Officially Official

Seems that we have a bit of news to share with you all...

Daphne - Nine Months Old

Here are the updates, as we have them:

Weight:
Eight Months:  14lbs, 6ozs.
Nine Months:   15lbs, 4ozs.

Height:

Eight Months: 26 inches, by using the elephant growth chart courtesy of Aunt Amy
Nine Months:  25.5 inches (guess our meaurements via the elephant growth chart were a bit off)

Hair Color:

Eight Months:  Brown; and it is coming in thicker and thicker every day
Nine Months:  Seems like it fluctuates between a light brown and medium brown.

Eye color:

Eight Months:  blue, blue, blue
Nine Months:   blue; depending on the color of her shirt - they look a bit green

Here's what Daphne has been up to lately:

Daphne has been exploring her world to the fullest extent. She is much happier now that she can actually get to the toy (or person) that she wants. Cannot imagine how frustrating it was for her to see what she wanted only a few feet away, yet not be able to get to it. And when she does reach her destination she sure does flash that gorgeous toothless smile.

Ah, yes, we are still waiting on her first tooth to 'pop' through those gums. Now, we've heard it all when it comes to teething babes. For instance:

(1) drooling - drooling means that baby is teething, right? Well, not so fast! Drooling is a normal function of a developing baby, not even related to teething. Her saliva glands are getting larger every month and sometimes she is unable to keep up with the large volume.

(2) gum pain / sleep habits - babies are cranky and don't sleep well because their gums hurt; it helps to rub something on their gums and/or give them Tylenol. Well, actually, there is no evidence to suggest that normal teething causes any pain. It's true that babies do get whiney and cranky during this time. However, most pediatricians attribute this (somewhat) volatile behavior to increased social awareness, separation anxiety and communication frustration.

As with everything else involving babies - every one is unique and different. There have been (and will continue to be) toddlers that don't have any sign of their first teeth until they are well past the 13 month mark; as well as 4-6 month olds with anywhere from 1 tooth to several. "They" say that the later baby starts getting teeth, the healthier/stronger they will be. (You know "they" - those experts, professionals, old wives, etc.) Whenever Daphne's teeth do finally make their appearance, they will be welcomed and mourned at the same time - because who doesn't LOVE the toothless grin of a baby!?

Daphne is becoming (well, let's face it - she's always been) quite the social girl. She loves to interact with everyone she sees. Whether she's meeting you for the first time or has seen you many, she's eager to show you her smile. This is particulary true while she's at daycare. The 'babies' take stroller rides around the center (inside & out) and on occasion they visit the toddler rooms. Daphne enjoys visiting them, as much as they enjoy seeing the 'babies' - she tends to ham it up by making silly faces. There's proof in the photo.

Stoller ride to the toddler room!

Here are her 9 month photos - cannot even believe we are already at 9 months and gearing up for her first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, and first Christmas!

Cheesy grin!

Sweet smirk!

Leaning in to see what the camera is all about!

We have a crawler - watch out world!

We can hardly believe that Daphne is already in the category of an unsupported sitter and now a crawler! Granted she isn't doing the 'classic crawl' - which is up on all fours. But, what she is doing is referred to as the 'belly crawl'. And as you can see in the video she is eager to get to her destination by any means necessary! She does get up on all fours and rocks back and forth, but hasn't figured out that she can go anywhere by alternating her arms and legs - which we're sure, that is right around the corner. Although, some babies go right from belly crawling to walking. So, who knows.

Daphne - Eight Months Old

Daphne is 8 months old!  

Here are the updates, as we have them:

Weight:
Seven Months: 13lbs, 4ozs.
Eight Months:  14lbs, 6ozs.

Height:

Seven Months: 25 inches (there was no 'official' measurement from a doctor's appointment, so we left it unchanged)
Eight Months: 26 inches, by using the elephant growth chart courtesy of Aunt Amy. (see image below)

Hair Color:

Seven Months: Looks like it might be growing back in; definitely brown
Eight Months:  Brown; and it is coming in thicker and thicker every day

Eye color:

Seven Months: blue, the pediatrician thinks they are here to stay - since she is past the 6 month mark; but I've heard that eye color can change up to 1 year old.
Eight Months:  blue, blue, blue

Here's what Daphne has been up to lately:

Daphne no longer uses/needs her pacifier. Backstory: apparently there are sizes of pacifiers and apparently the baby should be getting the next size up every three months (or so). Well, leave it to us not to notice that Daphne was using the same size (0-3 month) pacifier that she received in hospital at birth right up to a couple of months ago. (gasp! the horror!)

We eventually did buy the next size pacifiers, but she wanted nothing to do with them - except to gum them to death. She refused to take it going down for a nap, she refused it when we used it to try to soothe her while in her different stages of crankiness. No deal, she just spit it out or outright blocked it with her hands. Not sure if she's just one of those kids that doesn't like (or doesn't need) a pacifier but either way we are happy to accept the fact that we don't have to break her of that pacifier habit down the road. We've heard horror stories about it.  :)

VSD and what it means for Daphne

Here is an update that we have been delaying...on purpose. Mostly because it is not a serious concern of ours or Daphne's cardiologist. Yes, she has a cardiologist -- which we're pretty sure that is the first time you're hearing of this as well.

A day or two after Daphne was born she had a Echocardiogram performed by the doctors at Sutter Memorial (in Sacramento) to confirm the pediatrician's suspicions of a heart murmur. She was discharged with no further concern of that pediatrician or cardiologist. We were told to mention it to her pediatrician in NC. Her pediatrician here has been monitoring her heart at every appointment and has given 'it' a name.  VSD.

What is VSD?