Noah @ 9 months

It was so tough to wrangle this kid for pictures. Definitely a two-person job next time. Also, he was SO chatty and moving all the time, it was hard to catch a smile that wasn't crazy blurry. But that about sums him up these days --- a busy blur.

28.75 inches tall - 68%

 21 pounds 5.8 oz - 78%

18.5 inches head circumference - 86%

Definitely not little any more!

NOAH:

• learned how to go from crawling to sitting up at the beginning of the month. I noticed him trying once or twice in his crib. But then BOOM, all.day.every.day. Now mix that with standing. That same day, he also realized he can pull himself to standing in his crib (giggling while he did it). It's pretty much all he does in there now.

• laughs like crazy when he gets tired. So fun hear him laugh uncontrollably. And he will laugh at anything!

• demands whatever we are eating. He will come and beg at your knee if he sees you with something. He also started drinking from a cup and is slowly learning to use a sippy. But he is a pro with his little baby cup. He pushes away his bottle unless he is really hungry in the mornings or after a nap. Really seems to just want more regular food. Which he can eat and eat and eat.

• looooves the computer. If you have it out, that's all he wants to play with and all he cares about. He learned he can crawl out of rooms this month and is now fascinated by everything in the bathroom and kitchen now. He loves to open and close cupboard doors. He's already unrolled a whole roll of toilet paper.

• pulls himself up to standing on almost anything, can cruise around our furniture so quickly, and will even use the walls to walk around to get where he wants to go. He can't stand up on his own but he really only needs a tiny bit of support to go somewhere. He has been pushing off us more and more but still d oesn't have great balance. Except in the bathtub, oddly enough.

• really good about letting me run in the mornings but I'm not fast enough to go as far as I'd like before he wants out. 

• we took him to the playground last week and he learned how to climb stairs. It is always fun to watch him figure things out.

• can clap his hands (he learned that one all on his own!) and will play patti-cake. He will start clapping if he is excited or happy about something too. It's so cute to see. He used to wave hi and bye, but refuses to anymore. Also knows how to high-five and throw his arms up for 'touchdown'.

US PARENTS:
• not much to report here. David is busy studying. I'm busy keeping up with Noah. This summer was really low-key for us. We went to the BYU game vs UCONN and it was great. It was also the first time dropping Noah off at a babysitter's. Kind of weird but it was nice to go on a date. We have a great little routine around here and life is so, so good.

Buying for a baby. (8 months later...)

I didn't realize how much stuff you end up buying for babies. After reading many reviews and considering what we could afford with our budget, this is what worked for us and what we loved.  I'm sure I'm forgetting some. (Baby brain is real, people.)
[not sponsored... just loved.]

1 •••  aden + anais swaddle blankets -- I knew I wanted these and they are by far my favorite blankets. These work well for both cold and hot weather and also as nursing covers. I also heard RAVE reviews of the bamboo ones, so maybe next baby?

2  •••  Burt's Bees bed sheets -- these are super soft and comfy. We also have these from target which are nice to switch out and a lot cooler during the hot summer weather.

3  ••• Ikea crib -- simple, white, affordable. That was all I was looking for and this fit perfectly. Ikea actually released a new line of cribs after Noah was born that I'm loving. But we had a deadline to meet and couldn't wait for those.  We also bought this pack n' play (but from Walmart). It came with a bassinet which was perfect when Noah slept in our room. 

4  ••• Foscam video monitor  [+ baby monitor app] - It's really meant as a security camera. It runs over your wifi, and you can check it on a computer or on your phone if you get an app. It was cheaper/better reviewed than any official "baby monitor" we looked at.   *I love being able to look at my baby. Especially when we decided to sleep train him. Or when I wake up during the night. Or when writing a blog post in the living room.      here is what it looks like on my phone:

5  ••• Overstock chair -- We decided to get this in lieu of a glider, hoping  it will last long enough to be used in a family room. It reclines, rocks, and has cushioned arms - so nice when you hold your baby for long periods of time! I actually slept in it a few times at the end of my pregnancy when sleep becomes so elusive. Not in this chair. We also ended up getting an ottoman to put our feet on. It now holds extra blankets.

6  ••• Ikea shelves (seen in this post) -- we use these for Noah's books! Definitely helps add color to our white renter walls.

7  ••• Blackout curtains (seen in this post) -- we made our own (fabric+blackout material from Joann's). Noah's room faces east so these have been gooooooood for getting to sleep longer in the mornings and getting him to take naps during the day. 

[We skipped the changing table/dresser -- a) no room b) I voted to get a better chair with the money from not getting a dresser c) dollar store baskets, hanging cubbies, and hangers in the closet work just fine.]

