6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 months

Kailea Christine Cairns
10/13/12
6 months old

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Kailea Christine Cairns
11/13/12
7 months old
weight: 14.8 lbs.

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Kailea Christine Cairns
12/13/12
8 months old

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Kailea Christine Cairns
1/13/13
9 months old
head circumference: 43 cm.
body length: 25 in.
weight: about 15.8 lbs.

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Kailea Christine Cairns
2/13/13
10 months old
head circumference: 43 cm.
body length: 26 in.

Today my girl is 10 months old and she's getting so big! She's only an inch longer, with the same head size as last month, but we're finally forced to put away all of her 3 month clothes. For some time now her wardrobe has ranged in size from 3 months to 6 months to 9 months. Trying to anticipate what size she will be on her birthday has been frustrating me.

Yep, I'm starting to plan her birthday. Oh. My. God. My girl will be turning a year old in only two months! Wow. Seriously, wow.

The past month has been filled with milestones, as well as a double ear infection. A few weeks ago I was talking with some other parents about the different stages in development between our 3 babies. The 10 month old just started clapping the week before. The 6 month old was just opening her palms when her mom helped her to clap. Kai was still close-fisted and stiff-armed whenever I tried to get her to clap. Still, I went home and tried it a couple of times. To my surprise, the next day she was opening her palm, and a day or two after that she was clapping all on her own. She thinks it is the most awesome thing in the world. She clap, clap, claps all the time now.

Within days of learning to clap, she suddenly initiated a game of peek-a-boo with her Daddy. We were astonished. Until that point, only Eric's mom had had any success with Kai enjoying peek-a-boo - watching only, and as far as I know with a short attention span. With me, she didn't "get it" when I hid myself, and downright hated it when I tried to hide her under a blanket or even just a see-through scarf. And then there she was, raising and then slightly lowering the blanket to peak around the corner at Eric. When he told me about it, I was thrilled but also sad that I had missed it. But when I turned to her and said the phrase "peek-a-boo" a few times, she suddenly started playing with me. So not only was she playing the game, but she understood that what it was called. Which was such a relief, since there don't seem to be very many words that she acts as if she understands. So far it's just been "mommy", "daddy", "kitty", and "milk". Plus, I was fearful she was a little hard-of-hearing, especially after this second round of ear infections (she had one in the Fall). So to have evidence that she can hear and understand and then instigate based on that. "Wow" just doesn't cover it.

I was also fearful of some possible developmental delays, which I brought up with the pediatrician at her 9 month appointment. (FYI, the girl is a trooper with her shots - just a bit of a scream and a minute of tears and then she's over it!) The doctor didn't see anything to worry about, with the possible except of her inability to get from a sitting position to down onto the floor. So we had her practice that for a few days and eventually she figured it out. First not so reliably, but just today I was noticing she had no problems with it at all.

Still no crawling though, although she tries all the time. She "commando" crawls, using her arms to drag herself along. Over the weeks she has used her legs more and more in this process, and gets up on her knees all the time. She just hasn't figured out that she can get up on her knees and then move them forward to help her along. She has tried a handful of times and suddenly tips over from losing her balance. Over the past two days, she has moved her knees a little, only to either (a) move it right back to where it was instead of moving forward, or (b) give up and plop on her belly. She does that all the time now, so we've almost completely stopped trying to practice crawling with her. She will move a few inches and then stop, staring out into space or examining the carpet. Is she bored? Is she contemplating the meaning of the universe? Who knows. We figure she's going to figure it out eventually, so we'll just let her figure it out.

The only other milestone I can think of is that I was worried she wasn't using her pincer grip on food bits. We've been having her work on that too, and it's paid off. Now if she will figure out how to eat the food bits without gagging, we might be on our way to real people food!

P-A-D: Days 156 - 171, 2nd Half of September

Day 156: September 15, Our Big Eared Munchkin

I never noticed before, but are Kai's ears a little... overly prominent? I'm sure her lack of any real hair has something to do with it.

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Day 157: September 16, missed it

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Day 158: September 17, We Like Purple

Not too matchy-matchy, but just right.

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Day 159: September 18, Sharing with Cousin JR

Aunt Heidi and Cousin JR came over to visit, two of Kailea's favorite people! JR is of an age where sharing is not a new concept, but it's still not an easy thing to do willingly. Here is JR spontaneously handing Kai her Sophie.

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Day 160: September 19, She's Outgrowing Everything!

Here 3 Month clothes are finally fitting right, but watching her grow out of her 3 Months stuff was kind of sad. Here she is barely fitting in her co-sleeper. Now that she's too old for it, I thought it might make a good nap station for the living room. But that's not going to last much longer either!

