9 months

Oh my Ella is now 9-months old. How did that happen? Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital? Weren't we just learning how to survive on just a few hours of sleep? We flipped through pictures tonight from Ella's early days and even from the days before Ella, and it made me nostalgic.

Our neighbors brought Luke over this past weekend to introduce him to my mom, and seeing him next to Ella made me realize how fast this time has gone and how much she's changed. We're bordering on toddlerhood and getting ready to leave infant land behind. We still have a few months. I'm hanging on to those. I know the time will go fast and just to enjoy it as I'll never get any time back and in just a few months I'll be fondly remembering this time.

Ella had her 9-month appointment today. Overall, she's great. She's 21 lbs. 1 oz and is a whopping 28 3/4 inches long. She has six teeth (three on top and three on bottom) and loves her table food. The doc said she's ahead developmentally as she's walking around furniture, pulling to a stand and standing unassisted. The doctor said to get ready for those first steps. The only shot at this appointment was the first portion of the flu shot -- she goes back in a month for the second dose. She did get a finger stick to test her iron. She's not anemic, but is battling a viral infection -- poor thing has a cough that won't go away.

The holidays are quickly approaching and I'm feeling more of the bah humbug spirit than the magic of Christmas. On the drive home Monday, I ran through the list of holiday to-dos and I only felt overwhelmed and stressed. My daily tasks center around getting through the day and doing just enough to survive the next day. I'm not sure when I'm going to squeeze in all the holiday responsibilities in my current schedule. Work is absolutely insane right now with no real light at the end of the tunnel, so tonight I'm blaming my bah humbug attitude on work.

I am excited to share the holidays with Ella and to create new traditions. And as a guilty pleasure, I'm looking forward to listening to Santa on Star 102 in the evenings. It's not Christmas to me unless I spend a few nights baking as I listen to kids calling in to talk to Santa. They may spout off that they want this toy or that toy, but almost each kid ends their talk with a sweet sentiment -- "like I'm thankful for my baby brother or don't forget mom and dad, they've been good too." It's quite heartwarming.