Sophia's 9 Month Update

Dear Sophia,

This has been my most favorite month so far. You’ve learned so many new skills and you’re becoming so interactive (so.many.giggles). You are (and will forever be) my best little buddy. No doctor appointment this month means we have no idea how long you are or how much you weigh. As long as you’re growing that is all I care about.

We were able to do another “Fun Friday” and one “Fun Thursday” this month. It was so nice to get out of the house together. On the Thursday, we went to the South Waterfront Farmer’s Market and then drank coffee at a nearby coffee shop. On the Friday we donated some items to Goodwill and went grocery shopping. So many people commented on how precious and cute you were.

It finally feels like you’re actually eating some of your food. Your pincer grasp is getting better and better, to the point that you can find the tiniest crumb on the floor and pick it up. We purchased this cute little cup that is supposed to help you learn how to drink from a regular cup. It is completely silicone and weighted on the bottom. You’re slowly getting the hang of it and love having the freedom to do it yourself. You’re getting really good at swallowing avocados, bananas, and oatmeal. Your poops are also changing, which tells us that you’re eating more than we think.

I think I’m starting to notice the first signs of weaning as there are times when you don’t drink as much or just flat out aren’t interested. I’m excited to see you become more independent, but it is a little sad that our breastfeeding journey may be on the decline.

Your two front, bottom teeth are fully grown in and we’ve started brushing them. So far you don’t really mind the toothbrush and you love to chew on it.

Back in January, on the night we brought you home, we had a small electrical fire in our apartment; complete with firefighters entering our home around midnight to test for any lingering hot spots (thankfully they didn’t use their sirens to get to us). The issue was temporarily resolved and would be assessed sometime during the summer. It just so happened that our apartment’s maintenance team scheduled to permanently fix the issue at the same time the awful Oregon smoke was descending on Portland. It was a two week process for them to tear out the wall, insert a new window, install sheetrock, texture, pain, finish the baseboards, and re-do the outside siding.

During this process, so much smoke got inside our bedroom that to prevent any more getting inside the rest of our home (and for our health), we basically quarantined ourselves inside the “liveable” areas of our apartment for days at a time. God is continually reminding me to be content in my circumstances because it could always be so much worse. I thought quarantine from COVID-19 was bad, but didn’t realize how good we had it until we really had to quarantine during the Oregon / California wildfires. We stayed in our house for a week with very minimal exposure to the outside world. We taped our doors to minimize the amount of smoky air seeping in and didn’t open our windows. It was hot and stuffy and honestly, miserable, but through all of it, God was still faithful. I’m happy to say that we’ve “un-quarantined” ourselves and we have a beautiful (not rotted) new wall / window in our bedroom.

Leap 6 is still happening and has been the roughest leap so far. Normally, your sleep isn’t really affected during these developmental leaps, but this time it has been. There were many nights where you’ve woken up and couldn’t settle yourself back down, so mama’s milk to the rescue. It also didn’t help that we slept in the same room as you for 2 weeks while our room was being worked on. Your naps have been both short and long and very unpredictable. Some days you take a cat nap before dinner and other days you don’t. You’ve been grumpier than normal, but I know that this is just a phase and then you’ll go back to your happy temperament. After leap 6, you are able to recognize that different things belong in the same category. For example, an apple tastes, feels, and looks different than green beans, but they are both in the same category of food. It will still take time for this to develop, but you’re now able to start making these associations.

You started this at the tail end of last month but you giggle so much, and not just from being tickled, but also in response to something funny we do. Those giggles make the year of 2020 seem not as bleak. On 9/14/2020, you started crawling (pulling with your arms) and now it is becoming really hard to get any work done. You’re also in the process of learning how to get into a sitting position on your own. Occasionally, at night time, you can’t figure out how to lay back down so we have to help you out.

My favorite thing to do with you is help you stand up. You will grab my hands and I will assist you in standing until you plop back down on your bum. You’re practice standing up in your crib. I guess it is time to lower the mattress. Crawling all over me is becoming a game for you and I love it so much.

