Mya’s 9 Month Update

I wrote quite the update on Mya’s health this past Wednesday, so let’s stick to more of the basics today to celebrate sweet Mya turning 9 months old today!

Today is about all the great baby things that Mya’s been up to, her milestones she’s ticking away, and me trying to keep from saying, “How is she already…” over and over again. ❤

All About Mya

Eating, sleeping, and her schedule really hasn’t altered much since her 8 month update, so first, let’s chat about what little babe’s been up to this past month. Spolier alert: She’s on. the. move!

• Mya started crawling this past month! She’ll get up on all fours, rock back and forth, thump back down on the ground, and settle for a solid army crawl.
• If you put a toy on the coffee table or couch, Mya will stand at the edge and play for ages. She gets a smile on her face, and I know she’s thinking, “Look how big I am!”
• We got ourselves our first pony tail this month! It’s tiny, it’s sparse, but it’s really cute!
• Baby girl took her first bath in our big bath tub this month. No more baby tub on our bathroom sink. It’s the real deal now! We had to make the move after she started splashing wayyy too much water on my bathroom mirror each time she took her bath. A little too rowdy for the baby tub.
• She then took her first bath with her brothers. I sprouted 7 new grey hairs during that bath, but all the necessary embarrassing pictures were taken.
• Still no teeth for Mya…
• She sat up in her crib for the first time this week! I went to get her from her morning nap and there she was, sitting up, so proud of herself.
• Mya has fully mastered the “da” “ta” “na” “g” and “k” sounds (still no “ma”…), but I think she’s starting to associate words with an object. It’s not perfect, but her first word is most certainly going to be “doggy.” She’s trying to get it out every time our boxer, KC, comes to her.
• Mya’s getting out into the world for truly the first time ever. With being a newborn during cold and flu season, then the pandemic, Mya never got to be on a playground. Never went to the store with me. Never ate a restaurant. We are venturing out more and she’s experiencing a world she never knew was out there. And with the boys in school 2-3 days a week, we’re getting time to go out and explore just the two of us. Welcome to this world, Mya. There’s so much for you to learn here!

Eating

9 months in and we’ve finally got this eating thing down! If you’ve been here for awhile, you know that Mya was never much of a bottle eater. She would much rather nurse or just go straight to solids. That was fine, until I started to wean her and then it was Mya solely wanting to eat solid foods. She’s just developing so much still that I feared that her foods just weren’t giving her enough of the beneficial nutrients she needs to grow strong, smart, and healthy.

FINALLY, this month, we’ve got it. She’s turned a new leaf and is finally slowing herself down long enough to get 3 bottles of formula a day, and still being nursed at bedtime. Each bottle, she takes about 6-7 ounces.

As for solids, she eats breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the family, sticking to mainly the foods we are eating. I do add a few more fruits, vegetables, and beans to her plate. Oh how I wish I could make the boys eat the same way…

As for nursing, I’m only doing a night feed right before bed. Mya’s largest meal tends to be her dinner so I know she’s not needing much at bedtime. I think the only reason I’m even keeping it going is because of the looming eye surgery in a couple months. If she needs that comfort, I want to be able to give it to her. After the surgery and recovery, I plan to stop. Hands down the longest of any of my children!

Sleeping

I didn’t talk about it much lately, but Mya was diagnosed with a very mild case of hip dysplasia last month. Her left hip socket isn’t developing to perfectly fit the ball of her femur. It’s very slight, but the orthopedic surgeon wanted to begin bracing just to help it form as it should to prevent any sort of issues as she ages.

*Her hip dysplasia was first noticed at her 6 month appointment when my pediatrician noticed that her rolls on the backs of her legs were uneven. 3 on one leg. 2 on the other. It’s a telltale sign of hip dysplasia, or some sort of hip alignment issue. We were referred to get an ultrasound, followed by an x-ray with an orthopedic surgeon.*

The doctor told us to brace her for roughly 14 hours a day. Not ideal for a little girl who wants to be on the move all day, every day. I asked if she could wear it at night to get the bulk of her hours then and was told that if she allows it, it’s a perfect time to brace her.

Enter: Another amazing Mya moment. The first night I braced her, she slept the full 12 hours with zero complaints. Somehow the little monkey actually flipped herself over in the brace, but still, zero complaints. No cries. No discomfort. She just sucked that little thumb and slept through the night. She could not be a better baby. 🤍

Schedule

With the boys back in school and life slowly getting back to normal, she is having to adapt her schedule much more than she typically ever had. But for the most part, her day looks like…

7:00 – Wake-up, 7 oz. bottle, play, breakfast with family

9:30 – 1st Nap

11:00 – 6 oz. bottle, play, lunch with family

1:30 – 2nd Nap

3:30 – 7 oz. bottle, play, dinner with family

6:30 – Bath, bedtime routine, nurse to sleep

With all the doctor’s appointments, bracing, patching, changes in routine with school and practices beginning again, Mya consistently shows me how much she can roll with the punches. She remains a happy little girl with a lot of love, a lot of patience, and a way about her that just finds the fun no matter where she is.

I adore you, Mya. Happy 9 months, baby girl! 🤍

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