Dear Kiley... Ten Months

Dear Kiley,

Life has continued to fly by, and once again another month has passed.

It's hard to believe that now you have been outside in the world longer than you were ever inside with me. But every single day with you is better and better as you grow, change, and learn.

We are in the midst of the holiday season, and it's been so much fun to make new memories with you. 

We spent Thanksgiving at Nana and Papa's new house. It was a small, special holiday with just our immediate family. We found out that you absolutely love cranberry sauce!





We were unexpectedly free the weekend following Thanksgiving, so we decided for the first time to get our Christmas tree in November. Ever since your big brother Ryder was born, we've gone to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree, and it was so much fun this year to have you along for the first time.

Grandpa Russ came to visit us for a whole week, and for my 36th birthday I went to the coast with Auntie Erin for the weekend. It was the first time I have ever been away from you for two nights in a row, and we both handled it quite well if I do say so myself. You had a great time with Nana and Papa, who took you and Ryder to the Hands on Children's Museum.

You have been hitting HUGE developmental milestones this month!

You are waving, clapping, and you finally officially started crawling, which you've been working on for quite some time. Being able to get around on your own could not have made you happier.

Sometimes we find you in odd places...

You're starting to pull up on things.

And you love being pushed around on Ryder's elephant.

Like typical siblings, the two of you have your ups and downs, but overall you're learning to play together and get along... sometimes.

Football season will be drawing to a close soon, but we still get dressed up every Blue Friday to support the Hawks!

Now that you're on the move, it's harder to contain you. We got rid of your bouncers and play pen because you simply won't tolerate being locked up like that. Instead I try and surround you with toys or snacks to keep you occupied for brief periods of time.

You continue to try all kinds of new solid foods, and you eat mainly pureed baby foods and crunchy snacks. We're working on learning how to drink water from a sippy cup. 

Whenever the weather cooperates, Daddy tries to get you outside for some fresh air while I'm at work.

Sleep continued to be a struggle for the majority of the month.

No offense little lady, but you're driving the rest of the family bananas. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies room-share with their parents until they are a year old, so you have been sleeping in our bedroom right next to me since the night we brought you home from the hospital. I love having you close, but for some reason you are still waking up several times each night, and every time it takes about half an hour to get you re-settled and back to sleep. You've also decided to stop nursing in the night, but at least once you still demand to be fed, which means we're up making and warming bottles in the wee hours. 

It has to stop, my little friend. 

On December 3 you were up literally all night crying, so the next morning we went to Urgent Care again to check for an ear infection. Once again you were cleared with just a slight viral infection... what was wrong, my angel?

I went back and re-consulted all my favorite sleep books, and got some advice from a sleep consultant. Thinking that maybe you're a light sleeper and perhaps room-sharing is part of the problem, we decided to move you into your crib in your own room a few weeks ago in an attempt to get you sleeping through the night. I worked hard to create the optimal sleep environment — soft, cozy, jersey knit crib sheet, blackout curtains, white noise, fleece jammies and a sleep sack, and a space heater to keep the room at a balmy 72 degrees. This situation, combined with a 5 oz bottle spiked with Motrin before bed, seems to be helping. 

After a couple weeks of this routine, you have started sleeping better and are only up once a night for a quick bottle before zonking back out. You also seem to be learning to self-soothe, because sometimes by the time we make it out of bed and across the house to your room, you've already fussed yourself back to dreamland. Naps are also slowly but surely improving, and occasionally you will sleep in two hour blocks. 

Keep it up little lady!

Sometimes in desperation I crawl into your crib with you, thinking some cozy cuddles will help you sleep. You can see how much this thrills me!

You got your first tooth on November 25th! 

It was quickly followed by it's twin, and we can already see a few others that are eager to pop through. Maybe this is what's been contributing to your fussiness and sleep problems?

At your last check-up you clocked in at 18 pounds, 11.8 ounces (57th percentile) and 28 inches (57th percentile). So you're pretty average, with the exception of your head, which remains in the 76th percentile — probably because you're so smart! 

Despite the sleep deprivation, we sure are enjoying our time with you, my love.

Keep on learning and growing, my sweet angel!

For a fun comparison, click here to read about Ryder's Tenth Month.