9 months

Merritt Moore! You are 

nine months old!

Hopefully I can remember all the details for this past month. It was exhausting as you battled RSV and Daddy had the flu!

You are a crawling machine! You're getting so fast and love exploring the house. Your favorite places to go are: near the fireplace, the bathroom, and the backdoor. You also love getting down low and looking under Hartley's dresser, the fridge, and the oven. You put everything in your mouth and I have only found aluminum foil in your stools. So far…

Standing and bouncing is a favorite. We hear you shaking your crib rails often, sometimes at night when you should be sleeping. You enjoy standing on the couch and looking over the back of it as Hartley plays peek-a-boo with you. You are finally sitting up. It took longer than we expected, but you literally would not sit still long enough to work on it.

No words yet. No interest in pausing to learn how to talk anyway. And Hartley talks plenty for us all. :)

Hartley. She's your favorite. You have your independent side, but you love being wherever Hartley is. Individually you are each a handful. Together.. well, it's exhausting.

You absolutely love solids! You've become pretty good at finger feeding yourself and refuse being spoon-fed sometimes. You use both hands, but I see a little preference toward your right hand. I'm kinda disappointed you might not be lefty! You tend to eat whatever we eat. You love cheerios and I add calories to them by smearing coconut oil or cream cheese on them. Bottles are hit or miss. Mainly miss. It's a huge source of frustration for your Daddy and I. Some days we just want to give in and sign you up for a feeding tube. We're not there yet.

You hovered around 14.5lb the entire month. Your appetite diminished while you were sick and it was very difficult to get you back to taking in enough ounces and calories. We track all your feedings on a chart posted on the fridge. It helps keep up with other medicines (antibiotics, Tylenol) you've taken, as well as if/when you were given vitamins and salt. There's probably an app but this chick is old school.

Before you got sick, you were taking 25-30oz of 24cal formula, getting in 600-720 calories from bottles. That was a good goal and we were seeing some great results! Since the appetite decline, we went up to 27cal formula to help cover the lost ounces. We go through lots of cans of formula since we concentrate it so much. Fortunately, Creon (enzymes) provide nutritional assistance and send 4 cans per month. We go through one can in a few days.

At your 9 month check up (12-30), you weighed 15lb 1.5oz and 27.25 inches long. You were almost getting into size 6-9month clothes but your weight gain ceased. So, still 3-6 month clothes and size 2 disposable diapers. I don't think I'll ever get around to using cloth. :(

I think we can also contribute lack of weight gain to your energy. Good grief, child. Please slow down with the crawling. Stay in one room. Quit climbing onto anything within half a foot off the ground. Conserve your energy!!

You've become somewhat of a cuddler. First thing in the morning we sit on the couch and watch news/talk shows together. You're a big fan of Michael. :)

You take 3 naps a day, usually 45 minutes. Some days you impress us and sleep longer. Those are usually the days I anticipate you taking a short nap and plan to go somewhere. We can usually rock you back to sleep and do breathing treatments during the second half of naps. It's amazing when you sleep through treatments! If you're awake, you are so squirmy! Most of the time you are trying to climb up the curtains behind the glider.

We didn't get many pictures in this past month, but the above picture is what we see the most. You have the cutest, scrunchy-eyed grin! :) We always see your two bottom teeth, but not the FOUR up top!

Merritt, please calm down in the next few months. You were supposed to be our calm one, not make Hartley look calm...

8 months

Merritt, you are eight months old!

courtesy of Brittany McCool Photo

It's amazing the difference just a week or two makes. You were getting up on your knees and rocking for a few weeks, trying to figure out how to work your arms. Then one night you decided you could crawl! You have been crawling everywhere since! For some reason you really love going into the bathroom and trying to play with the fireplace. We're working on "no touch" right now. We get lots of smiles when we say this..

courtesy of Brittany McCool Photo

You gained another tooth. That makes 2 and I think I see an upper one making it's way. You started wearing an amber teething necklace and hopefully that is helping you. It seems that both you and Hartley are terrible teethers.

