Sophie Sessions: 10 months

* Sophie has been working hard on her fine motor skills... she's now a pro at the pincer grip, is starting to push buttons, and loves scribbling with a crayon or chalk (this is apparently not something usually seen until 12-13 months at the earliest). It's the one milestone Sophie is ahead of the curve on. All her other skills are on target or a little behind- which gives me more time to enjoy her as a baby! :)

* 3 more new teeth! Top middle two and one right next to it all emerged simultaneously. Unlike her first 2 teeth, these new teeth did a serious number on her sleep.

* Bring out the baby-proofing supplies! The same weekend Sophie cut 3 new teeth, she also learned how to pull to stand and climb the stairs. Now that's all she wants to do- practice her new skills day and night like she's training for the Olympics! Needless to say, Laith and I are exhausted from the poor napping and night sleep this caused for about 2 weeks.

* She's very interested in being just like Lucas; mimicking his raspberry motor sounds and playing with his cars and motorcycles- making them drive back and forth.

* Not much in the language department yet- she still prefers just making ahhhh sounds with a rare appearance of ba and wa and ga. We've begun working on sign language with her and she's currently learning water, milk (when she wants a bottle), all done, and more. She understands all these phrases and will flap her arms in the air to indicate "yes!!"

Favorite foods: spinach pesto, bananas, avocado, soy-glazed salmon and anything Mommy's eating.

Favorite pasttimes: plowing into Lucas head-first and climbing on him, laughing at Lucas' voices and antics, finding miniscule bits of things to put in her mouth, coloring/drawing with chalk, playing with balls, climbing the stairs, splashing in water, touch-and-feel books, and playing bouncing games.

For those who requested it, Sophie is wearing size 12 months onesies and pants. Dresses she can fit as small as 6-9 months but we are tucking her dresses into bloomers/shorts now so as not to get her frustrated when she pins herself down with a knee on the fabric while crawling.

Sophie Sessions: Nine Months

Notable from this month:

*Sophie has learned how to crawl! Now we're in trouble- guess we'll have to baby-proof before our August 5th move to our new home!

* Sophie's first teeth emerged. We love her new smile.

* She's babbling! Sophie's been using vowel sounds (mostly ahhhh) up until a few days ago. Now we're hearing occasional ba, wa, ma, and da sounds and it's adorable.

Sophie Sessions: Eight Months

This month, Sophie....

* Has learned how to get into the crawling position. No movement yet, but she's at the starting gate! :)

* Gets stopped by strangers everywhere we go who want to comment on or touch her hair. It's been growing upwards- as if she's a mad scientist or electrically charged!

* Went swimming for the first time at the local wading pool. She was ecstatic! This girl loves water in every way- drinking it out of a cup, splashing in the bath, and kicking in the pool!

Sophie's Favorites:

TOYS: alligator xylophone and yellow smiley face rattle

FOODS: pickles, chevre (fancy french goat cheese!), cheerios, Aunt Connie's Salmon, and gingered carrots (we've got another high-flavor eater!)

ACTIVITIES: peekaboo with Lucas, flirting with herself in the mirror, working on picking up small objects

Sophie Sessions: Seven Months

Latest developments:

* Sophie tried her first solid pureed foods this past month (avocado, sweet potato, apple and peach). And didn't care for any of them. She'll take 3 or so spoonfuls before she gets upset with the constant bad tastes being offered to her.

* She positively DELIGHTS in Lucas' attention. She squawks happily every time she gets to do something with him (hide under the sheet together! Read a book together! Sit in the laundry basket together!) The cutest thing in the world is hearing Lucas explain something to Sophie or ask her to watch him do something the same way he would a verbal peer.

* Sophie is now officially mobile. But not in the way you'd think. She's nowhere close to crawling but manages to roll wherever she wants to go! I first discovered this after leaving her on a blanket in Lucas' room while I ran downstairs to get my phone. Where's Sophie? Oh, there she is, over by the closet!

Stats: 16 pounds, 30th percentile (where did our chubby baby go?)

25 1/2 inches, 30th percentile

Sophie Sessions: 6 months

This past month, Sophie...

* flew in an airplane for the first time! To visit Meemom and Uncle Paul in Tucson!

