Oh Sweet Melody Rose.......what a ride the past 3 months have been. I really don't know where to begin! I have taken sooo many pictures and haven't blogged at all and it has really stressed me out! I finally got around to it and I am doing a FULL Melody post of the last 3 months. Completely dedicated to you because Addison will probably dominate the next several posts. The past 3 months have been hard-- but I refuse to let hard times steal these precious stages that you are going through. I have been keeping up with fun milestones and "Melody Moments" on my iphone that I will document. I have to say that you have been an ANGEL throughout the hard times and have just gone with the flow! What a BLESSING! When we realized we were headed to Dallas for 6 weeks to live in a hotel, you could have cared less. You were just happy to be with us and adapted so well. You loved your pack-n-play and you stayed on your wonderful schedule the whole time! Two great naps a day and a 12 hour stretch at night. The hotel staff fell in love with you. There was this one receptionist that couldn't wait to see you every morning at breakfast! I toted you everywhere in the baby bjorn and you were happy as can be. Totsie took care of you when I was at therapy with Daddy and Addison. Baylor was only 5 minutes away so it was easy for me to go back and forth between therapy and hotel and nurse you. You are still a pro at that! You LOVE to find tiny strands of my hair and pull them as hard as you can while you nurse. AHHH! It hurts sooo bad. You also pick/scratch my nose and shove your hands in my mouth and scratch behind my bottom teeth while nursing. You are 9 months right now and the separation anxiety has kicked in full force. If I get out of your sight for a second you will start screaming. That really is the only thing that makes you mad. I will have to say you girls have made me sooo strong from carrying you around all the time! Ok, so you started to sit up on March 30th. You were over 6.5 months old. ( Addison's accident was on March 26th. ) This sitting has of course opened a new world to you. You can really get into your sissy's toys and that makes her pretty jealous! We fed you meals in your Bumbo until you were 8.5 months. It just got to a point where you would constantly be reaching and trying to grab anything left and right. It got pretty dangerous. You would reach so hard it looked as if you might fall out the side. AND when it was time to take you out, I couldn't get you out cause you would get stuck! Those sweet, little, juicy thighs just couldn't quite get out! Sooo, we finally did what we should have done a long time ago. We got you your very own high chair! We got a space saver one and we LOVE it! Addison loves that you have a chair "just like hers". Even though it's not identical we tell her you wanted one just like hers and that just sends her over the moon! It's so much easier to feed you this way. You get way less distracted.
Here you are in your 1st Easter dress. Addison had this one last year and I found this one on sale when I was pregnant with you and figured y'all could wear them together this year! Well, Addison's was a bit short but the idea was still cute. Y'all did have "official, matching Easter outfits" that actually fit Addison. BUT, I ended up putting these on y'all first and we never got around to the "real ones." I am actually going to put them on y'all soon and take some fun pics. WHO CARES if it's not Easter anymore? They are cute and smocked and we will get some wear out of them! We might even hunt Easter eggs! Who says you can't do that in June?? We kinda missed out on all that fun while in the hospital. We did hunt some eggs in the room but that's just not the same as doing it at home! See how serious you look?? You can be very serious at times- especially around strangers. You are happiest being held or playing with Addison. Y'all get into the biggest laughing fits! I will be getting lunch ready and hear y'all in the playroom going back and forth cracking up! You are already best friends and it just thrills my heart that y'all are close in age and can play, laugh and love on each other. Addison is always kissing you or patting you and telling you that "It's going to be ok." She loves to help change your diapers and always informs me when you are wet.
You really didn't wear this bow all day. I had to see if your hair could hold such a big bow! And it did! I couldn't quit laughing at you:)
This was one of the gifts in your Easter basket. You didn't really care for all that tradition but I know you will get into it next year. We had to give you your basket at the hotel because Addison spotted it and wanted it along with hers. So, because of those change of plans, we don't have a picture of you with your basket! I will certainly make up for it next year!
ALOT of people that meet you comment on how you look JUST LIKE the Gerber Baby/ china doll. We have to agree.....We think you are pretty cute! You said "Mama" for the first time at almost 7.5 months old. We were in the hotel in Dallas and it was loud and clear. Such a good sound:) You say it all the time now at 9 months old.