FBC Fall Festival

It was a difficult decision to make, but I stopped pumping milk for you. With everything going on in our schedules, I wasn't having enough opportunities to sit down and pump. I wasn't getting much milk and I always felt like I could get other things accomplished while I was pumping. I hate that my expectations weren't met and we didn't make it to a year. But you received my wonderful antibodies for almost 8 months and I've still got some frozen bags in the freezer and can continue to give you a bottle of good ole mommy milk.

Ballerina for Halloween

You're getting better about taking a bottle. The past almost 2 months you were very fussy for bottles. Now you actually take some while we rock you to sleep and then I finish the bottle after you fall asleep. We chart your feedings and like to get in 25-30 ounces a day. We're already counting calories for you!

At your CF check up, you weighed in at 14lb 5oz! Your higher calorie bottles have definitely helped and I'm sorry we didn't start those sooner. You are also loving solids! You will try anything and like most everything. I've only made sweet potatoes for you but for the most part you eat what we eat in teeny tiny bites- green beans, buttered toast, grits, biscuits, pasta, peas, chicken and rice, Ritz, banana. You love yogurt! You still take 2 Creon 6000s per meal. Size 3-6 month clothes are getting a little short but those 6-9m seem so big! You still wear size 2 diapers and I have yet to start cloth diapering… Haha

Kneeling at first

Then standing the next day..

You love playing peek-a-boo, chasing Hartley (we carry you and run after her), making us make silly noises, and smacking your hands on everything (faces included). You give kisses to your Mema and Grandmommie mainly. You also started snuffing your nose. It's crazy how much you remind us of Hartley when she was your age.

We definitely have our hands full with you. We have to keep an eye on you because you are everywhere and get into everything! Already! Your personality is emerging and you are silly and so sweet. But I also see an independent side, too. You love roaming and exploring by yourself. You also love to turn yourself around to look out when being held.

You are changing daily and seem to be at a learning stage. We think you can wave and to get our attention you say "hey" or something like that. :)

 I take more videos than pictures to capture your sweet moments.. so here's a video overload!

This is your "hey" and waving. You like the raspberry sound I make, but it kinda looks like you're pooting. Haha!

Your turn to blow raspberries! 

Your first real crawls! You love our phones!

We can't believe you're already 8 months old! Time has flown by and you are growing up so fast before our eyes! We have our rough days often but you are such a sweet stage and we love watching you learn something new everyday!

7 months

Merritt! You are seven months old!

The past few months have become progressively harder with you. You may be one of the happiest babies ever, but you are quite demanding!

You are in progress of hitting multiple milestones- you are wanting to crawl and sit up so badly! You are always getting up on your knees and rocking, and sometimes you'll army crawl. If you're awake during chest percussions, you are trying to sit up the whole time. It makes percussions very difficult and frustrating. But you're so happy!

You've gotten 1 tooth! You worked really hard on it! We decided to try an amber teething necklace to see if it would help with pain. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or what, but the day we got it, you took a 3 hour nap and woke up with a tooth!

The past month was a rough one. Your 6-month shots were miserable. You were achy and feverish from them, then you went straight into hardcore teething. Unfortunately your stools were very runny, which gave you awful diaper rash! We just couldn't get a break. :(

While everything has calmed down, you gained some new habits. With the teething pain, you would refuse bottles. The last thing we want for you is to lose weight. Every ounce is important for you. The only way we could get you to take a bottle was by feeding you while you were asleep. This has unfortunately continued. Because you weren't getting as many ounces in during the day you started waking up more during the night, too. Daddy kindly takes the night shifts. :)

You haven't nursed in weeks with all the fussiness, instead I've been pumping full-time. It's not ideal nor what I imagined our breastfeeding journey to look like, but we gotta do what we gotta do! You mostly receive momma's milk and then we supplement 2 bottles a day with a higher calorie formula. Adding the supplemental bottles helps me not stress out when I don't have enough milk for you, which was happening a lot.

