Time is a cruel mistress… I love M’s independence and intelligence, but I dislike how fast it all happens. Sigh. But here we are… my kid is NINE months old.
Nicknames: Maddie, Moo, Poodle, Moo Lou, Moo shu, Snoots
Stats: M is 21 lbs. 12 oz. and 30 inches long. We’re essentially into 18 month clothes now. She is literally half my height- almost.
Likes: Watching people, petting cats, playing in water, eating dog bones (which we strongly discourage), bouncing on her knees or bottom, her lion Donovan & her rabbit Chad…
Dislikes: When someone leaves the room, when she’s not allowed to have dog toys, when the dogs aggressively bark, when she’s DONE eating and I make her wait 0.05 seconds while I wipe her off.
Honestly, she’s a pretty happy girl. Not much makes her mad.
Sleeping: Like a champ. She tucks her arms under her body and sticks her butt in the air. She also sleeps on her side occasionally with her leg kicked up like an adult. We’re down to two naps a day.
Eating: All the things. We’ve had to cut out bananas due to constipation issues (who knew??) but she pretty much eats anything. Not a fan of raw peaches. Big fan of noodles.
Development: The amount of development that’s happened in the last 3 months makes me want to cry. Baby Girl can sit up, crawl around, and pull herself to her knees (not to her feet yet). She’s so determined and can find/hunt/obtain almost anything she puts her mind to. She says dad and dadada, mamama (rarely), and bababa. She copies sounds and hums along to songs. She’s so incredibly smart. She lights up when the dogs pay attention to her.
Personality: I don’t know when/how I put such good energy into the universe to get such a fun and easygoing baby, but I thank the Good Lord Jesus daily. M is happy and chill. She’s opinionated and headstrong, but she’s usually up for anything. She’s smiley. She waves “hi” to anyone that’ll look at her. She LOVES watching and petting animals. She’s truly a joy to be around.
Travel: We haven’t gone far, but we did purchase a camper trailer. After a trial weekend with a borrowed camper we took the leap and jumped on the camping bandwagon. M is a fabulous camper. She likes being outside, sleeps just as well (if not better) in her bunkhouse, and seems to really like hanging in the camper. The dogs have been fantastic, too. Bristol is kind of a spitfire but has really taken to camper life!
Mom’s Summary: Someone told me that every new stage M entered would be more fun than the last. I have found this to be 100% true. She was fun 3 months ago and she’s even more fun now. But it also kills me that she growing up so fast.
In the mornings M usually wakes up around 5am for a small four ounce bottle. (I’d say she does this 5 out of 7 days a week.) When I scoop her up she hugs my neck for a few seconds before looking for her snack. And when she’s done we cuddle for a few minutes before I change her diaper and put her down for another two hours. I don’t love getting up early, but I LOVE this moment with her. It’s my favorite part of the day. I will be so so sad when she no longer needs her early morning snack.
I can’t believe our next update will be ONE YEAR.
Life as Louise 
I cant believe how fast she’s growing.
I know each month, you see more & more of her personality – it is so fun to watch them grow
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Me neither. It’s NUTS. I do love her budding personality, though. Girlfriend has some OPINIONS. Lol
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Such a cutie!!! She has grown so much!!! It is so true that each stage is more fun than the last. But man, it sure breaks your heart to see them growing and changing so quickly. I remember when Zoe was 9 months and starting to pull up on things. She started walking right before her 1st birthday. When they start to become mobile, it sure is a different game entirely, isn’t it?! The other day I was telling Zoe that she used to sleep with her butt up in the air and she thought that was the funniest thing. She passes out on her side now, usually with her arms hanging off the bed.
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Thank you! I know… it’s terrifying, lol.
I’ll be surprised if M isn’t walking by her bday. It’s so funny that you can tell Zoe about when she was younger & she understands! Sounds like she sleeps similar to me now. Hahahaha.
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Ah, she’s gorgeous. It must be so fun getting to know her personality and finding out what kind of person you’ve created. I can’t believe she’s 9 whole months already. This year has gone by in a flash!
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It’s different every day- seeing which kind of trait is going to pop up next. She’s starting to do this high pitched squeal/whine when I take something from her. Lord give me strength. HA.
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Hey sweet girl!! What a smile. I love that last picture especially!
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Me too! I can’t believe she sat so still. When I was done I offered to pick her up and she still just sat there, happy as could be.
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Aw, what a cutie pie! That’s great she’s a fairly easy going baby and things are going well. Sounds like camper life agrees with all of you too.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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I’m so shocked how well we’ve all taken to camping! But we’re travelers and if this is the safest way to do it, we will 😉
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She’s precious!
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Thank you!!
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Whew, baby M is getting BIG! Almost 18 month clothes?! You are a champ and she is clearly so healthy!!! How many times does she wake up a night? Riley wakes up 2-3 times and I am dyinggggg. I’ve tried warmer PJ’s, more solids before bed, less solids before bed………..so plz teach me all your ways!
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Hahaha- M has always been a good sleeper. Thank Jesus. We did the Taking Cara Babies class when she was 4 weeks and it helped SO much with sleep & troubleshooting! I hope Riley starts sleeping better for you!!
Oof- 18 months clothes. Such a chunk. Ha.
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Oh my gosh, Madelyn is absolutely adorable! Look at those beautiful eyes! Also, she’s almost half my height too!
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Thank you! She does have such gorgeous blue eyes! I love them ❤
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