9 Months Old

Sloan is 9 months old (well two weeks ago...what can I say, it has been a little crazy around here). I can't believe she is nine months. The ironic thing is the nine months I was pregnant crept by at snail pace, but the first nine months of Sloan's life flew! I sure wish pregnancy would go that way, maybe then I would be more excited to be pregnant again. Below are some cute pics and stats for Sloan at nine months.

20.2 pounds - 75% percentile
29 inches - 90% percentile
Head 18 inches - 75% percentile

Favorite Things:

Sloan's most favorite thing in the world is watching signing time. I mean it doesn't matter what is going on or how happy or sad she is, the second she hears "It's signing time with Alex and Leah" the world literally stops. Sloan is really busy all the time, but she will watch 30 min of signing time cuddled in your arms without making a movement. I don't use Signing Time as a babysitting tool, I use it as a cuddling tool. I try not to watch them with her too much, but man I just love the snuggle time!

Sloan is has become an expert crawler and she can get from one side of the room to another in not time. We have definitely waved good bye to the easy days of one room entertainment.

Although she will pull herself up in her crib, she doesn't try to pull herself up on anything else. She is REALLY cautious with everything and doesn't want to do anything unless she knows it is safe. Hopefully that will continue throughout her teenage years!

Sloan loves to drink cold water. Not sure what it is, but she is obsessed with it.

She is a good eater, but doesn't love baby food. She loves table food though, and I think she may turn into a piece of watermelon. She can't get enough of it.

Sloan is such a girl. She loves anything girly! She will watch me get ready in the morning like she wants to retain every detail so she can do it herself one day. Grandma Sally gave her a big necklace the other day and she put it right around her neck like she has always known just what to do with one.

She waves me good by every morning when I leave and loves to give high fives.

She is still the biggest ham I have ever met and loves to get her picture taken. The second she sees the camera come out she totally poses and turns on her smiles.

In the last few weeks Sloan has really started to show her personality. She is very strong willed and won't give up until she gets whatever she is after. She is a little dramatic but so sweet all the time. She isn't afraid to voice when she wants something. She jabbers all day long and loves to sing and hear her own voice. She laughs at herself in the mirror and loves to give herself mirror kisses. Mostly Sloan is so sweet and loving and she makes never fails to make me belly laugh at least two times a day. I love you so much Sloan and I can't wait to see what you're doing in 9 more months.



Putting on Grandma's necklace.



This is how we watch Signing Time.



This is what Sloan does the second a camera comes out.



I love you so much sweet girl!!!

Sneaking a Snuggle

Every night at Sloan's bed time, I nurse her and she usually falls asleep in my arms. This time has become my most favorite time of the day. I look forward to stealing a moment of time with her. I lay back and hold her on my chest and just stare at her. I try to study everything about her, her smell, her little dimpled chin, her perfect button nose, the way the light makes her hair look different colors, her little baby breaths...everything. I think about how much I love her and how happy she makes me. I let my mind wander to what I think she will be like as she grows up and I think about all the hopes and dreams I have for her. These moments give me a glimpse into what I think Heaven will be like. I picture all my children gathered round with their heads on my lap as I play with their hair and tickle their backs. We talk about our life's adventures and how silly were were in thinking that everything else was so important when really the important things were right in front of us all along. I lay on the bed and soak in the moment because I know that tomorrow it will be a little different. She will be a little older, a little less cuddly, a little more independent. Every night I hold her longer and longer because I want it to last forever. I try and file these moments in my memory because I know I will need to remember them when Sloan is 3 and throwing a tantrum in the grocery store, or when she is 10 and wants to hang out with her friends instead of her family, or when she is 19 and dating a guy I am not exactly thrilled about. So each night I sneak my snuggle and take it all in because I know it is a fleeting moment that I won't be able to get back. It is the little things in life you need to hold on to. It isn't about money or fame or career success, it is about moments like this. These are the things you can hold on to and the moments you will look back on with fondness. So I plan to sneak my snuggles for as long as I can because I realize how blessed and lucky I am to be able to have them!

