Michaela @ Nine Months

Nine months and a day old!

Yesterday got away from us mostly due to computer issues. So this isn't the timeliest of posts. Oh, well.

My little miracle isn't that little anymore. I can't believe she's nine months already! My pregnancy seemed to drag on forever (because I was so sick), but these nine months with Michaela have truly just flown by.

Growth: We will see the pediatrician later this week, so I'll update with some stats at that point. I am really eager to see how much she has grown in length and weight since we last went in during November. I can tell you that she's now wearing 12 months sized clothing. We have a few items of 9 months clothes that still work for her, but most things that weren't two-pieces were just too short for her torso anymore. Her shoe size still seems to be a 3, though, and she is still wearing a size 3 diaper.
Updated on February 23: At her appointment with the pediatrician, we learned that she is 28.25" long, and that she weighs 19.2 pounds. She is tall and thin. She's gained less than two pounds since her appointment in November, but she's grown 1.25 inches. Her length puts her in the 72nd percentile, and her weight in the 53rd.

Eating: Well, her enthusiasm for food seems to come and go. She really likes things she can feed herself, but she's not that coordinated about getting those morsels in her mouth. Much of it winds up in the seat of her highchair. She's usually very interested in what I'm eating, and she will almost always "beg" to be fed some of my food. That's fine with me! I offer her a taste of almost anything she shows interest in.

Sleeping: Michaela is a pretty good napper most days. It is typical for her morning and afternoon naps to be at least an hour in length, sometimes two. We're still cosleeping, and I am very content with that arrangement. I like having her in bed with me. On the weekends, it's nice to sleep in a little bit later and see her wake up with a smile on her sweet face. That really reminds me of her daddy. He almost always woke up with a smile for me. How I miss that!

Other developments:

Michaela's top front teeth are making their way down. I'd estimate them at about 1/4 of the way emerged. Long before they were visible, she was grinding her bottom teeth with the top ones. It really gave me the heebie-jeebies!

Michaela pulls up on furniture, and she will stand for long periods of time. She likes to pull up at our living room window sill and watch the world go by. When she's done with that, she expresses her frustration, and I help her get down. She needs to learn how to sit down from a standing position. There are times when she doesn't wait for me, or I'm around the corner and she falls. Those are terrible moments that usually end in tears. I just swoop in as quickly as I can and hold her until she feels better. She's usually just scared, but we do have hardwood floors and I know she's clonked her head a few times. Gives me major mommy guilt.

She's vocalizing so much! In the past month she's started saying "mama" and "baba". Just last week, she clearly said "bye-bye" as I buckled her into her carseat, and she waved goodbye. Too cute!

Everyone who cares for her here at the house takes the time to point to the pictures of Daddy and Mommy that are around the house and on our fridge. A few days ago, we were reviewing the pictures on the fridge, and I asked her where Daddy is. She pointed right to a picture of him! I just hugged her so tight. It was a very touching moment.

I guess the last thing I'll mention here tonight, is that we took our first trip to Disneyland last Monday. Michael's mom retired from Disneyland, and therefore she has a lifetime pass to the park. My mom and my sister joined us for an afternoon of fun together. One of the things we took her to was Tiki Room, and she was so interested in singing birdies. We actually sat under one of the main characters in the show named "Michael". I am aware of little things like this all the time. I don't know what those in Heaven see or know about those of us here on Earth exactly, but there are times when I really feel like the Lord wants me to know that Michael knows what's up with us.

So, there you have it! Nine months! I'm already starting to think about her first birthday party. Yikes!!!

And the nominees are. . .

Beauty for Ashes has been nominated to the "Top 25 Moms with Inspiring Families - 2012"  list on Circle of Moms! I'm excited about this because of the exposure the blog might receive through the voting process and beyond. Not because I need the attention, but I'd love the blog to be a tool by which other women can be encouraged and inspired - especially to trust the Lord with their lives whether they are facing life as a single mom, infertility, a cancer diagnosis, or widowhood. The Lord has been gracious to me in all those challenges, and I want others to seek Him in their trials.

So, please click on the button above and vote for Beauty for Ashes by March 7, 2012. You can vote once a day. Thanks so much!

Happy Valentine's Day

Mommy's Sweet Little Valentine

Ah, Valentine's Day. You either love it or you hate it. Right? I used to hate it back when I was single year in and year out. Then, it got much better when I could share it with Michael. You would think I'd hate it again, but I don't.

My life is not exactly what I'd like it to be, but to let a Hallmark holiday like Valentine's Day bring me down would be really dumb. I have been incredibly blessed. Look at that beautiful baby. I see her daddy in her in so many ways. From her appearance, to her easy-going nature, to her curiosity, and so on. I'm sure she has some of me in her as well, but it's Michael that I seek to find in her.

Love is all around this Valentine's Day. Michael may not be here to put his arms around me, but I can put my arms around our daughter. And, for now, that is enough.

I'm Still Here

Okay, so I've been away from the blog for much too long. My sister complained about the lack of posts tonight, and I was meaning to check in before the weekend was over. So, here I am.

I have missed blogging and you, my friends and readers. It's just that Michaela seems to be staying up later into the evening. By the time she goes down for the night, I don't have that much time before I need to get to bed myself. In fact there's usually just enough time to wash up some dishes, and put her toys away. Oftentimes she wakes up before I'm ready for bed, and then I'm practicing the fine art of brushing my teeth with a baby in one arm. So many things to do. So few moments without a little person wanting Mommy close by.

For those who have been concerned about my dad, he was diagnosed last week with a type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma. His prognosis is very good. He will begin chemotherapy in the next couple of weeks. It sounds like he will be cancer free later this year, if he responds to treatment as well as his doctor expects him to. I am trusting the Lord to heal him.

Please be patient with me and keep me in your Google reader (or whatever you keep track of your favorite blogs with). I will be back to posting more consistently in the near future. In fact, you can count on another post when Michaela turns nine months old later this month. I'm hoping to get the blog a little makeover in the near future, too. Her sweet little face needs to be in the header. Don't you think?