hadley fern {nine months}

Hadley Fern, you are NINE months old!

You're a spitfire these days, keeping Daddy, Asher, and I all on our toes!  It's a team effort keeping you out of mischief - you are particularly determined to drink from Asher's cup and to eat through the computer cords (we frown on both).  Hadley, you aren't crawling yet, but you do roll and scootch to get pretty much everywhere you want to go.

This month you mastered both sitting independently and getting into a sitting position.  In fact, they happened within days of one another!  I'm so impressed with the ease with which you go from laying to sitting.  I wish my abs were that strong.  Of course, you still topple over occasionally.  :-)

You talk constantly.  Well, babble.  I love it when you say 'mama mama mama'.  Even though it doesn't mean much yet I still love to hear it!

For the most part you are sleeping from 7pm - 7am at night (although you still try to get up for a snack some nights - we're working on it...) and you nap 2 or 3x during the day, usually at 9am, 1pm, and 4pm.  Putting you to bed is so easy - nurse, burp, big kiss, and a wave good-bye.  You go down like hot butter on toast.  It's fabulous!

Hadley, you love to eat.  You are still exclusively breastfed and nurse 5x a day.  We've added in some new foods and you still like everything I give you.  So far you've had green beans, peas, sweet potatoes, squash, beets, spinach, carrots, peaches, pears, apples, bananas, garbanzo beans,  and Cheerios.  H even tried some pancakes that I made last Saturday!

Sadly, you aren't over your dairy allergy yet.  Mama had some milk last week as a trial and you had a reaction almost immediately.  I think we'll try again in a month.

You still only have the 2 teeth on the bottom.  More soon?  Maybe?

Most of the time you are still our happy Hadley.  No sign of separation anxiety yet - yay!  Everyone who meets you says how laid back you are.  They're right - there isn't much that gets you worked up.

Asher is 100% your favorite person in the world.  Anytime he talks to you, hugs (read: smooshes) you, or holds you, you are over-the-moon excited!  I love to see you light up when he is nearby.  I hope you two grow to be best friends.

Miss Hadley, you are still itty bitty.  I tried moving you up to size 9 month onesies because it just seemed like time, but honestly they are too big, so we got the 6 month ones back out.  No girl wants to swim in her clothes - why should you?  Size is just a number darling, don't get caught up in all that nonsense.  :-)

At 9 months old, Hadley...

weighs 14 pounds, 2 oz (4th percentile)
is 26 inches long (4th percentile)
has a head circumference of 16.4 (5th percentile)
wears size 6mo, 6-9mo, and 9 month (pajamas)
wears size 3 diapers (but they are big)
no shoes yet, so I'm not sure what size you are
loves both table food, baby purees, and mama's milk
adores her big brother
has 2 teeth
sleeps 12 hours at night
takes 2-3 naps a day

rolls everywhere, sits independently and can get into a sitting position from laying
loves to play with blocks, Sophie the Giraffe, and her music table

DIY painted silhouettes

A few weeks ago I shared with you all my hallway photo gallery that I put up as a surprise for Drew.  There was a lot of interest in the kids' silhouettes that I made, so, as promised, here's the tutorial to make your own!

I first saw the idea on Jessica's blog and basically followed her tutorial found here.  The only thing I did differently was that I had someone else make the actual silhouettes (the hard part, in my opinion!).  I hoped to get a lot of detail in the silhouettes and had no confidence that I'd be able to draw that myself.  Instead, I sent photos to Minks Paperie on Etsy and had her create the silhouettes.  She came back with these for me - hurray!  Easy and beautiful!

             

      

The idea is that you can then get high quality prints of these digital images to hang in your home.  I really wanted the look of painted silhouettes on canvas, however, so I did it a little differently.

1 //  Resize digital image to 8x10 canvas in Photoshop and add name and age text

               

 

2 // Print it out - quality doesn't matter at all, I did fast print black and white to save ink

3 // Scribble all around the perimeter of your silhouette and all over the text with pencil

4 // Tape your silhouette on your canvas paper so it won't move.

Here's the canvas paper I got.

I zoomed in on the paper next to the pencil so you can hopefully see the texture.  It's exactly like a canvas you'd paint, except it comes in sheets!

5 // Take your pencil and trace HARD all around the outline of your silhouette and over the text.  This will transfer the pencil you scribbled onto the canvas so you have an outline to fill in with paint.