You have moved up to 3-6 months size clothes and size 2 diapers. You are hovering between 13-13.5lb. Still tiny but so strong! You are the wiggliest baby ever! I would say you burn a lot of calories from all your moving. :)

We still swaddle you and I don't think we will be dropping that anytime soon. I've read that CF babies are more restless and we see that with you. You also pull your pacifier out continuously if your arms are free. And you grunt and moan yourself to sleep (while we are rocking you..). Most people think it's funny/cute, but it is SO loud!

We started solids briefly, then the whole miserable few weeks happened. When we initially introduced them, you weren't too sure and would push food out with your tongue. After a few weeks and everything was back to normal, you decided you were ready! I haven't had much time to make you any food (sorry.. you're the second child..) so you've mainly had yogurt and oatmeal combined. You love it though! We have to be careful if we hold you while we're eating because you are lunging and grabbing for everything! Much like Hartley, you will try anything.

We have a surprisingly busy schedule and so it's difficult to actually have enough time to sit you down to offer solids and have enough time for a bottle. I would like to be more consistent with this, especially since you require more calories. And you will gladly take yogurt over a bottle. :)

Mornings are time consuming, especially when we have places to be. You consistently start stirring around 8:15. I'll start breathing treatments then and can get you back to sleep. Usually you'll sleep through chest percussions and maybe even continue for another 30 minutes once we're finished. If you're asleep I'll either pump or take a shower. You're not very interested in a bottle in the morning, so figuring out when to give enzymes and offer milk is tricky. Enzymes are effective for an hour, so we usually let you play a little and then give enzymes and try to feed you.

You take 3 naps a day, still on the shorter 45-minute side. Sometimes we can rock you back to sleep. At least you sleep pretty well at night in your crib. I'll leave it at that. :)

We took two trips to two different beaches! We went to St. Simons to visit Daddy's aunt and uncle and attend a CF event with them. We didn't get you to the beach then because it was around the rough/teething/diaper rash week. The next weekend we went to Destin for Daddy's continuing education and we went down to the beach twice. I think you're gonna be a little fish like your sister because you already enjoy splashing in the water.

You were dedicated at our church and you were the cutest baby there. :) I'm so glad most of family and a few close friends were able to be there for you.

I saw a quote somewhere that said, "The days are long, but the years are short." I think about this often, especially because our days are time-consuming with treatments and little napping, crying from teething, taking care of two little ones, and trying to tend to the house. Not to mention trying to shower myself and have a decent lunch. The days are hard and long, but I know they are going to fly by before we know it.

six months

Merritt Moore! You are six months old!

How has half a year already flown by??

You bring so much joy to this family. While we were waiting for the hopes of being pregnant many years, my heart constantly sought joy in the midst of heartache. All those many months, my heart was waiting for you. My joyful little girl. Your sweet chuckles and big grins bring insurmountable joy to us. Even when we have rough days of teething or coughing, screaming through breathing treatments, and just plain exhaustion (from all of us!), you brighten up the room with your joyful disposition.

You are incredible loved by all, but your sister is your biggest fan. The two of you are sidekicks already! I'm worried about the mischief you two will get into and the frustrations y'all will cause your parents. :)

You giggle the most for Hartley! Everyone else has to work hard at getting you to chuckle, but Hartley barely does anything and you think it's so funny. I love the bond you two have!

You are very attached to your bottles. If you're hungry and you see it, you will fuss for it! Even if I'm nursing you and you get a glimpse of it.. you would rather have it. I enjoy the moments you actually nurse and pray that one day you'll choose me for comfort over a bottle or pacifier. :(

While I wish you nursed more, it's also nice being free to pump and have bottles prepared for friends and family to have the opportunity to feed you too. Hartley rarely took a bottle!  