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Day 161: September 20, Shaka Brah

She seems to be a little confused on the proper placement of the fingers, but I think she'll get it eventually. But there is no way am I teaching her Pidgin. I sound like a moron when I try. I'll have to leave that up to her Aunt and Uncles.

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Day 162: September 21, Nomnomnom

Those rings certainly look delicious, don't they?

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Day 163: September 22, Giggle Girl

Kailea has got to be one of the happiest babies on the planet. She smiles at everyone. And now she's got a giggle to go with it!

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Day 164: September 23, We're Sweet on Pooh

My sweet girl, looking adorable in her Pooh dress. Any idea how many shots it took to get that Pooh on her dress to stay visible and keep her looking at the camera? Finally, my patience was rewarded with a smile to top it all off! Seriously though, who designs baby dresses with the applique so far from the middle that you practically have to turn the baby over on her side to get it in the shot? Sadists, that's who.

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Day 165: September 24, O-o-o-h Lights!

Yet another turtle for my honu girl. This one lights up! I think we may have to aquire more toys with lights.

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Day 166: September 25, My Little Elf

It didn't look Christmassy hanging in the store, but once I put the matching cap on her head and noticed it making her ears stick out, I realized she looked like a little Elf. This shot with her tongue sticking out just cements the idea for me.

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Day 167: September 26, missed it

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Day 168: September 27, missed it

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Day 169: September 28, First Food = Oatmeal!

Hey Mikey, she likes it! Today we had our first solid food*, baby oatmeal, and it was a hit! She seemed to find the entire process really fun, smiling and giggling and enjoying herself the whole time. Success!!! *Please ignore the flirtation with yogurt a month ago when she was sick...

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Day 170: September 29, Jennings Park Picture Day

Today we had some professional photos taken at Jennings Park in Marysville. Doesn't she look adorable in that outfit? And both her socks are still on! The sun was out and Fall seemed a world away, so we made an extended day of it. We stopped over for a quick visit with Aunt Heidi and Cousin JR, then headed out to Granite Falls for a little walk and nature appreciation. The day kind of went downhill when we sat down to have dinner at a little Greek place and Kai had her first public diaper blowout. While all of her gear was still in the car. I kept my cool, walked her back while holding her very carefully, changed her in the trunk, and then changed my shirt right there on main street because I managed to get poo on myself. What a day!

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Day 171: September 30, Please Sir, I'd like Some More

Yep, the girl still likes her oatmeal!

P-A-D: Days 141-155, 1st Half of September

Day 141: August 31... um...
So, apparently I was so convinced that August 31 did not exist, I went ahead and didn't take any pictures. I'm shooting suspicious looks at my calendar as I write this.

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Day 142: September 1, Happy Birthday Cousin Ashley!

We celebrated Ashley's 18th birthday in Ocean Shores. Her mom made her a confetti-chip cake, and Kai looks very interested...

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Day 143: September 2, Missed It

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Day 144: September 3, Giddyup!

Kai's first horsey ride. With Daddy's help, of course. Hi ho Silver!

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Day 145: September 4, Being Sick is Exhausting

Mommy's little princess has a wee cold. Not really a big deal. Yet.

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Day 146: September 5, Missed It

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Day 147: September 6, Butterflies Are Yummie

Butterflies are not only tasty, but they're quite the distraction when you're sick...

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Day 148: September 7, She Really Likes Her Sophie

The only thing on her mind is sweet dreams as she holds Sophie the giraffe close. What's on my mind? Finally, a chance to turn off the flash and use natural lighting for a picture!

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Day 149: September 8, I'm Too Squirmy for Natural Lighting

The setting was perfect: nice lighting and still, quiet subjects. Until the camera comes out. I kept it on the no-flash setting, and the result is blurry. *sigh*

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Day 150: September 9, Game Day for Touchdown Baby!

No amount of Touchdown Baby hijinks could save the game. Is that unimpressed expression due to the game, Daddy's forcing the issue, or her cold?

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Day 151: September 10, Being Sick Really Is Exhausting

Her cold has become an ear infection. It's more punishing now, and it shows. Hopefully the antibiotics will help.

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Day 152: September 11, Missed It

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Day 153: September 12, First "Solids"

Kailea had her first "solid food": yogurt. She's been sick for over a week now with a cold, and we think the antibiotics are upsetting her stomach because there was much screaming yesterday when we tried to feed her, and then again when we gave up: she was obviously hungry and upset about it, but just as upset about us trying to feed her. When I called the doctor's office today, they suggested trying solids, specifically yogurt because the probiotics of it combats the yuck-tummy side effects of the antibiotics. I hate yogurt, so it was a huge coincidence that I actually had some on hand for some upcoming baking.

