Ahh, Spring!

The weather is slowly becoming warmer and we're thrilled about that in the Alford household! We love getting Emery outside and she seems to really enjoy it too. I know that it must get so boring for her to be stuck inside with the same old toys, looking at me and the dogs all day. Below are some cute pictures of outside fun with Em:


The last week or so has been pretty difficult because Emery came down with her first cold. Emery woke up one morning completely stuffed up, cranky and miserable. And it lasted about 9 days until it was all over, and by that time she had given her germs to me. Fun! Nursing was next to impossible, and I felt so bad for her as she tried to eat without breathing. She'd nurse for a few seconds and then gasp for breath - it was pitiful! Thankfully we're through all that and I am now totally paranoid about her getting sick again. I didn't realize how lucky we were to have made it 9 months with a very healthy baby! I don't want any more sickness, it was awful!

Emery turned 9 months old on April 3rd, and we took her to her pediatrician for her well checkup (though she wasn't really all that well since she was in the midst of her cold). She checked out great, except for the fact that her weight gain has slowed down considerably. At her 6 month appointment Emery weighed 16 lbs, 8 oz and was in the 75th percentile. At 9 months, she had gained less than a pound and is now in the 25th percentile. The doc gave me a little bit of a hard time about how much solid food I've been giving Em - apparently she feels it isn't enough. After stressing about it for a few days, I decided that I needed to get over it and go with the flow - Emery would eat when she was hungry. I am offering her more solids now - sometimes she eats and sometimes she doesn't. I can't force her! We'll see how it goes. I know my baby and I know she isn't wasting away and she isn't hungry...so I am trying not to worry so much about what the doctor said.

Emery continues to grow and develop right on track. She isn't crawling yet but her pediatrician isn't worried. She feels that given Emery's desire to stand and pull up so much, she may just crawl for a very short time or not at all. Emery can even stand for about 10 or so seconds without holding on to anything if she gets her balance - it's amazing! We'll see what happens. Below is a video of her pulling up. We've had to lower her crib mattress and I've had to start seriously babyproofing the house...fun times are about to begin, I hear!