Your feeding schedule is pretty consistent, but somewhat flexible. Because you take short naps (still!), you're happy eating every 3 hours. However, you can go 4 hours too! You tend to hover between 3-3.5 hours taking 5oz of precious, pumped milk. We've started supplementing you with an extra few ounces of formula. This was a pride issue for me, wanting to be able to feed you with my own milk. But you need the extra help. We were also blessed with some donated milk from a sweet friend!

You prefer to cluster feed from 5/6-9pm. We administer your vitamins, salt, and human milk fortifier in the evening bottles. The first time you eat you take 2, maybe 3oz. Then hopefully less than an hour later, you might take 2 more ounces. Enzymes are only effective for an hour, so we have to squeeze in as many ounces as we can during that time, otherwise you get another dose of enzymes. We plan on talking to your dietician about this, maybe we need to do half a dose with these smaller, spread out feedings. But with cluster feedings come sleeping longer during the night!

For a few nights you were sleeping past 6am. We thought you finally got into a routine, but that was short-lived. Four and 5am wake up calls started again. However, sometimes you'll surprise us and sleep past 7am. We never know. But we appreciate the hours of sleep! After you nurse during the early mornings, I keep you in bed between me and Daddy.

We do breathing treatments twice a day still. And you do great! If you fuss, it's during the nebulizer part. If you're asleep during percussions it goes smoothly.. if you're awake I'm trying to keep you contained on the bed. You are the wiggliest baby!

You are rolling every where and even trying to crawl! Your legs know what to do, but you're still trying to figure out how those arms need to work. You're supporting yourself much better with your arms. You'll get everything worked out before we know it and we'll be chasing you around the house soon!

You love playing with your feet, too! Not only does your forehead taste salty, but your feet also. I wonder if that's why you like sucking on your toes so much! By the way, Hartley was the one that realized your feet are salty...

No mama yet but we hear a lot of mmming and I think I hear some bbbing recently. I looked back at Hartley's 6-month post and y'all are surprisingly similar. Imagine that! Your hair is growing in like hers, only yours is strawberry blonde! Eyes are still bright blue! You wear a few 0-3month clothes but we slowly getting into 3-6months. You wear size 1 diapers. We haven't started cloth yet! I'm so scared that your poops are going to ruin them. :(

We go for a CF appointment tomorrow, so I will update this with your new weight and length.

Oh, Merritt. We can't believe how quickly the past half year has flown by. I feel like we still baby you so much- like rocking you to sleep, rushing in every time you cry, holding you, and holding you some more. I think because you're so tiny makes me feel like you're still a newborn, too. We haven't let you cry it out any either!

And ya know, we wouldn't have it any other way. Except for a cure for CF. That would be nice. :)

five months

Merritt! You are five months old!

This past month has been quite a busy one! Hartley started Pre-K and I thought surely our schedule would slow down, but we've been busier than ever. Especially because you are such a busy baby! Hence the extremely tardy monthly post. :)

We've had a lot of issues with enzymes and nursing over the past few months. And there was no break this month. You take 4 capsules with every feeding. You've been a little better about nursing, but I still pump around the clock for you. You usually take 4-4.5 ounces every 3-3.5 hours.

Depending on when you nurse during the night, we start our days between 8-9am. If I'm good I'll knock out your morning breathing treatment before you nurse. Otherwise I'll start them midway through your morning nap. Treatments have to be either right before you nurse or an hour after, so you don't spit up. Our schedule works great with you having them right before you eat. Plus you always wake up midway through your nap and treatments get you back to sleep! :)

You now sleep in your crib!! We were hesitant to move you, but you did great! And we all sleep better at night. You cry out usually between 1-3am, but only needing to be reswaddled and given your paci. Anytime after 4am I will nurse you. Sometimes you surprise us by sleeping past 6 or 7am! You are not too consistent though.