(sorry, don't have a picture of the pencil outline, but trust me, it works)

6 // Using acrylic paint and a small paintbrush, fill inside the pencil outline and paint over your pencil letters.  It's very much like paint-by-numbers.  :-)  Here's the paint I used.

7 // Let it dry, then frame and hang!

So easy and really unique.  Everyone who comes here comments on them!

If you end up doing some please let me know - I'd love to see your finished project!

a guy's gotta get around

Ever since Asher was diagnosed with low tone in his core we've been working on getting him caught up to his peers physically.  While he's doing fantastic in most respects there are still a few areas Drew and I notice he lags behind.  It seems like most boys his age hop on tricycles or scooters and just zoom right off, but not A.  He's cautious by nature and when something is physically hard for him he's quick to quit.

We have been encouraging him to keep trying his tricycle, but the pedals and his feet get stuck in neutral a lot and the poor guy gets SO frustrated.  Not to mention the toy basket and bell are a huge distraction.  He's always stopping to ring the bell and check on his stuff.  ha!

When I heard about a balance bike I thought that might be a good solution.  Still physically challenging and actually even better for his core because it requires him to stay balanced.

Grandma Linda and Poppa Gene gifted it to him as a summer treat and we were so excited when it arrived last week!

Asher is still getting the hang of it, but I love that it is more like a "real" bike.  I've read that once kids get the hang of a balance bike they can easily transition to a 2 wheeled pedal bike with no training wheel time.  We'll see if that happens - I hope so!  :-)

We try to get some bike time every day and I can see his confidence building as his skill on it improves.  This was his first time on it.  Bless him - he looks like a very, very old man.  ha!  

Here's hoping I'll have to chase him down the sidewalk yelling "Asher!  Come back right now!"  any day.  :-)

wordless wednesday (because that's all i can muster)

I keep meaning to do a big catch up post, but honestly by the time the kids are in bed I'm spent.  This summer has kept us running - and I love it! (but still.  busy.)

We are having fun and taking names.

boom.

See ya soon - I hope.

my boys

Back before Hadley evened things up the guys ruled this roost.

To be honest, they still have a pretty strong pull over me.

Especially with those smiles!  Love them!

phone dump friday

Hey!  Did I mention that I got a new phone last weekend?  Yay yay yay!!  I take SO many photos with my phone that I've really been looking forward to getting an upgraded camera in the iPhone5.  I can tell a big difference - let's see if PDF can tell as well.  :-)

Poor Hadley - no girl toys in this house yet.  Luckily trucks, cars, dinos, and diggers are her favorites.

Pretty girl was being extra patient while big brother got a frozen yogurt treat this week!

Oops, just realized I never shared our beach trip phone pics, so better get these on here before too much time passes.

I spy a belly!

love, love me some baby toes.  Especially at the beach.

Hey!  We were there too!

Hadley had fun, um, playing?, with her cousin Brynn.  I tried to tell her that grabbing faces isn't nice, but H seemed to think it was the best way to get to know someone.  Sweet B took it like a champ.

When we were at the beach Asher loved spinning and spinning in the wind.  When I asked if he was dizzy he told me this...  

(a whole post of Asher quotes is coming - this kid comes up with the best stuff these days!!)

I bought a special deal on a canvas a few months ago and finally decided on a photo to get printed.  My ballerina arrived last week and I l-o-v-e it!  

Sitting up and playing like a big girl these days.  :-)  :-)

I'm shocked - and a little saddened - by how quickly this girl is growing up.  She tried Puffs for the first time over the 4th of July and mastered self-feeding them almost immediately.  When we got home I gave her some Cheerios to try and they were the same deal.  Straight into her mouth, chew a bit, swallow.  She's a pro!

Since she loves solid foods so much I've decided to do a bit more baby-led weaning with her.  This slice of peach was a winner.

Hadley might look just like Drew, but there's a little of me in there.  Squishy faces unite!

I was getting little Miss ready for her bath the other day and she sat herself up!  Really wanted that diaper, I guess.

Electrical cords sing her siren song.  Lord help me.

I was thinking about dismantling the Pack 'n Play since it's a space hog, but I really like having the changing station downstairs.  Since it was sitting there anyway I was hit with a wave of inspiration one day and decided to try using it as a playpen.  Brilliant!  Hadley doesn't mind hanging out for a few minutes while I do dishes and it keeps me from worrying that she is eating through the computer cords (see above).  ha!

That's it!  That's all!  Have a great weekend, y'all!