You started clapping on your own around 9/18/2020. Previously, I would try and show you how to clap by grabbing your hands and doing the motion, but you wouldn’t have it. You don’t like not being in control of your hands. Apparently, all I needed to do was wait and you would do it on your own terms. It is so cute watching you mimic us clapping. We are now working on waving “hi” and “bye” and you’ve done it a handful of times.

You’ve become more aware of sounds and where they’re coming from. You especially pay attention to motorcycles, sirens, birds, and Jericho’s bell on his collar. You still love playing with Jericho’s toys; balls that make noise seem to be a constant favorite. Your babbling sounds have changed and your screaming / shrieking is getting way more intense, especially when you spot Jericho. Your love for him just continues to grow. You’re crawling after him and even sharing his food. You are definitely an animal lover because it isn’t just Jericho you’re fascinated with; you think dogs are pretty cool too, especially Brutus.

Brutus is our friend Devri and Trace’s sweet doggy. Daddy knows them from when he worked at eBay in Utah, but they now live in Portland. We spent the afternoon watching football and catching up. We also had a play date with Willa and and went to dinner at Max’s.

We started to baby proof the house and boy does it make a difference. In the beginning we had to get up every few seconds and redirect you away from something potentially dangerous. Now you have a bit more freedom and we are rest assured that anything you get into won’t harm you, We still need to figure out what to do with our cords and mount some of our furniture to the wall, but everything else is ready for you to explore (I think, LOL).

Grandpa Danny came for an extended weekend and it was the BEST! The smoky air cleared up tremendously, and it started to feel like fall. We made sure to take advantage of the outdoors and ate Little Griddle for brunch at a park; and visited Oregon Heritage Farms where we bought some local apples, cider, and tasted their yummy cider slushies (so good!). We also attended church IN PERSON for the first time in months. I may have shed a few tears at how weird it was to be singing in a mask, but I was so overjoyed to be worshipping God in the presence of other believers.

Grandpa was a huge help in putting our bedroom back together after the construction and occupying you while daddy and I worked. It is always sad to say “see you later” to family, but Grandpa Jim is visiting really soon!

I’ve known for a few years that I am an introvert, but I feel like I’ve had to re-learn what that means for me since adding you to our family. It has been such a hard transition from having so much of my own time to now having a cling on (Ha!). It is still a struggle, but your daddy and I have figured out some ways for me to have some extra time to recharge. Tuesday nights are our personal time. After daddy puts you to bed, we each do our own activities separately; usually I read a book and daddy plays video games. I am working on actually relaxing during that time instead doing dishes or other housework. I have a hard time seeing our space messy, so it has been a steep learning curve for me to just let it go for now. The balance is not fully figured out, but I am slowly learning what works best for me and in turn gives you a better mama. Thank you for having grace for me as I navigate this new territory.

This must be a grandpa month as Grandpa Jim came for a visit. He hasn’t seen you since early summer and it was so fun for him to see how much you’ve changed. You thoroughly enjoyed pulling his chest hairs. ;)

Despite COVID still being a thing, we didn’t let that stop us from enjoying all that Portland has to offer. All weekend long, the boys sampled various beers at an “at home” beer festival; complete with stout candied bacon and pigs in a blanket. On Friday, we ate at the John’s Marketplace food trucks and to our surprise, my favorite Gyro food truck was there! The lamb meat melts in your mouth! SO GOOD!

Saturday we enjoyed German food at Prost, consisting of bratwurst, sausages, sauerkraut, beer cheese soup, beer, and pretzel bread.

Sunday we attended church in person for the 2nd time and brunched at Bare Bones Cafe, where the chicken and gravy, pesto bagel, and loaded egg burger were delish. Sophia also agrees! It was a lovely weekend and it actually kind of felt normal. We love having our family come and visit.

You’ve grown up so much in the past month. It makes me both happy to see you develop, but sad because you’re changing so quickly and you’re not my tiny baby anymore. We are eagerly looking forward to the next month and all the developments you’ll make; praying that Grandma Karen can come for a long weekend; and starting to plan our extended vacation to Utah.

Love,

Mom and Dad