Nine Months

Eating: Foster is eating most fruits and veggies. He enjoys eating everything so far, but applesauce, blueberries, broccoli, green beans, and sweet potatoes are his favorite. We are still nursing 5 times a day and haven't cut a nursing out yet. Honestly, I am not sure when we will drop a nursing. I am definitely in not rush.

Sleeping: Foster goes to bed around 7:30 every night and has been waking up inconsistently. Sometimes he will wake up at 1AM, and other times he will sleep until 5AM. 6AM is our goal. I try my hardest not to nurse or start our day before 6AM, but I often fail in doing so. When he wakes up in the middle of the night (or anytime before 6), he is very hard to get back asleep unless Ty takes him for a car ride. So sometimes I end up nursing him back to sleep. (We also went to the cabin this month, which always seems to mess with his sleeping through the night.) On most days he is able to make it until 6AM without nursing and then we start our day. On days when he sleeps until 6AM, I will nurse him and then have a solid hour (on most days) of alone time with him before the other kids wake up. It is really nice to be able to start my day before the others wake up.

Foster is napping two times a day, normally around 8:30 and 1:30. He is a great napper (unless his siblings wake him up), and will nap for about 2 hours each time. On an average day our day looks like the following: nurse at 6AM, nap at 8:30AM, nurse at 10:30AM, nurse at 1:00PM, nap at 1:30PM, nurse at 4PM, nurse at 7PM, bed by 7:30PM.

I have never liked having my babies put themselves to sleep this young, but am starting to think that Foster would really benefit from it. I love snuggling and rocking my babies to sleep because they grow up too fast. We will see if I can handle trying it in this next month, but knowing me, I doubt it.

New Skills: Clapping, Scooting around in his walker, ever closer to crawling, trying to pull up on things, he mastered eating off of a spoon (although he rarely do it), He definitely seems to be using "Mama," but I'm never sure if it is on purpose this young. Fos finally got two teeth this month!

He Loves: Baths are still his favorite, scooting around in his walker, eating, hugs

He Doesn't Like: bananas

Exciting Things We Did:

We (Daddy) got a new puppy! He was named Benny for 1 day, but then we changed it to Braven. Ty is in heaven and so are we. Finn loves having a friend, and although he may be crazy to get a puppy right now, it has been fun. We definitely have been getting outside and taking many more family walks, and honestly, that was our goal - a dog that made us get out in nature more. (We love Finn, but he hates going on walks and going anywhere.)

Braven loves to climb on your lap and fall asleep, even if there isn't any room!

I made and finished Foster's Christmas stocking! I am the most proud of his stocking. I did all of the sewing by myself and could see how far I have come in my ability since doing the first stocking 7 years ago!

We celebrated Christmas! We have done our stockings on Christmas Eve for a couple years now. However, this was the first year that we decided that instead of stuff, we would fill our stockings with pictures and encouraging words to each other. It was definitely my favorite part of Christmas and is for sure a new family tradition!

We still did our tradition of Wilbur chocolate in stockings.

Christmas Eve Morning GF Cinnamon Rolls

We sleep under the tree every Christmas Eve.

My mom and I got Foster a BlaBla doll for Christmas. I love them and Foster loved getting his lion!

We went to the cabin! This trip was really special, because we got two whole days at the cabin with just our family. We missed everyone else (and honestly, it was very weird not to have them there), but it was a nice time to relax by ourselves. We got to spend all day Saturday with everyone, but had to come home on Sunday morning. 

Spoiled pup driving up.

Warming the cabin up, (also spoiled pup).

Aunt Nadine got Charlie a drone for Christmas

Family walk aka ice skating

Family Game Night (thanks to Nanny for buying us Zingo!)

SMores! 

When did he get so big!

Cabin Bath #2

Driving home. They slept like this for 2 hours!

More Photos:

Reading is a family favorite.

Sister selfie!

Early mornings with him are something that I am sure that I'll miss.

The best <3

I love you, Foster Ellis!

A Note From Daddy: Foster Ellis you are a joy! Despite your inability to sleep in well, I love spending *joyful*, early mornings with you. You're never short of smiles and giggles and I love that most about you. After your first 9 months of looking just like your brothers when they were infants, you're starting to take on your own look and I think you're super handsome :D 2020 is going to be an exciting year for you! I love you, Fellis!