You hover around 11-11.5lb. And depending on how wiggly you are during measurements, you are around 24 inches long. You are soooo skinny! Still wearing 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers, but I think you're getting close to start 3-6 month clothes.

You love rolling around these days, both ways! This has made breathing treatments more challenging. You really like laying on your belly during playtime. You enjoy holding on to and chewing on toys, scratching at the carpet or blankets, and squealing at the tv!

You are so expressive and always happy! You remind us so much of your big sister, and what a great big sis she is! We've been told a lot that God couldn't have chosen better parents for you, but I'm often reminded that He couldn't have chosen a better sister for you, too! She prayed and prayed for you and now that you're here, she's praying for a baby brother. :)

Hartley loves being able to help take care of you. If you're playing on the floor, she is right there beside you. The only time she gets upset with you is in the car. You love babbling in the car and she gets so frustrated because she's trying to talk too. It's pretty funny to me!

We have two sweet girls and they just keep getting sweeter and sweeter!

4 months

Merritt! You are four months old!!

Whew, little girl! You have maintained your sweetness but your spoiled and impatient sides have become well known around this house. You have become a handful with sleeping and nursing, or lack of sleeping and nursing.

We noticed the last month that you were becoming very distracted while nursing, so you would fuss until you were free to look around. At that time I started pumping multiple times a day to make sure you were eating enough. You became very attached to a bottle though! You got to be lazy and not have to work on getting milk out like you do when nursing. You were so impatient while waiting for let down!

Spoonful of applesauce and enzymes

We also had issues with enzymes and so you're weight has hovered right around 10lb. :( You are now taking 3.5 capsules with every feeding and that seems to be helping. We know when to increase your dosage by how often and what your stools look like. Other indicators are how many wipes I have to use and how many outfits you might go through.

The Hartley Stare

You continue to sleep in the swing, mostly with it reclined as much as possible and not swinging. You take 45 minute naps and to extend it the full 1.5 hours we get the swing going or hold you. There's a lot of holding actually.

You started talking yourself to sleep, but soon that turned into grunting and fighting off the Sandman. Once you give in you're out though!

We shouldn't complain too much since you sleep great at night. You usually nurse once between 4:30-5:30am, but sometimes you sleep until 7:30am!

You wear 0-3 clothes! And size 1 diapers. We haven't started cloth diapering yet, but I would like to try soon!

You have horrible cradle cap just like Hartley did, but I don't want to mess with it too much because it pulls your delicate baby hair out. The cradle cap is orange (Hartley's was that way too.. I'm not sure if that's normal for all babies) but at least it blends in with your dark strawberry blonde hair. Your eyes are a beautiful blue!

Although you haven't gained weight, your length has increased to 23.5 inches! It's funny when we meet strangers. They always comment on you being a newborn. I'm like, "Yeaaaah.. she's almost 4 months.." But they also notice how happy you are! You give big, happy grins. :)

You went to Columbus for the first time to see Momma's family. The only traveling you've experienced are the monthly trips to Augusta which take almost 2 hours one way. You did pretty well this trip, only fussing until we were about 30 minutes away from our destinations.

You met your crazy cousins and they loved meeting you!

We visit Mema and Grandaddy a lot! Hartley loves going over to swim in the new pool and you've joined us a few times. It's ridiculously hot so we have to be very careful not letting you sweat too much.  Too much sweating means you lose salt! You're forehead is usually salty (normal for CFers) and I often kiss it just to see how salty you are. We usually take turns watching you in the house and letting Hartley swim. 

Daddy's family got together for our "vacation" picture! You have so many cousins that love you!

You and Hartley love love love each other! We have to get on her a lot about getting in your face, but you love when she talks to you and lays with you on the floor. You have rolled over a few times but you are mostly content rolling to your side. And you love kicking around to get a good view of the tv. :)

Keep growing, Merritt!! And nurse better! And sleep longer!