Leah 8, 9, & 10 Months...Finally

Because I am SO behind and I promised to have this posted before Leah turns 11 months (which is in about 36 hours), I will spare you a long introduction. Here are some highlights from the end of our summer:

26th Annual Belcher Croquet and Frisbee Golf Tournament

Future champion in the making 

Keeping the titles in the family: Brian won frisbee golf and Grandpa B. won croquet (and was awarded the highly coveted yellow jacket). Yes, there really is a jacket the champion keeps for a year, and yes, there are trophies with engraved names of all winners. There are also highlight videos on YouTube along with 20 and 25 year anniversary T-shirts, which both winners are modeling in the above picture. In case you ever doubted how big of a deal this day is, now you know.

Croquet was exciting, but Leah preferred hanging out in the pool with her Aunt Carey and cousins Beth and Abigail.


8 Months!

 First Baseball Game

We went with Aunt Bethany to watch the Indians play in August. If you ever want to catch a ball at a baseball game, take my sister with you. She is a magnet for them (this was not the first time she has caught one), and she will gladly give it to you after she does the work. She was so excited to let Leah have the ball as a memento of her first baseball game :) 

 

 As if the ball wasn't enough, Leah thought she could take Aunt Bethany's hat, too.


First Colt's Game of the Season

New Teeth!

Thanks to teething, we got a small dose of what a lot of people go through for several months as new parents...a baby who awakens numerous times through the night. After being spoiled for over 5 months with Leah consistently sleeping 9-11 hours without a peep (and only waking up once a night before that), we had a rude awakening (literally) right before she turned 7 months. Of course, this was timed perfectly with our New Mexico trip (more on that later) but we survived the few rough nights like all parents do, thanks to Tylenol and my patient husband who is great at calming a cranky, frustrated mom at 3am. I am very happy to say that SIX teeth (2 on the bottom, then 4 on top) and 2 1/2 months later, our consistent sleeper returned :)

9 Months!

"9 Month" Stats (her last check-up was only a couple of days before she turned 10 months):

Length: 27.25 inches (13th percentile)

Weight: 16 pounds, 4 ounce (19th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.5 inches (5th percentile)

Leah is still little but she is staying on her growth curves, meaning she is growing well. Because it is not uncommon for me when I work to see 4 month old babies who weigh the same as her, I was happy to hear those words from our pediatrician. In order to keep this short and sweet, I will just wait until her 11 month post to update you on all the new things Leah has been up to.

10 Months!

As you can see in these pictures, Leah is very excited about life. And why wouldn't she be? The last 11 months have convinced me that babies have it made. Sleeping 12 hours at night, being forced to take 2 naps during the day, wearing pajamas with feet, making a mess while you eat without being judged, pointing and laughing at strangers without getting punched in the face, and sitting in a comfy stroller or car seat where you can fall asleep if you get bored ...sounds like the greatest life ever.

Leah's 1st Halloween

It is nearly 8 o'clock the morning after Halloween; Leah is still asleep and I expect that is where she will remain for at least another hour. She was completely wiped out after her grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt/uncle tour of Hendricks County last night (oh, and she also went to Bible class). Needless to say, she loved showing off her costume, chasing around her dog relatives, and getting spooked by some crazy people in masks.

I was looking through old pictures recently and ran across some from last year. I was reminded that, even though yesterday was officially Leah's first Halloween, she did have a costume last year:

At about 33 weeks pregnant, I dressed up as Hope Solo (goalie from the US Women's Soccer Team) and Leah was my soccer ball.

Oh, the difference a year makes...

Our sweet little pumpkin

 I realize it isn't the most creative, but I couldn't resist this classic costume. Isn't she adorable???

"I know you want me to sit still and look cute, but I really want to go chase the dog around the yard."

 

"Who are you and what have you done with my Aunt Carey?"

Playing peek-a-boo with Uncle Mike an hour after her normal bedtime (she was a little giddy).

And here are some more fun Fall pictures:

This past weekend, we went to "Zooboo" with my parents and sister. Leah had a great time and enjoyed barking at the seals. It was hilarious!