You LOVE taking your socks off and chewing/sucking on them. If there are no toys around and you start to get antsy, I just pull one of your socks off and you go to town! Oh, the simple things:) One of your favorite toys is my iphone. You can find that sucker faster than I can! If I lose it, I know I can put you on the floor and you will locate it within minutes. The other day you had it longer than I thought and actually made the speakers quit working because of your drool! It took many hours to get it back to normal. I was planning on getting a new one the next day and it suddenly started working again. Gosh I gotta be more careful! You get very upset with me when I take something cool away (such as my phone). I can usually calm you down or "change the subject" by giving you one of your baby spoons to chew on. You LOVE these.
These are all of you hanging out in the hotel room on the bed. Notice the striped comforter- I REALLY didn't like that thing. It looked as if it was from the 70's (because of the yucky colors) and it was kinda scratchy. Did I mention that I didn't like the colors?? Most of all, I really have something against hotel comforters. They are just NASTY! But Melody didn't mind:)
Goodness Gracious! You are so kissable! I love, Love LOVE these! Such a happy little girl!
Here you are wearing your 1st Peach Festival t-shirt. (I think it's such a random color this year) I remember getting Addison her 1st and how excited I was. Oh, the little things! So, y'all have matching shirts this year and I did take lots of pics with y'all wearing them. Addison is SO proud that y'all have the same shirt. Everytime she wears hers, she wants you to wear yours and vice versa.
You love to blow bubbles and spit when you get tired. I can always count on you to do it at night when I am changing your diaper/clothes and getting you in your sleep sack. Instead of crying and getting really fussy, this is what you do! I'll take it! You were done with the swaddle at 7.5 months. Well, you weren't really done but I was. You got to where you were waking up in the middle of the night out of your swaddle. You wouldn't go back to sleep cause you were used to being all snug. Sooo, I finally had it. I was worried about the neighbors in the hotel possibly complaining about you in the middle of the night. So, I came back home for one night to bring you to the doctor for some vaccines. That night I just went straight for it and put you in the sleep sack. I didn't even do the one-arm-out method. NO problem whatsoever! I was SHOCKED! You love it and have learned to sleep on your belly and always roll to your belly immediately when I put you down. Addison didn't like the transition as much when she was your age-(well most babies don't)- that's why I was surprised! When I come to check on you at night, I always find you with your booty in the air. You will have your knees tucked under you and I find it impossible to resist patting that little booty. So precious!
You have been a FABULOUS eater! You are on level 2 foods now (you are currently 9 months) and you eat 3 good meals a day. I think you have loved everything I have put in front of you- even the chicken (YUCK)! You are a bit slow to eat bananas so maybe that means you don't care for them as much. When we would start a new food, the first day was always a shock to you and then the second day you would be good to go and that mouth would open for more. Addison of course wants a little bit of the action. She would revert back to baby food if I let her! She wants to do EVERYTHING you do! So there have been several jars that she has sampled:) You didn't seem to mind though. You are eating puffs constantly and are getting better at your aim. They will sometimes get stuck to your palm and then you get so confused trying to figure out where it went. Addison of course has to have her own helping of puffs with you.......Picking my battles! Your hands constantly smell like strawberry or peach puffs and I love it! Even first thing in the morning I can still smell them on your hands.
We hooked Addison's baby swing up last week and you LOVE it! It hangs right next to hers and y'all just love swinging together. It really feels like yesterday when I was pushing Addison in it. I'm so sad at how fast the time goes.
You are in this tongue stage right now. You love to stick it out and kinda point it. I can hardly take a picture of you without it! It's your pose!
You are trying you very hardest to crawl right now. You can get anywhere you want by rolling/maneuvering yourself. Sometimes you get frustrated and just hold your head up and kick both legs simultaneously.(Looks like your swimming). You love to stand at the activity table and can do it on your own even though I stay right behind you! You will be on the move in no time and I don't want to rush it AT ALL! I love all of these stages and I want to soak it up for as long as I can. You have been an incredible joy to us and have lifted all of our spirits in the past few months! I thank God for your precious life and for choosing US to be your parents! What an amazing gift. We love you Melody Rose!!
*****On June 17th ( a little over 9 months, I felt your first tooth! Your bottom 2 are coming in but the one on your left is coming through faster. It's quite a shock to me because Addison got her first when she was almost a year old! I just expected the same with you. I am sad cause that sweet, gummy smile will soon be gone and I am trying to soak it up while I can. I will say your teeth are going to be super cute and I LOVE the look of two bottom teeth!
A few days after that you started doing "Patty Cake." Oh, I was sooo excited! I have never seen anything so sweet! It was the most innocent thing I have ever seen:) I have always done it with you and apparently you listen because I started saying it the other day and you just started clapping away. (Perfectly on beat I might add)! You have been doing it all week and it is precious!