She really seemed to like the yogurt in the end. The experience was fun for us, watching her reactions, and also fun for her as she seems to enjoy anything new. She responded well to the spoon, wanting to grab it (but still not coordinated to help feed herself) and opening her mouth on most passes. Some of her expressions in the beginning were hilarious - she looked like someone eating something sour and tangy for the first time. Usually it's not quite so easy to gauge her expressions. There was a moment or two when I thought maybe she was going to throw it up, but that quickly passed and she was ready for more.

Much later that night, she did throw up. A really big one all over Daddy. There's no way to tell exactly what set her off, no way to rule out or blame the yogurt, but it's far more likely it was triggered by the bottle feeding Daddy had just given her. She has gotten blissfully better in the spit-up department over the past few weeks, going multiple days without. Unfortunately, when she does spit up, it's usually massive. Luckily for me, it's also usually right after her last feeding of the night so Eric gets to deal with it! It's tempting to just cut out that feeding, but she really needs the calories!

So now I'm guessing it's time to finally break out the research on solid foods. I was hoping to put that off for another few weeks. Life with baby is never what you expect!

(This was originally posted here: Milestone: Solid Foods + First Cold)

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Day 154: September 13, 5 Months

Kailea Christine Cairns
9/13/12
5 months old
head circumference: 23.5 cm.
body length: 23.5 in.
weight: about 13 lbs.

Kailea is 5 months old. To celebrate we danced and sang songs and read books and took pictures and had some more yogurt. She also continued to be sick and slightly more grumpy than usual. The day wasn't all roses, but it wasn't all bad either. As sick babies go, Kailea is remarkably easy going.

In five months, the most notable change is just how much bigger she has gotten. She practically fills her co-sleeper now, which used to be so big for her that we would have to bolster her up to ensure she didn't slide down into a ball at the bottom by morning (it has an incline at the head for her reflux problems). Another noticeable change is that the reflux seems to have finally, blessedly, cleared up. It's hard to say if it's 100% gone since she's had some spells since she got sick, but we are pretty sure that's just from the antibiotics-induced-nausea and coughing fits. Another nice turn of events is just how happy she is. She's always been a pretty mellow baby, except when she's not (on or off, there is no middle ground in her moods!). But now she's obviously happy, evidenced by her constant smiles whenever she makes eye contact with anyone. They say that stranger anxiety begins soon, and I am dreading that, because watching her interact so happily with everyone and everything has been such a joy

As far as activities, we've remained home bodies for the most part, with just the occasional trip to the grocery store. Hopefully this changes soon, now that she's getting over her cold and she's getting more tolerant of not having her every need met instantaneously. Watching her hunger cues has been vital in keeping the meltdowns to a minimum, but it never used to keep them from happening - she would go from normal to hungry to screaming for food in about 60 seconds flat. Now, finally, she typically displays her cues and acts hungry for 5-10 minutes before the screaming begins. Well, except while she's been sick - when there have been no hunger cues because she has been too nauseated to be hungry and we've had some very frustrating days trying to make her eat enough to keep from getting worse.

There were some special activities thrown in: we went to cousin JR's birthday party at the Everett Children's Museum and we spent a weekend in Ocean Shores. She enjoyed the party because she really enjoys noisy, active scenes. She slept through almost the entirety of our afternoon at the beach, but definitely enjoyed the trip as a whole because so many family members were there to cuddle and entertain her.

In the next month, we're going to start the next level of PEPS, do some serious research on starting solids, and have more tummy time in hopes that this inspires her to begin to crawl. There's been a lot of talking from her this weekend, so I'm also anxiously waiting to see what her first real word in English will be.

(This was originally posted here: 5 Months Old)

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Day 155: September 14, Missed It

Days 118 - 124, 2nd week of August

Day 118: August 8, Standing Baby!

Kailea likes to use her Big Strong Legs to do the Standing Baby Song:
Jumpin', jumpin', jumpin.
Dancin', dancin', dancin'.
Jump, jump, jump.
Dance, dance, dance.
Standin' Baby! Yay!

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Day 119: August 9, Are you teething?

Fist shoved in mouth: check.
Copious amounts of drool: check.
Crying for no known reason: check.

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Day 120: August 10, Last Known Photo of Kai Drinking Willingly

The Keep The Bottle In The Baby's Mouth Game has become an every day occurence. She is actually a willing participant in this feeding though!

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Day 121: August 11, Not A Newborn Anymore!

Back on April 30 we had some professional photos done by Heather Puett. Here we are again in that same outfit. Look how much she's grown!

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Day 122: August 12, Birth Announcement Revisited

On April 23 I took the picture that we would use on one version of our birth announcements. Here she is again almost 4 months later and literally bursting through the seams of her Onesie!

