Can you believe we’ve made it 9 months already? I think I said this last time, but these last few months have been my FAVORITE. If I had to break it down, I’d say this:
Months 1-3: Newborn snuggles, sleep deprived but still in that dreamy phase.
Months 4-6: NOPE. I realized I was so exhausted and Kate wanted to be entertained 24 hours a day. I could skip this part next time!
Months 7-now: SO MUCH FUN. Watching her master new skills and react to us is just the BEST!
Kate is officially crawling. I honestly thought she might never crawl. She’s been pulling up for about 2 months now and showing lots of interest in walking but absolutely none in crawling. But she finally started trying a few weeks ago and only went backwards for a while. She’s figured it out now and can go forward. But even when she does, it’s SUPER awkward. She’s crawling on one knee and one foot (if that makes sense) and stopping as she goes to see if she can stand up on her own. She CAN’T! I keep having to remind her. Also, when she gets close enough to something that she wants, she dives headfirst for it.. not practical but apparently it gets the job done.
She’s making a lot of noises that sound like words but the Prof. and I aren’t calling anything her first word until we’re sure that she 100% knows what she’s talking about. Lots of Dada, bah bah, Uh Oh, but no Mama yet. I think she’s really close to saying Dada and actually meaning it, though.
Kate’s still a rockstar sleeper thanks to Taking Cara Babies. She takes two 1.5hr naps and sleeps 12 hours a night. Mom and Dad are BLESSED (it didn’t come without a lot of work and a few sleepless nights, though)!
We started Baby Led Weaning at 6 months and Kate has taken to it SO WELL. She loves bananas (she’s eat a whole one like a monkey if I let her), Guacamole, strawberries, pickles, and tortillas! But she’ll eat anything I put in front of her. At restaurants her favorite thing is to chow down on a lemon slice! She’s scrape it completely clean and never batt and eye. Speaking of eating, we finally got our first tooth!!! We are so pumped because that means chewing will get even easier!
Since we’re not breastfeeding anymore (I completely weaned at 8 months) she’s been a champ at formula and (YAY!) is finally back up to the 20th percentile for weight. At her 9 mo appt. she was 26.5 inches long and 16 lbs! I was over the moon about this since at her 6 month, we were in the 1st percentile! Yay for those #gains!
Now that you’ve had a little update, I wanted to share some baby products that I’ve been loving the past few months! Keep reading to check them out!
Shop Kate’s Look:
If you want to check out the products we loved during the previous months check out the post on Months 0-3 and Months 3-6. Some of them are still going strong. Like our sound machine. We use that thing on the regular. I’m thinking about getting a new one soon (maybe this one) since we’ve been draining the battery life on ours (we use it 15 hours a day)!
1| Gathre Mat. Over the last 3 months, Kate has really started ‘playing’! She got a bunch of great new toys for Christmas and was loving sitting on the floor just exploring her new things. She was sitting on blankets (which was fine) but I didn’t like how quickly they got dirty. My mom surprised me with a Gathre Mat for Christmas. I’d been really wanting one for under the high chair but ended up using it for Kate’s play mat and it was perfect!
Gathre Mats are leather and clean so easily. They can be used anywhere (inside and outside – I’ve heard they’re great on the beach) and they fold up really small so I could just throw it in her diaper bag. I got the Mini and it’s the perfect size for an easy little play mat. They even have larger ones with car tracks and world maps on them!
2| Merlin’s Magic Sleep Suit. I think I talked about this in a previous post, but we bought this when Kate was about 3 months old hoping to use it when she transitioned out of her swaddle. But when it came time to unswaddle, we ended up leaving her in her Dock a Tot for a few more months and you can’t use the sleep suit and the dock at the same time. So, I honestly though we might never use it.
But then, one fateful day in January, we forgot the Dock at my parents house! So we tried going cold turkey to nothing, but Kate wasn’t having it! After a completely sleepless night, I remember the ‘Magic Marshmallow’ (as I like to call it) and we tried that the next night. Worked like a charm. She went back to sleeping through the night completely. It was like it was giving her a little hug all night long.
We used it for a bout a month until she started rolling over in it and then put her back in a light fleece sleep sack and it’s been smooth sailing. I truly mean it when I say that this suit is a GREAT transitioning tool.
3| Baby Einstein Wooden Piano. I had lots of question about this toy when you guys saw it on my IG stories so I figured I mention it here. This is one of Kate’s FAVORITE toys. Mine too, actually. It’s the cutest little wooden piano that it totally flat (no keys) but plays real notes! It’s so cute and she loves making music!
4| Baby Playard. Or Kate’s Baby Cage!! LOL! A friend told me about this a LONG time ago (thanks Amanda). She also works from home and she said this was her saving grace once her little one was mobile. We just started using it this week and I already know it’s going to be great. The best part it that it folds up to the size of ball park chair so you can take it anywhere. You can also get the sunshade if you plan on using it outside! I think this would be PERFECT for any of those ball park moms out there!
5| Ergobaby Metro Stroller. I did a whole post on this one so you can check that out here. But long story short, this is my new travel BFF. It is so compact and lightweight and you can take it virtually anywhere with ease! We also rediscovered our Baby Bjorn Carrier One this month. I totally forgot about it and it turns out that Kate loves to hang out in it!! WIN WIN!
6| Little Tykes Outdoor Swing. Keith’s parents actually gave Kate some money for an outdoor swing for Christmas. We FINALLY bought one about two weeks ago. But, I’m so glad we did! Kate is a huge fan and so am I. I was a little bummed that the swing was SO pink, but since it was going on out back porch, I didn’t mind as much. She loves to swing and watch the pups play in the backyard and Keith and I can relax a bit while she does!
That’s pretty much the extent of the new things we’ve gotten over the past few months. I think the older the little ones get, the less you need all of the random things. But, when you find something that entertains them or makes your life a LOT easier, it’s a game changer! What are your go-to, can’t live without products for ages 6-9 months?
