Now I know my ABCs

Baby Bear is a genius, she sings along and knows her ABCs!!!



Sorry the video is a little dark.

Mama Bear's love for shoes extends to baby shoes

I have love shoes. Sadly, I have wide feet and not all shoes fit me well so I can't often buy the shoes that I lust for. I guess that is good for my wallet. But now I have someone to buy shoes for and baby shoes are sooo cute. All winter Baby Bear has been wearing her baby Ugg boots when we go out. They were a gift and perfect to keep her feet warm when we were out and about. Now that the weather is nicer and Baby Bear is mobile, we needed to get her some shoes. I just bought Baby Bear these shoes.


Aren't they absolutely adorable! I love these pediped shoes. They look really comfy and are good for her developing feet since they are flexible. I have read that barefoot is the best way to go and at home Baby Bear is barefoot or with socks. But when we go out I have just begun to put shoes on her since Baby Bear has become mobile. Pedipeds claim to be the "next best thing to bare feet" and they are awarded the American Podiatric Association Seal of Acceptance (whatever that means). Most importantly they are cute and have a lot of cute designs. I am trying to keep myself from buying more. They are a little pricey, but amazon.com recently had some great deals, which is why I bought two pairs (it seems that the prices have gone back up when I just checked).

Her feet will grow and then I can buy more cute styles. But Baby Bear being a little peanut has tiny feet. She barely wears a size 2 or 3-6 month. Other 9-10 month babies are wearing size 4s and up already! She is petite all around. I guess that just means she'll get more wear out of her shoes (and clothes as well).

Must haves for a sick baby

Baby Bear was sick all weekend. We took her to the pediatrician on Monday when she did not seem to be getting better. She had an awful cough and mild fever. The cough was pretty bad and she was starting to wheeze. It turns out that she had a mild bronchial infection. The pediatrician prescribed antibiotics and albuterol. It seems to be doing its job since she seems to be doing so much better.

There were a few gadgets that helped me through this rough weekend. It is definitely not fun when your baby is sick.

Nosefrida The Snot Sucker

My pediatrician recommended this as opposed to the regular bulb aspirator. It is supposed to be safer and more effective than the bulb aspirator and it really is. The tube is placed against the nostril rather than inside like a regular aspirator. You use your own suction to suck the mucus out of the baby's nose. There are disposable filters to prevent bacterial transfer. It sounds kind of gross that you have to suck out the mucus with your suction, but it really works.





Exergen Temperol Artery Thermometer

This is not a necessity but it does make taking a baby's temperature easier. It might not be the most accurate, but it is very close and less invasive to taking a rectal temperature. What is especially nice is that I can take Baby Bear's temperature while she is sleeping and not disturb her.

Sick baby

My poor little Baby Bear is sick. She has a fever and a cough. My poor baby. Feel better soon, my dear.

On the move

Baby Bear is on the move. Look at her go.



Time to put up the baby gate!! That mission was accomplished over the weekend.

9 month well visit and stats

Baby Bear had her 9 month appointment yesterday. She is on the smaller side, a petite girl. She only gained 2 oz since her appointment last month. So she is 16 lbs 4 oz and 26 1/4 inches (9th percentile and 16th percentile, respectively). The pediatrician is not really concerned since she is meeting all her milestones and looks great. She is not off the charts but we will have a weight check next month to monitor her weight gain and make sure that she continues to gain.



I am trying not to worry about it since she is otherwise healthy and she doesn't look skinny by any means. Baby Bear has some chubby thighs (sadly she got that from me). She is nursing well and takes all her bottles when I am at work. So I know she is eating. She is not the best eater when it comes to the solids, but she is doing better. She is now eat 3 solid meals a day. We introduced breakfast last week and she is just getting used to that. I also introduced yogurt and at first she didn't care for it, but this morning I added some oatmeal to it and she ate almost 2 tablespoons. Then, tonight she had two tablespoons of homemade baby food. She usually only eats half of that. So I am very glad to see her solids eating habit improve.

She is just very easily distracted and is a busy body. She will eat a few of spoonfuls of food and after that she needs to have a spoon or something in her hands while I feed her. I usually have to sneak food in her mouth while she is playing with her spoon. She readily eats it when I sneak it in and definitely lets me know when she no longer wants anymore food, so I know it is not that she doesn't want to eat. I think she would rather play than eat. One things she really likes to eat is her puffs. She has some with every meal and I have been introducing some finger foods. She really like sweet potato fries. So she is definitely eating.

I also have to remember that Baby Bear is very active and now that she is mobile I am sure that makes a difference. She is probably burning extra calories since she has developed these new milestones of crawling and standing. The pediatrician is not worried so I shouldn't be either. Baby Bear is a happy healthy girl. Some one has to be small and petite, we can't all be average. That is what makes us all individuals and special. Baby Bear is definitely special. She may be small but she has a big personality. She is awesome no matter how big or small she might be.

9 months old

Baby Bear is 9 months, that is 3/4 of a year. It is pretty amazing. She just learned to stand and crawl in the matter of the last few days. It is a whole new world now that she is mobile.

Her milestones:

• clap her hands
• wave hello and goodbye
• sit on her own
• says "dada" and "mama"
• stands on her own
• gets into the seated position on her own
• crawls
  

Baby Bear is very interested in everything and checks everything out. Well, her 9 months sticker was on her shirt for less than a few seconds before she decided to check it out. I couldn't get any pictures with the sticker on.



But it is all good, since she is so cute.



And she is on the go...

She stands!

Baby Bear started standing on her own on Monday. She no longer looks like a little baby anymore, she is becoming a big girl who can stands.



She turned 9 months yesterday. I will post her 9 months pictures soon.