I’ve been looking forward to writing this blog post because this is the “she’s been out as long as she was in” mark and for some reason, that’s really exciting to me. Guys, I can’t keep plants alive but I’ve somehow managed to successfully raise a 9 month old! I know, not the same, but still counting it as a win 😉
I’ve seen her change between the 6-9 month period of time more than I have since she was born which probably sounds weird to some, but I swear she is changing overnight. It’s like she’ll wake up and be doing something new or her face looks a little bit different, or she has started making new noises, all overnight! It’s the most bittersweet thing watching your baby grow up. Part of me is just longing to sleep a solid, uninterrupted 6-8 hours again, but then the other part of me never wants to let go of my baby and wouldn’t mind being woken up multiple times a night if it meant I could keep her just the way she is and under my protection forever.
In the short 9 months we have had with her, we’ve had two health scares and I thank sweet baby Jesus that’s all we’ve had. Back in September, we had to rush her to her pediatrician because she was throwing up massive amounts and on the off chance she would eat, she would throw it up almost immediately and started to become lethargic very quickly. Her pediatrician sent us to the ER where, after a very large bill and buckets of tears, it was deemed a simple stomach bug. Obviously we were thrilled there wasn’t anything more serious going on, but that’s also when I realized just how precious and fragile this little life is that we created. I wanted to go on Amazon and buy a life bubble for her immediately so nothing could ever harm her or make her sick ever again but alas, seems that’s the one thing that’s not available on Amazon for purchase…Then just four months later, all three of us came down with the flu. I had gotten my flu shot which I never do, but got it to protect Grace because she was too young at the time to get it. I was still breastfeeding so I was told she would get the benefits of it through me, and maybe the shot helped us get better quicker, but I was still less than thrilled when all of us were battling fevers, chills, body aches, and exhaustion.
Aside from those two things, and the lack of sleep, life with Grace has been amazing. I didn’t believe other parents when they would say “Every stage she goes through will be your favorite for different reasons.” I thought, “No way! This is the best stage because of this, this, and this!” But they were right. Every stage so far has been my favorite for their own reasons. This current stage is all about the raspberry blowing, the new food experiences, the almost crawling but intense love to walk/run (assisted of course) around the house, the facial expressions, the constant curiosity, the bath time splashes, the understanding of who mommy and daddy are, and so much more. I could go on and on but I won’t bore you! I am just so lucky to be able to experience all of this and feel like I have this new beautiful outlook on life that I didn’t have before. I’m still tired. I still get angry with her when she’s fussy and I can’t fix it. I still feel guilty when I get angry when she wakes me up to nurse in the middle of the night. I still wish I could stay home with her 24/7 instead of having to leave her to go to work. Nothing much has changed aside from the cute little face that looks up at me. I’m trying my best to not take anything for granted, and to soak up as much of her “babyness” as I can because I know these days are fleeting and soon I’ll be the one watching her leave, instead of the other way around.