* has learned how to sit independently on the floor while reaching and playing with toys

* has been (often successfully) removing and replacing her own pacifier

* responds with big smiles every time we sing her song, "who's that baby in the mirror?"

Stats: 15 lbs 6 oz (40th percentile- a bit of a drop from 60-75%- she must have missed out on calories while she was sick and while she was too busy and distracted by the world to eat!), 25.5 inches tall (40th percentile), clothing size 6 months.

Sophie Session: 5 months

Just in time for her to turn 6 months: Sophies' 5 month photo session gets published! Ha ha. I'm taking these photos on-time, but I just hadn't been able to get them up on the blog because I'd had no free time to get on the computer during our "Winter of the Vincent Plague and Eternal Wakefulness". :)

So, without further ado, Sophie at 5 months!

This past month (up until she turned 5 months old), Sophie:

* has fallen in love with her own feet and grabs them any chance she can get.

* has spent most of this month sick

* has become VERY interested in new sounds and sights. She can't eat or sleep with any kind of visual or auditory input. I call her room with black-out shades her 'sensory deprivation chamber'.

* has started to delight in splashing at bath-time. I can no longer bathe her in the sink without drenching the entire bathroom.

* LOVES books. As soon as I open a page for her, she pedals her legs and waves her arms and lunges her face for the pictures. She gets so energized and excited about books, that we can't read bedtime stories. It's just not a relaxing activity for her! :)

And how in the world was I supposed to decide between all these cute photos for her baby-in-a-box picture? Cuteness overload!

Sophie Session: 4 months

Height: 24.5 inches

Weight: 14 pounds 2 oz

Clothing size: 6 months

Wow, the books aren't kidding when they call the first 3 months of a baby's life the 4th trimester. This past month Sophie has gone from a bundled-up, easily-startled papoose to a vibrant, curious, kicky baby girl of the world! So many changes to report in the past 30 days! She reaches for and successfully grasps ring toys and our noses, rolls from back to front, is starting to explore using her voice, laughed her first big belly laugh at her brother, has either started teething or just flipped the switch on her drool-maker and is intense about gnawing on things, and can sit independently for 10-ish seconds propped on her hands. Her personality is still as it always was from fetus-hood (mellow, docile and sweet), but she is just so much more alert and fun! Looking forward to the next month, Sophie!

Sophie Session: 3 months

alternately titled: watch the baby lose her dark hair!

Height: 23", 30th percentile

Weight: 13 lbs 3 oz, 75th percentile... Love those chubby thighs!

Likes:

Reaching for and grabbing her ring toys on her bouncy seat

Engaging us in smile fests

Dislikes:

Her continuing reflux, apnea, coughing, hiccups, gassiness

Being kept awake when it's nap time

Sophie Session: 2 months

Height: 22 1/2", 40th percentile

Weight: 11 lbs 10 oz, 75th percentile

Sophie Likes:

* Looking at new faces

* Watching her big brother play

* Dark and quiet when napping

* Sleeping through the night! (Oh, wait, that's what Mommy likes)

Sophie Dislikes:

* Stoplights, stop signs, idling in a parking lot

* gas, coughing and apnea

* Loud noises

Sophie: 1 month

At 1 month, Sophie is 20 3/4 inches (25th percentile) and 9 pounds 10 oz (60th percentile).

She wears size NB (newborn) clothing and some 0-3mo clothing. She was recently diagnosed with silent reflux which involves no spitting up (the stomach acid comes partway up and then goes back down) but does leave her with a hoarse voice, coughing, noisy wet breathing and episodes of apnea/gasping for air that looks like drowning but thankfully only lasts several seconds, and a sore esophagus that she wants to soothe with continuous nursing. The more upright we keep her (all day long), the less her symptoms. The doctor says she'll likely outgrow this by 3-6 months but it could take up to a year. Other than the discomfort she's in, Sophie is the most docile baby- she rarely cries, makes the cutest cooing sounds with each exhalation when she's content, has the softest hair, and is a great sleeper!

Sophie Likes:

* Being bundled up and warm

* Being held

Sophie Dislikes:

* Having her fingernails trimmed

* Being cold

* The sound of closing doors

Sophie Session: 1 week old

Today is my due date! And Sophie is 1 week old!