Eline at 9 months:

• Has experienced a phase of rapid development and growth over the past couple weeks, with strides in both fine motor (rake grasp, manipulating toys with both hands, passing objects from hand to hand) and gross motor (sitting unassisted for 10 seconds, rotating her trunk toward people/sounds, arm strength, balance)
• Smiles more frequently than ever and cackles often, with occasional outbursts of actual laughter
• Is a bit of a mama’s girl, especially when hungry or tired, and is also very attached to daddy and brother
• Has grown into 6 – 9 or 6 – 12 month clothes and can wear either size 2 or 3 diapers
• Really enjoys eating purees when she is well-rested but does not have much patience for the process when she is tired. Her favorites so far are prunes, sweet potato and peas.
• Is fascinated with her feet and loves to wave them around, hold onto them and even suck on her toes
• Chews on everything and drools buckets, thanks to what appears to be a molar on its way in
• Generally takes a 30-minute to 1-hour nap in the morning around 9 a.m. and a 3-plus hour nap in the afternoon starting around 12:30. Goes to bed around 7 – 7:30 p.m., feeds once more around 11 p.m., then sleeps until 6 a.m. Still sucks her fingers and seems to like her lamb lovey.
• Has almost completely transitioned to straight formula. (A post on the end of pumping is forthcoming, I’m sure.) Still does 5 feedings a day but is taking more volume at most of her feedings and seems almost ready to drop the late-night bottle.
• Speaks in mostly vowel sounds but has started producing some occasional consonants, along with the well-loved raspberries and buzzing and guttural sounds. The volume has gone way up! She can be loud when she really gets going.
• Loves absolutely nothing better in the world than to have a family member cuddle, love on and talk to her.

Eline at 8 months:

• Weighs 15 1/2 pounds and is around the 67th percentile for weight and 65th for height on the Down syndrome growth charts
• Is wearing a combination of 3-6 and 6-9 month clothes
• Is increasingly vocal, with lots of vowel sounds, spitting and the occasional guttural “g” or buzzing “b” sound
• Pays lots of attention to her surroundings, especially when brother is running around the room, and is easily distracted by activity or interesting visuals
• Startles at loud noises and sympathy cries with other babies/children
• Loves to be held, tickled, talked to, played with, read to and snuggled and often responds to interaction with big smiles, even from across the room
• Has tolerated purees relatively well – oat cereal, banana, avocado, prunes and apples so far, with prunes being the clear favorite – and is learning to take bites off the spoon
• Takes 5 oz. bottles of mixed formula/breast milk five times a day at around 7 a.m., 11-11:30 a.m., 3:30-4:00 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.
• Usually takes a shorter nap in the morning around 9 a.m. and a much longer nap in the afternoon starting around 12:30 – 1 p.m.
• Goes to bed around 7 p.m. and sleeps until anywhere from 5:30 – 7 a.m. She will usually talk to herself and maybe doze a bit until we get her up around 7 a.m. Sleeps on her tummy and sucks her left-hand first and middle fingers. Usually gets a story and a few minutes of rocking and is then laid down sleepy but awake in her crib to put herself to sleep. I’ve also started giving her a little bunny lovey, which she seems to like to hold as she goes to sleep.
• Loves to play with her feet, kick her legs high into the air and explore with her toes
• Is still working on learning to sit unsupported and is not yet ready to crawl
• Has her first tooth on the bottom right most of the way in and has just cut her bottom left tooth
• Is on week two of thyroid medication, which has proven to be a hassle (The liquid medication has to be filled by a compounding pharmacy and is stable for only 8 days.)
• Has appointments at Vanderbilt on the 29th with an endocrinologist for the hypothyroidism and an audiologist for her hearing aid evaluation

In addition to our high school reunion this past weekend, we were able to stop and visit my brother and sister-in-law, where I met my new nephew for the first time. I’m already missing sweet baby Luke.

We also got to celebrate Corin’s birthday again, this time with Jon’s side of the family. Corin had his cake Saturday night, his Mimi made a big birthday brunch on Sunday, and then he opened gifts. (One of his gifts, an awesome Radio Flyer wagon, was already in commission outdoors by then.)

He really hated the food.

The doctor kit is a huge hit. We passed a college the other day, and I explained to Corin that it’s a school where people learn how to be things like lawyers, musicians, business people or doctors. “But,” he says, “I am already a doctor.”

This exciting box…

…turned out to be this VERY exciting gift.

It was a fun and very full weekend. Lina napped for seven hours a day the first three days we were home. I think she has finally recovered.

Which led me today to decide it was time to make up a batch of homemade oat cereal and finally wade into the waters of solid foods with baby girl. Given the difficulties we have had with feedings in her first six months, and knowing this can be a challenge area with DS, I wasn’t sure what to expect for our first go. As it turns out, she finished the small bowl I’d mixed up and actually seemed to enjoy it. We may have a challenge with that tongue wanting to push the food back out, but I’d say that today, Lina rocked this milestone.

What? Do I have something on my face?