Nine Month Pictures

We have a big decision to make. When do we ask to move Willa up to the next classroom at church? This morning I was very surprised to notice that the ages for her room is 0-9 months. I'm not sure I want to bump her up. The current teachers are so in tune with Willa's history. I know the teachers in the older classroom will love on Willa just like those in her current room. All the same, I think we might wait a few weeks before moving her.

We are still working on getting Willa to eat "real food". I have a love hate relationship with the puffs. Finally, Willa is starting to feed herself a puff but that is after she has tired of playing with it. Actually, the first food that she fed herself was a Mt Olive zesty garlic pickle. We've given a pickle to her three times and have not had an issue with gagging. However, from now on she will only get a pickle on bath night because the pickle juice and seeds go everywhere. That makes for a smelly baby!

Last weekend we did a photo shoot at our neighbor's with Willa. I loved her outfit and so I wanted to get some pictures.  Not only did we get the outfit from our neighbor...but she altered the top...and I took the pictures in front of her flowers. Thanks x 3!

These month photo shoots are getting more exciting. Willa doesn't sit still and I have to have Daren's assistance. Distraction is key otherwise Willa might tumble out of the rocker as she reaches for her elephant.

The Eighth Month

You can't hide things from Willa. She notices everything. She explores everything. If there is a fleck of something on the carpet, she will find it. That reminds me a lot of her Grandpa Green. I don't think carpet cleaning/inspection is one of the milestones from What to Expect the First Year. 

By eight months, your baby....

...should be able to:

• feed self a cracker Does a pickle count? 

...will probably be able to:

• stand holding on to someone or something Willa can briefly stand while we hold her. Often, it doesn't take long for her legs to collapse and the bouncing to start. 
• play peekaboo Nope and I think it is ridiculous that this is a milestone. 
• get to a sitting position from stomach Nope

...may possibly be able to:

• creep or crawl Still army crawling. Her technique has been perfected with practice. I think chasing another baby at daycare has helped.
• say "mama" or "dada"  indiscriminately Still just babbling away with da-da-da-da-da. We are trying to work in other syllables.

...should be able to:

• play patty-cake(clap hands) or wave bye-bye I'm giving all the credit for Willa being able to clap her hands to our daycare. Willa even knows the word clap and will do it command. Willa is also waving. I find it funny she waves to the bottle while eating or at you while you change her diaper. 
• walk holding on to furniture Nope
• stand alone momentarily Nope
• understand "no" (but not always obey it) Not sure about this one. Willa hears the word "no" most often while eating. I'm forever telling her - "No, we don't spit" Her sly smile makes me think that she understands but has selective hearing. 

The fall consignment sales are happening and I needed to do a wardrobe check before heading out to shop. Some of the 6 month summer items are still too big and some fit fine. Willa is wearing a combination of 3 month and 6 month clothing. Sadly, I don't think I'm gonna try and shop much for this fall. We just might be dressing Willa in a lot of layers. 

Physical Therapy

Willa's first physical therapy session started with a bang. The bang happening in her butt. Of course this child poops on the way to the appointment and I didn't have a diaper bag. THANK GOODNESS I had just made a baby emergency car kit. Crisis averted. In the time it took me to run back to the car to grab my tupperware our PT diagnosed a number of things we needed to work on with Willa.

We already knew that Willa was able to turn her head to the left much farther and easier than the right. The tight next muscles were also affecting how she reached for things during tummy time. Same for her army crawl. Even how Willa sits is incorrect...not because of her neck but because of her weak core muscles.

Not gonna be shy, but as the PT ticked off the issues I got upset. She let me know that it was going to take a good bit of time to fix these issues and it was going to be more difficult since Willa's mobile. We've seen our doctors numerous times and this went undiagnosed. Heck, we even brought it up to our pediatrician and he said her head/neck was fine.

For now we have a standing appointment at 8am for PT. Daren will bring Willa to these appointments prior to heading to daycare. We are trying to get Early Intervention. Our home assessment is three weeks away. If we get EI than therapy can take place at daycare. That will be a big time and stress reliever.

What is Happening Now...

I feel like we have so much going on right now in the Streett household. I think we have avoided an ear infection.  Daren took Willa to the pediatrician on Friday.  We were given the all clear and also had an unexpected weighing...up to 12 pounds 1 ounce. This is tough. Willa is an extremely happy child and is meeting her milestones but she just isn't gaining weight. We are feeding her ALL THE TIME!  Our next appointment with the folks at UNC is August 8th when we see our surgeon, the nutritionist, and have a NICU follow up.

 

Willa is a bruiser. Don't let her sweet smile fool you. No matter how many times we cut her fingernails the talons remain. Willa also has the amazing ability to pop that little hand right to your throat/adam's apple. I have battle wounds.

Willa seems to be taking after her dad when it comes to the sun. Daren can't be outside without wearing sunglasses. Willa seems to wither in her in her car seat as the sun manages to peak through the car windows. Good thing we found some sunglasses that fit her cute noggin'.

What will Willa be when she grows up? As any good parent, I will respond that she can be whatever she wants. Is she training to be a cheerleader?

Working on her hops in the Johnny Jump Up for future volleyball games?

We are still trying to get Willa interested in eating "real food". We feed Willa her baby food combo of meat & veggies (bleh!) prior to us having our dinner. We try and keep Willa engaged while we eat by keeping her in the high chair next to the table. Maybe if we ate more bacon she would start reaching for the food on our plates.

This afternoon is Willa's first official physical therapy appointment for her torticollis. We are also just starting the process of trying to get assistance from Early Intervention. If Willa meets their standards than the PT folks will come to us. We really want to have the PT appointments at daycare versus Daren or myself having to take off of work. Stay tuned...

Busy Little Girl

Willa is an observant baby. It isn't often that she sits still. This child is always kicking, grabbing, or scratching at something. Diaper changes have become a circus act. You need to move fast before her attention shifts to something that she is twisting to grab. The kicking isn't something new but it continues to amaze us. Willa has enough energy to spare. She is always reaching and grabbing for things while sitting. We might have cheerleader in training with this flexibility.

Oh, and Daren just reminded me about Willa's teeth. The bottom two teeth were cut during my older sister's visit. Now the top two teeth are coming through. Anything and everything has become a teething toy. Thankfully, teething has not impacted her ability to sleep through the night. She is still a rockstar.

Camera fail when it comes time to hanging out in the pools in the Bellemont neighborhood. We spent the 4th of July in our neighbor's pool and used Willa's new float for the first time. Didn't get a pic.  Yesterday, we had another pool party/July 4th party in another neighbor's pool. Again, Willa was lounging in her float and receiving lots of attention from the neighborhood girls. Again, we forgot to take pictures. 

We may be entering the phase where Willa only wants mom or dad when in a group of people. Also, she is starting to notice when we are leaving the room. Her squawks let us know that she isn't happy. 

Willa's a carnivore. We've started feeding her the various baby foods containing chicken, turkey and beef.  I think they smell like straight salt. She thinks they are delicious. I'm hoping the addition of these proteins will help boost her weight. Each container has 2.5 grams of fat per serving versus the fruits and veggies which only have about 70 calories per serving. Willa has just hit the 12 pound mark. I know we are making progress because we've gone from crossing the straps on her size one diaper to having the straps touch. 

This weekend a friend asked us about Willa's scar and doctor made belly button. I don't think it looks like a belly button but I'm not bothered by it. We could have a cosmetic fix a few years down the road but I doubt we will make that decision for Willa. I want Willa to decide if she wants to have another surgery to diminish her scar or have a new belly button.