Ava - 9 Months Old



Well this year has no intention of slowing down, Ava is now nine months old! 9 months in, 9 months out and I can't quite seem to get my head around where the times gone! I can't remember what life was like before she arrived, she's totally completed our family. She's an absolute joy to be around, she just has this aura about her and even makes total strangers smile from ear to ear.


Character
As mentioned on previous updates she's an absolute joy and is such a happy baby. She is rarely grouchy or whiny and is always cheerful, with a big cheesy smile on her face. She's super affectionate and loves nothing more than to give copious amounts of kisses and cuddles, it's just the sweetest thing. She gives us a big sloppy kiss or a clumsy cuddle when we ask for them but she also gives them freely and without a prompt too. She already has us all wrapped around her finger, at just nine months old! She is very inquisitive and always seems to be learning something new. As well as being quite laid back, happy and affectionate she can have her moments where she will have a little strop, usually when you take something off her that she shouldn't have. She's also a proper Mummy's girl, sometimes all she'll want is me but then again the moment Nick walks through the door she's literally leaping out of my arms with excitement.



Size

recently weighed Ava on our bathroom scales and although they can be quite unreliable it said that she now weighs 1 stone 3 which is 17 lb. This means that she's following her centile line to a tee, she's right where she should be. She's quite tall but she is quite stocky too, she's so heavy to carry! She is now wearing mainly 9-12 month clothing but some are still way too big, which is quite frustrating. Why do baby clothes vary so much in size?



Health
Nothing to report on the health front as she's been fine, perhaps a few sniffles here and there. She cut her first tooth last month on her brothers fourth birthday and since she's cut another four more! This means she now has 5 teeth which is strange to me because Noah didn't get his first until a week before his first birthday! They've not bothered her at all, she's been a great teether so far.



Feeding

We are still breastfeeding and have no intention of stopping anytime soon, everything has been brilliant on that front. She gets so excited when I ask her if she'd like some milk and if I ask her where her milk is she will lift up my top and laugh. She feeds around 6-8 times in 24 hours but it can vary from day to day. Her longest feeds are of course first thing in the morning and her bedtime feed. Not only does she love milk but she adores her food too! She is another Noah  when it comes to her appetite and I've not found anything that she doesn't like. She mainly eats what we eat now and has very little baby food. She has the occasional pouch or jar here and there but she's really easy to please and does prefer to eat what we are having. She has three meals a day and a couple of snacks during the day. Her favourite foods are; pasta, cheese, tomatoes, toast, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli, brioche, cake, pear, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, yogurt.



Sleep
We are still waiting for a full night sleep but she's getting there! She's managed 6 and 7 hours without waking so far and every week she seems to be getting better and better. Nap time is okay but it really depends. Sometimes she will want to nap earlier and usually when she does she will only sleep for about half an hour. With this in mind I try to keep her awake and encourage her to wait a while longer and usually she will then nap for an hour or so. We set up her cot last week and although she is still in our room she is sleeping so much better! I think because she's not in our bed or in the co sleeper next to us, we aren't disturbing her as much. Who knows, next month she may be sleeping through!?



Milestones and new tricks

* Ta and Aww has now joined Ava's vocab of Mama, Dada, Hiya and Baba!
* We now have a fully fledged crawler on our hands, no more bum shuffling. She is so fast too!
* Not only that but she can now pull herself up and stand against chairs and tables. She can't be left for a moment as she is also starting to cruise with furniture.
* She now has five teeth with her sixth on the way.
* We said goodbye to the co sleeper and now she mainly sleeps in her cot and sleeps so much better, though she still ends up in my arms at some point during the night.
* She dances when she hears music but she has been doing this for some time now.



Likes and dislikes

Mummy, Daddy, Noah. Her family. The cat. Guitars, especially when Daddy plays his. Food and milk, eating in general. Little Baby Bum videos and songs. Singing and dancing. Reading and books. Playing with Noah and his toys. Crawling and getting up to mischief. Pulling herself up and trying to cruise. Building blocks and balls. Soft toys and giving them a cuddle. Peppa Pig. Cuddles in bed. Being held. Nursery rhymes. Remote controls, wires, mobile phones. Bath time. Sleeping in her cot. She's not a fan of men with big beards, the changing mat or being in the car.

12 comments:

  1. Ava seems to have grown up so quickly. Nice to read that she is a cheery natured child. She does seem so happy in photos. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.

    Rachel Craig

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  2. It's not just baby clothes that vary in size, this is a trend that continues throughout their childhood and can be very annoying. I've found that Bluezoo clothes are usually small and zara is fairly accurate.

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  3. Beautiful photos, she is growing so quickly Jen xxx

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  4. What a lovely little girl - I love your photographs.

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  5. How sweet are they?! Lovely photos.

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  6. What a cutie,this whole year is absolutely flying by she will have her own blog before you know it!!

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  7. The age / stage cards seem such a great idea. Photo will look good in an album.

    Rachel Craig

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  8. Ava looks similar to Noah as a baby, have you compared photos of them at similar age?

    Rachel Craig

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  9. i love seeing the photos of your beautiful children and seeing them grow

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