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Day 123: August 13, 4 Months

A pretty dress and a cute toy for a pretty cute little girl on her 4 month birthday.

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Day 124: August 14, Overstimulation? Never!

You can tell I'm a good mom by all of the unnecessary toys I keep piling around her. *nods*

5 Months Old

On Thursday, September 13, Kailea was 5 months old. To celebrate we danced and sang songs and read books and took pictures and had some more yogurt. She also continued to be sick and slightly more grumpy than usual. The day wasn't all roses, but it wasn't all bad either. As sick babies go, Kailea is remarkably easy going.

In five months, the most notable change is just how much bigger she has gotten. She practically fills her co-sleeper now, which used to be so big for her that we would have to bolster her up to ensure she didn't slide down into a ball at the bottom by morning (it has an incline at the head for her reflux problems). Another noticeable change is that the reflux seems to have finally, blessedly, cleared up. It's hard to say if it's 100% gone since she's had some spells since she got sick, but we are pretty sure that's just from the antibiotics-induced-nausea and coughing fits. Another nice turn of events is just how happy she is. She's always been a pretty mellow baby, except when she's not (on or off, there is no middle ground in her moods!). But now she's obviously happy, evidenced by her constant smiles whenever she makes eye contact with anyone. They say that stranger anxiety begins soon, and I am dreading that, because watching her interact so happily with everyone and everything has been such a joy.

As far as activities, we've remained home bodies for the most part, with just the occasional trip to the grocery store. Hopefully this changes soon, now that she's getting over her cold and she's getting more tolerant of not having her every need met instantaneously. Watching her hunger cues has been vital in keeping the meltdowns to a minimum, but it never used to keep them from happening - she would go from normal to hungry to screaming for food in about 60 seconds flat. Now, finally, she typically displays her cues and acts hungry for 5-10 minutes before the screaming begins. Well, except while she's been sick - when there have been no hunger cues because she has been too nauseated to be hungry and we've had some very frustrating days trying to make her eat enough to keep from getting worse.

There were some special activities thrown in: we went to cousin JR's birthday party at the Everett Children's Museum and we spent a weekend in Ocean Shores. She enjoyed the party because she really enjoys noisy, active scenes. She slept though almost the entirety of our afternoon at the beach, but definitely enjoyed the trip as a whole because so many family members were there to cuddle and entertain her.

In the next month, we're going to start the next level of PEPS, do some serious research on starting solids, and have more tummy time in hopes that this inspires her to begin to crawl. There's been a lot of talking from her this weekend, so I'm also anxiously waiting to see what her first real word in English will be.

Kailea Christine Cairns
9/13/12
5 months old
head circumference: 23.5 cm.
body length: 23.5 in.
weight: about 13 lbs.

Milestone: Solid Foods + First Cold

Yesterday, September 12, Kailea had her first "solid food": yogurt. She's been sick for over a week now with a cold, and we think the antibiotics are upsetting her stomach because there was much screaming yesterday when we tried to feed her, and then again when we gave up: she was obviously hungry and upset about it, but just as upset about us trying to feed her. When I called the doctor's office, they suggested trying solids, specifically yogurt because the probiotics of it combats the yucky side effects of the antibiotics. I hate yogurt, so it was a huge coincidence that I actually had some on hand for some upcoming baking.

She really seemed to like the yogurt in the end. The experience was fun for us, watching her reactions, and also fun for her as she seems to enjoy anything new. She responded well to the spoon, wanting to grab it (but still not coordinated to help feed herself) and opening her mouth on most passes. Some of her expressions in the beginning were hilarious - she looked like someone eating something sour and tangy for the first time. Usually it's not quite so easy to gauge her expressions. There was a moment or two when I thought maybe she was going to throw it up, but that quickly passed and she was ready for more.

Much later that night, she did throw up. A really big one all over Daddy. There's no way to tell exactly what set her off, no way to rule out or blame the yogurt, but it's far more likely it was triggered by the bottle feeding Daddy had just given her. She has gotten blissfully better in the spit-up department over the past few weeks, going multiple days without. Unfortunately, when she does spit up, it's usually massive. Luckily for me, it's also usually right after her last feeding of the night so Eric gets to deal with it! It's tempting to just cut out that feeding, but she really needs the calories!

So now I'm guessing it's time to finally break out the research on solid foods. I was hoping to put that off for another few weeks. Life with baby is never what you expect!

P-A-D: Day 105, Roll Over

Thursday, July 26 at around noon: here is the girl immediately after rolling over for the first time. Doesn't she seem pleased with herself? And it was no accident either - she did it 3 more times back to back. Time to rethink the swaddling at night!

Here's a video of roll-over #2...