8  ••• Solly baby wrap - Real life pictures! I bought this right after we were married, so unfortunately they are a little more pricey now. I loved it! It was fantastic when Noah was a newborn. However, Noah wasn't a fan of being wrapped up so we didn't last super long wearing it. 

9  ••• Ergo Baby Carrier (purchased through ebates from Target) - I'm kind of kicking myself over the Ergo. I love love love it because it has a wider base than some other carriers and you can carry them for a long time (age-wise), but if I had waited just 3 more weeks, I could have had the option of the 360 wrap that lets the baby face any direction. Which Noah would highly prefer because he likes to face out. I know there are some other good carriers that are up-and-coming that have good features too. It would be fun to try those out. 

10 ••• Ingenuity Baby Booster Seat -- works great for our glamorous apartment living. Our kitchen has no space for a high chair. This has been fairly easy to clean and we like that it grows with Noah (we just removed the insert a couple weeks ago! Mostly to have more access to the food he drops haha)

11 ••• Fisher-Price Bouncer -- (gift from a shower) It was FABULOUS. We used it so, so much when Noah wasn't as squirmy and mobile as he is now. I've seen lots of these show up at the consignment store if you're willing to wait for one. 

12 ••• We bought this Snugabunny Fisher-Price swing after multiple nights with almost no sleep. We got desperate. Maybe not our best purchase because it didn't help as much as we thought. Perhaps if we had gotten it sooner? Hopefully some day another baby loves it more than Noah did because it actually is a really nice swing.

13 ••• Turtle Bath Sponge (gift from a shower) -- It worked so well that we wore it out. It was easy, stored well in our apartment, and it was fun to watch Noah grow and to think about how small he was at first. 

14 ••• Cloth diapers as burp cloths ---  We got a lot of handmade blankets with matching cloths, but some of them didn't quite absorb as well as I hoped. Sometimes the liquid would roll off. But these baby cloth diapers -- They are magical and soak up everything.

» I also wish I had gotten a boppy/related item. I think it would have helped with multiple things. But I just never got around to it/didn't want to spend the money whenever I thought about it «

(I never thought I would be the mom that needs THREE strollers with only an 8-month old baby. But I do. They are all useful and handy and great in their own ways.)

15 ••• Snap 'N Go - purchased from a consignment store (I will forever sing the praises of consignment stores and Craig's list for strollers!) We use it almost every time we go anywhere. It stays in our trunk, collapses so easily, is light and compact, and it is super easy to hook/unhook the car seat. Completely worth every penny. We will use this until Noah outgrows his car seat.
16 ••• Chicco Echo -- this has great reviews for being a pretty basic "umbrella" style stroller. Noah liked it right away, it's easy to fold, locks shut, seat adjusts to laying down and sitting up and in between. We got it on sale with a coupon code and already used it a ton. This was our walking stroller until I got the jogging stroller. This will be used way more when we are done with the snap n go. 

17 ••• BOB Revolution - I decided I wanted to be really picky about a jogging stroller. These are pricey, but my trade off was that I was going to find a good used one. This stroller is just great.It had everything I was looking for and I'm so glad I was able to be patient. I searched craigslist for many many weeks and ended up going with a used one that is older for a steal! (2006? 2007?) I cleaned it and we pumped the tires up and it functions SO well.  My motivation to exercise showed up when this stroller did. I really love it.

18 ••• Dohm Sound Machine - You can hear everything in our apartment. And in our upstairs neighbor's. And next-door neighbor's. This machine is our lifesaver. Based on this article, we keep this across the room just to be safe. I kind of want one for me.

19 ••• Crane Cool Mist Humidifier - This really helped Noah when he was stuffed up in the middle of winter and couldn't sleep because he couldn't breathe as well. This had great reviews and we have been happy with it.

Okay, that was longer than I thought. I'm done. Anything you got that you loved? Or hated? 

I'm always open to trying new things. And getting more stuff!

While I was pregnant, I loved these:
••• Vitamins listed from Grace's blog --- these are totally worth the pennies. (mini-backstory: Saved me big bucks.)
••• Books to read (re-read):
   Eat, Sleep, Poop - modern-yet-conservative take on parenting advice from a pediatrician who is also a recent dad.
   Nursing Mother's Companion - this was very informative.
   What to Expect...  (kind of an obvious one, but I really did like it.) I need to start reading the ones about your baby growing up too.

Noah's room!

I still have artwork from my elementary/middle school days that I want to hang above his crib.
But that is a project for another day.