around the house instead. This morning she was out of my sight for a moment pushing around a small chair (I knew she was in a safe zone and was wrapping up what I was doing) and I could hear her playing, but it got very quiet. When I walked over to check on her she was in the laundry room doorway eating Maggie's wet CAT FOOD!!! At first I started laughing, then I picked her up told her "no mam, we don't eat Maggie's food" and proceeded to get the food out of her hand and mouth! She was fussing at me because she wanted to swallow it! haha! I could not stop laughing! Needless to say, Maggie's food is going in a different spot now that Hollis has discovered it!

Favorite toys: she has very few favorites at the moment...like I mentioned above she is into everything BUT her toys. She does love her Elmo and cat stuffed animals, stackable cups and mega blocks car. Hollis loves opening the lower drawers in the kitchen and playing with some of her bowls I put in a lower cabinet. She also had a good time pulling all of the recyclable items out of a box I had sitting my the back door.


Hollis' favorite foods right now are black beans, brown rice and yogurt. If you ask her "is that good?" she will say "mmmm"! I've started letting her feed herself with the spoon. It gets messy but I know it's a skill she's enjoying learning to master. I will load the spoon and hand it to her- after she takes her bite I will ask if she wants more and she hands her spoon back. She is very independent...the few times that I just take the spoon back from her she fusses. So, I've started asking her if she would like more or if I can have her spoon back, and she responds so well.

We are still working on saying "MaMa".

Hollis experienced snow for the fist time this past month! The second time it snowed, her cousins came to spend the night! That was so much fun!

Hollis loves the swings and enjoys being outside. On the warms days we've had, we walked to the swings and watched some neighbors play tennis.

We think Hollis is just the sweetest baby. She is so chill and will smile at anyone who looks her way. Her little personality is sweet and funny...a good combo of Ryan and I. One funny thing she does is scrunch her nose and smile if you laugh with her. She also slams her hand down on the table and thinks it is the funniest thing. She is the biggest cuddle bug and is so content just sitting with us.

I can't believe it's been 9 months! Time is flying by and it's very bittersweet! I do look forward to everything ahead but my goodness, how could it get any better? We love you, Hollis!!!