She was mesmerized with all of the fish.

At the dolphin show. Can you tell it's her nap time?

The elephants were eating pumpkins. Leah was very concerned.

All warm and cozy in her stroller. She was asleep 2 minutes later.

Picking apples at the orchard with Grandma S. a few weeks ago.

Picking pumpkins

She loves Fall!

I took advantage of a warm day a few weeks back and took some pictures of Leah outside while the leaves were still pretty:

 She really wanted to eat those pumpkins.

Although she looks like Brian (and Uncle Mike) about 90% of the time, I think she looks a lot like me when I was a baby in this picture.

Now it is 3pm and Leah is waking up from her nap. She did sleep until 9 this morning, but I had computer issues and couldn't complete this before she woke up. It seems there's always something keeping me from this blog and, as usual, I am behind on my posts. Stay tuned for one that includes Leah's 8, 9, and 10 month pictures (I promise it will be done before she is 11 months). I can't believe we are only 7 weeks from the BIG birthday. Seriously, could time slow down just a little???

Playing Catch-Up (Leah 6 & 7 Months)

Hello there! Remember us? We have that cute almost 8 month old baby girl who, last time you heard from me, was starting to go bald (except for her little "baby mullet"), was just learning to roll, and who was only drinking milk. Well, things have changed, just a little :)

I didn't purposefully take a break from blogging this summer, and when you see how busy the past 2 months have been, you will understand why it never made it to the top of my to-do list. We have not had a free weekend since late April and I have been filling in a lot at the office this summer (well, most people wouldn't think 1, sometimes 2 days a week is a lot, but it is for me). Also, we have been out of town a few times, including a big trip to New Mexico!

So, here is what we have been up to the last 2 months in pictures. Things should be slowing down now, so hopefully you will hear from me again soon.

First Swim (Memorial Day):

"What are you people looking at and why is everyone half naked by this giant bath tub?" 

She had this serious look on her face the whole time (I think she was still trying to figure out why we were all in the giant bath tub with her), but she loved splashing and kicking around. We put her in a fun little flotation device, but she didn't care for it because she could not touch the water with her hand.

Look out, Michael Phelps!

Drying off after her first water workout. She has many more to go before the 2016 Olympics.

First Food (Rice Cereal) at 5 1/2 Months:

"This is what I have been waiting for months to eat???"
At first, she seemed a little disappointed with the lack of flavor, but soon she was scarfing it down!

This is a picture of the pretty little keepsake spoon I ordered for Leah. I actually waited for it to come before I fed her for the first time (yes, I am guilty of being sentimental to the point it is ridiculous at times). To my dismay, she didn't care to eat from it so I went ahead and opened the plastic baby spoons. On the package of spoons, there was this whole paragraph about how great and practical they were and it ended with "...for babies not born with a silver spoon." Ouch. Well, let's see if those "practical" spoons make a cute ring or key chain some day. 

New Tricks:

Sitting up for one of the first times!

I can no longer leave her unattended.

She loves to read/chew on books!

Father's Day:

Waiting for dad to wake up so she can have Father's Day breakfast with him. Leah is a very good cook.

Leah loves her daddy! She is very grateful to have such an awesome dad who loves her so much!

Later that morning at church was Leah's first time in Sunday school. She loved it!

4 generations of Belchers (not literally, that just happens to be our last name...I know what you all were thinking) 

With my dad and Papa. We are so blessed to have such wonderful dads, grandpas, and great grandpas in our lives (on both sides of the family).