Baby Ironies

As I sit here enjoying my much too short weekend of no work with Sloan, I thought to myself, someone should write a book about baby ironies (maybe someone has and I just don't know it?). Life with a baby is just so funny and entertaining to me. So I thought I would post a few of the baby ironies in my life and I am sure the life of many other mothers.

Baby Irony #1: Why is it that you can go to the store and spend $50 on new toys and when you get back home your baby loves the packaging far more than any of the actual toys?

Baby Irony #2: Why is it that your child can do something so cute 10 times in a row, but the second you turn on your video camera to document it, it is like the cute trick never even existed?

Baby Irony #3: Why is it that it can take a mother a good 7 minutes to mesh, mold and squeeze a shoe on her babies foot but it only takes your baby about 7 seconds to kick it off?

Baby Irony #4: Why is it that your baby can completely ruin your TV settings on your TV with one push of a random button in the 2 seconds they sneak over and grab it and it takes a parent 20 minutes to figure out which button they pushed and how to get the TV back to normal?

I am sure I will think of more to post. Feel free to add your own. Who knows, between us all maybe we can come up with a pretty funny book to publish!

Got Teeth?

Sloan officially has 4 teeth and two more that are about to cut through. Now everyone knows that teeth totally change the look of your baby, but Sloan's teeth are special. Why you ask? Well see for yourself...







Zoom in real close and you can catch it. I mean could the gap between her two top teeth be any bigger? I mean you can fit a whole other tooth in there! It is so funny. I guess she takes after her mama. For now it is just about the cutest thing ever. But I guess we better start the orthodontics fund. Cute when you're 8 months old, maybe not so cute when you're 18!

What's The Best Birthday Present in the World???

THIS IS!!!!



Happy birthday to me! The best present I got you ask? Sloan came to visit me at work (obviously this isn't a picture of that moment as I didn't have a camera). Can't think of anything else I wanted for my birthday!

8 Months Old

Where has the time gone? We made it to Arizona and through the first few weeks of the new job. Although we are missing dad, and he is missing lots of fun moments, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. We think Lee should be out her sometime mid June (hurry up and get here quick).

Sloan is 8 months old, I can't believe it. She has hit some major milestones over the last month including her first day in the pool. That is one of the good things about living on the sun here in AZ...you can swim in May. Here is a list of the fun things Sloan is doing at 8 month old:

1. She has 3 teeth (two on the bottom and one on the top) and 4 more that are coming soon.

2. She can go from laying down to sitting up all on her own.

3. She is in the crawling position and can move backwards and is just on the verge of being able move forward.

4. She can clap and wave and I am pretty sure she can do a few signs like milk and more...but I may just be making that up in my head.

5. She loves to jabber and make this high pitched squeal (usually at the most inopportune times like during dead silent moments at church). She says dadad and babab and a few others,

6. She loves to blow raspberries and does it pretty much constantly, especially right when she wakes up in the morning.

7. She loves her baths and really enjoyed swimming. I think this will be a summer filled with some serious pool time (since it is right in the backyard).

8. She loves to hold her hands behind her back. Her Grandma Sally thinks this is hilarious and we have lots of pictures to document it.

All in all she is just a happy, smiley little girl. I have loved every second of the last 8 months and can't wait for all the fun milestones that will fill the next 8.

D.C.

Before I left Charlotte, Lee and I went to D.C. to visit Lee's sister. We had such a great time. We saw all the sites and museums and Lee's sister watched Sloan pretty much the whole time so we could go everywhere and not have to worry about naps etc. We were able to go to the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Most of the Smithsonian Museums and the Holocaust Museum. It was so much fun. Thanks to Jill and Rich for letting us come stay with them and for watching Sloan while we had lots of fun. Here are some of the highlights.



Washington Monument



Lincoln Memorial



Potomac River



George Washington's House-Mt Vernon



Famous Georgetown Cupcakes...they were YUMMY!



Hangin' on the grass at George's house



Sloan and I at Jill's house