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???