6 Months!

Leah's 6 Month Stats:

Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz. (13th percentile)

Length: 25 inches (24th percentile)

Head Circumference: 40 cm. (1st percentile)

At 6 months, Leah was:

• Sleeping 10-11 hours in crib (9pm until 7 or 8am)
• Still not a consistent napper (I have now just accepted the fact that this child does not require much sleep ...she does not get this from me). She usually will take one good nap a day, although there are a lot of days she only takes 2, 30 minute cat naps (or less). She is perfectly happy and re-energized after these little power naps, until about 7pm and then you can tell she is exhausted. She either takes a pre-bed nap or we have to work really hard to entertain her until her last feed or else a meltdown will occur. There have been times, however, when she is so tired in the evenings she will laugh non-stop for 5 minutes straight about nothing. This giddy, slap-happiness is hilarious and is much preferred to the meltdown. 
• Eating cereal 2 times a day (most days) 
• Lying on her back and scooting with her legs in addition to rolling in both directions to get where she wants to go. She will get into anything and everything...and fast!
• Sitting up well without support
• Blowing raspberries
• Going to her own bible class on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights (instead of staying with us). She loves it and does very well.
• Beginning to become ticklish. She squeals with laughter when we blow on her neck/stomach.
• Obsessed with cups. She stares at our drinking cups/glasses and is constantly trying to grab them.
• Loving the outdoors. Enjoys going for walks and loves to watch everything (animals/birds, people, trees/corn stalks blowing in the wind, cars, etc.)
• Babbling a lot. *Side note: At this point, she was saying what sometimes sounded like words, but we were waiting for her to say these sounds more consistently before giving any of them the great honor of "Leah's First Word" (if we didn't do this, then we could have said her first word was "hi" when she was 3 1/2 months old because she clearly said it one time, but then we'd be one of those annoying parents who exaggerate their baby's achievements).

After Leah turned 6 months, things got crazy busy...

My Best Friend's Wedding:

I helped plan Brittany's bachelorette party. This fun evening included a nice dinner and a hotel room downtown for all of her closest girlfriends. Well apparently I still had my "baby brain" while planning this party because I told Britt it was fine to have it the Friday night the week before her wedding, not paying attention to the actual date. Well, come to find out (after it was too late), that particular Friday night was also our anniversary so...

(no, Brian did not join us at the party) I left the party at 9:30pm and had a late dinner with him downtown. Brian and I stayed at another hotel close by and then I met back up with the girls the following morning for Brittany's bridesmaid brunch (which was also downtown). Luckily Brittany and Brian were willing to share, and I appreciate them both being so patient and understanding with me!

And the next Friday night, Brittany was married! So blessed to have this girl in my life and I was so glad to be a part of her special day!

First Fourth of July:

Leah had fun catching up with her cousin, Abigail!

 5 Year Anniversary Trip:

Brian and I went on a 3 day getaway to Southern Indiana, where we stayed a couple of nights in Jeffersonville, IN at a very nice Bed and Breakfast. We were just a block from the Ohio River with a great view of Louisville. We enjoyed going to a water park (Holiday World), walking around Jeffersonville, and eating dinner on the river both nights. It was so nice to get away, but we were ready to come home and see our sweet girl. Leah enjoyed spending time with both sets of grandparents...I don't know if she was as excited to see us.


Aunt Bethany's Birthday:

She couldn't wait to help blow out the candles!

She had the best time with the tissue paper.


Random Cute Pics:

First vegetable: carrots. She wasn't too fond of if it at first, but she soon learned to love them!

So proud of her orange mouth!

She was very glad to finally have her own cup!

"Look at me, I'm such a big girl!"

 7 Months!

At 7 Months, Leah was:

• Going to bed at 8pm and staying asleep until 7-7:30am
• Napping the same as she was at 6 months (some days she's an awesome napper and some days a power nap does the trick)
• Eating carrots, oatmeal, bananas and sweet potatoes (and loves them all)
• Saying her first official word, "mama" (at first, we thought she was born with a British accent because she used to say "mum" for short, this has stopped and now it is just "ma" or "mom")
• Using a sippy cup (more as a teething toy than for drinking)
• Standing up well, holding on
• Making kissing noises and sticking out her tongue
• Showing off 2 teeth!

The day after Leah turned 7 months, we decided to celebrate and take her on her first plane ride to Las Vegas!!! Don't get too excited, we were only there for a couple of hours, waiting to fly to New Mexico where we spent a week (more on this in a later post). June and July were fun, but very hectic months and we are thankful to have such a laid back baby who "goes with the flow" so well and smiles through all of it!