Eight Months

Weight: I weighed him at my parents' house the other day and he weighed 20lbs.

Eating: Foster is nursing 5 times a day and will normally snack on finger foods whenever we are all eating. Charlie thinks it is unfair to eat in front of him without giving him something. This morning Charlie gave him green beans for breakfast. We didn't do any "baby foods" with Foster, but have just gone straight to finger foods. So far he has tried avocado, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoes, and peas.

Sleeping: Foster dropped his third nap this month. Now he is napping at around 8:30/9 and 1/1:30. He goes to bed around 7PM and sleeps until 5:30/6. I do not get him up for the day before 6AM though. I think he has been having a hard time teething and has been often waking up in the middle of the night. When this happens it is hard to get him back to sleep, but when I nurse him he will normally pass out again. Teething gel doesn't seem to be helping him, so I am looking for some other options. I will probably try a remedy (chamomile) next time he wakes up. He always loves to sleep in his swing, but we've stopped putting him in it because 1) he is too big for it and 2) we are trying to wean him from it.

New Skills:
- Learning how to eat
- Talking more and more! He is expanding all the sounds he is able to make all the time. He really loves blowing through his lips though.
- Scooting in circles
- He has gotten very good at the pincher grab and getting food into his mouth.

He Loves:
- Gnawing on food
- Gnawing on cold teethers (those teeth are going to come any day now!)
- Baths still make him the happiest
- Chatting with anyone
- Sweet potatoes
- Playing Peek-a-boo
- When Lydia looks at him and says "EEEEE" really loudly. Every time she does it he laughs a deep belly laugh. It is so funny and random!

He Doesn't Like: I think teething has really been challenging. He is normally a happy and easy going babe, but in the middle of the night and during some days he has been more emotional (also due to the lack of sleep) and clingy (which I don't totally mind) ;-)

Exciting Things We Did:

We went Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. Before we went, Charlie asked what we could give to Aunt Genna to take with her to India. Jade said that the girls in India love American candy, so after Trick or Treating, Charlie set aside a large bag full of candy to send over. I was proud of his heart. Aunt Gonna sent us a video of giving them the candy. It was really special to Charlie! 

We visited Hershey Chocolate World. It was Foster's first time on the ride. 

Foster tried food for the first time! We started with avocado. The video is so funny. He did a great job and the kids were really excited. Foster really loved playing in the avocado afterwards. 

Foster's first time on my back in the carrier. 

Foster's first time in a shopping cart. He wasn't too happy though because I was making him wait to eat. Sissy was excited though! 

We celebrated sweet Lydia's 4th Birthday! We had a drop in at our house from 10AM-3PM. We had a full house the whole time and it was a lot of fun. Lydia felt loved!

I have always been intrigued with Elimination Communication. I recently met a couple mamas who have done it with their babes, so Foster and I have been trying it. He has been doing a great job! He has pooped in the potty and nearly almost always pees on the potty. He even goes in public restrooms. I don't know what will happen with it, but it is fun to at least build his awareness. 

We went to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia. The kids love it there! Mama and Papa bought us a year pass last year for Christmas, and we wanted to go one more time before it expired. 

We got our Christmas tree! The middles weren't exactly in the holiday spirit and we struggled with attitudes all around, but our tree is really pretty! When we got home, we realized that we didn't have a tree stand anymore, so Ty ran out and bought a new one. We then went to decorate the tree, but the lights were dead. So were the icicles for the outside of our house. Needless to say, our annual Black Friday Christmas kickoff was a little rough, but we are all still excited! 

More Photos:

Not Sleeping

Photo by C

Photo by Jed

Foster fell asleep on Grammie while waiting for Mommy to get home to put him to bed <3

A warm November day! 

Not so much Foster related, but we turned Jed around on  11/29. Foster and Jed have enjoyed being able to talk more.

Still not sleeping

A Note From Mommy: Son, you are beautiful to me. You are a glimpse of heaven and unadulterated love. Thank you for bringing beauty and light into my life. You are a gift. I pray to always point you back to the Creator of your beauty and the beauty around you.