Nate and Bethany: 9 Months

Nine Months!!! I can't believe that 3/4 of a year has flown by. McCall has been such a joy and brings such happiness into our home. She is loved by so many and her smiles just make my heart so happy every day. I'm loving this stage right now SO much. Her little personality is coming out more and she is so happy and interactive.

Here's what McCall is up to at nine months:

She had her 9 month check up and she is tiny but oh so cute! She weighs 14 pounds 14.5 ounces (5th percentile) and is 2 feet 2 3/4 inches long (16th percentile) and her head in the 82nd percentile. The doctor appointment ended up being not so fun. They tested her iron levels which was a poke to one of her toes. The standard range is 11.3-13.5 and hers was 8 so they did it again on the other foot and it was 6.5 This led to her having to get lab work and they wanted a blood draw. Well getting a blood draw through a vein on such a tiny little girl was not happening. Two different lab techs looked at both of her arms and came to the consensus that there was no way that was happening. They ended up poking her heel and squeezing her foot to get 3 small vials of blood. It was not fun for baby or mom! I held it together until I got in the car and then cried. It was so sad as I was holding her trying to comfort her as much as I could while holding her leg still to help them get the blood. She did get prescribed a liquid iron supplement and depending on her lab results, she may have to go in 4-6 weeks and get her blood work done again to see if the iron supplement is helping. I was given a list of foods that are rich in iron so I will need to come up with a better plan on how to help her get more iron into her little body.
She is so fast at army crawling! She is all over the house and has started to climb up on things. She gets stuck under our kitchen table and chairs and will try and get into any space that she can fit in. She gets up on all fours quite often but seems to prefer her trusty army crawl to get around.
She puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. I feel like I am constantly cleaning the floors because she will find anything and everything and put it in her mouth. We have had a few choking scares because of this and I feel like I'm always on alert making sure she's not putting anything in her mouth that she's not supposed to.
She is so smiley and loves her family so much. I love getting her after she has been sleeping because you always get the happiest smile from her as she peeks through her crib. She is always happy to see her sisters and gives them the best smiles with one of the cutest dimples ever.
She takes two naps during the day and wakes up 1-2 times at night. She could sleep through the night but doesn't quite know how to put herself to sleep yet. I get tired but I don't mind the quiet cuddles and nursing sessions at night.
She loves to crawl over things, especially her sister's legs and wants to play with and grab anything they have. It is so fun to watch them interact and see the joy that this little girl brings to her older sisters. She often tries to eat their papers and has ruined a few.
She is a great eater! She will try just about anything and loves to try what we are eating. We have been giving her baby teether crackers to eat while we eat but she recently has realized they aren't as good as big people food and will throw the teether to the side and insist on trying whatever we are eating.
She can now sit up by herself! She still topples easily but is getting better at going from sitting to her stomach. She doesn't like to sit for very long because she is always on the move.
She still loves the water and if water is running she always tries to grab at it. Whoever gives her a bath will get soaking wet because she loves to splash and kicks her legs like crazy.
She loves to be tossed in the air by Nate and this is what gets the most laughs. She is also getting ticklish and it is the cutest thing ever.
She is very observant and wants to take in everything. She is always looking around. She loves her sense of freedom of being able to crawl and explore wherever she wants. She will also crawl to your feet when she wants to be picked up and she usually gets her way. :)
She says things that sound like mama and dada but I don't know if there is the connection of those names to us.
She is not a fan of her car seat. She doesn't mind it as long as the car is moving or if you are carrying her around in it but as soon as there is no motion she wants out immediately. She loves stroller rides and to be moving in any way that is possible- her crawling and moving around or you carrying her around.
She is starting to get a little stranger danger especially if I am in sight. She will do fine with somebody other than family if she can't see me but as soon as she sees me, she immediately either whines or reaches for me.
She is SO loved and we are all wrapped around her cute, tiny fingers. Paige and Baylor take turns picking out her clothes each day. Paige loves to carrying her around and make her smile and always tries to make her laugh. Baylor loves to kiss her hands and is always willing to bring her a toy as long as it isn't hers. They both love their little sister so much!
She has truly filled such a void in my heart in regards to my desire to have more children. I cherish every moment with her and my heart often swells with love and gratitude for this little miracle baby.

Sitting like such a big girl and always eating any toy that she plays with

She is loving being outside though she is very unsure of grass. It has been nice to be able to get out more and we are looking forward to fun summer adventures together as a family.

I love that I can get a tiny ponytail in her hair especially since she will NOT leave a headband on. As soon as I try and put one on, she immediately pulls it off.