Tatum Leilani Madrid: 9 months old

9 months old and a dusting of snow. My spectacular, beautiful, baby girl.

My tater tot. It's insanity to me that our sweet girl is closing in on her first year of life and only 90 days stand between us and the ultimate celebration of our fourth born's first birthday. Taking pictures today of a baby that can sit up on her own, crawl around, and express herself so much -- in the blink of an eye doesn't even fully describe how quickly the last 9 months have gone by. Above all else, I'm so thankful that this miracle baby is ours. That she's continued to grow and thrive in the most beautiful of ways. 

Feeding:  Baby-led weaning has been such an awesome addition to Tatum's food journey and I love that she enjoys feeding herself and trying an array of different kinds of foods as well as different colors of food. Last night Tatum had tilapia for the first time and she ate her entire helping. She loves avocados, mangos, and spinach, too. I try really hard to incorporate mild seasonings into her food without fear (this was such an issue in the past) and I think it definitely makes a difference. A pinch of cinnamon in whole milk yogurt, a tad bit of paprika on her fish... anything that can really help bring out the food Tatum is eating. Breakfast and dinner are the two most wholesome meals Tatum has and we've given her the traditional more snack-ish foods in the afternoon (blueberries + cheerios, sweet potatoes puffs, and little crunchies). 

Sleep:  Per usual, this kid sleeps like a dream. Tatum goes down to bed at around 8:30ish and wakes up at 6:30 - 7am. I've noticed that she's been going to be a little earlier this month than she did last month (by like an hour) so we've made adjustments to accommodate the new schedule. Tatum also stopped taking one of her afternoon naps and I'm almost positive that is why her bedtime is earlier now. We still co-sleep full time (this girl has actually never even been placed in her crib) and have no plans of moving Tatum out of our room for quite some time. We want her to be comfortable and sleep in the most comfortable way possible. 

Milestones: Our baby girl gives high fives, kisses, and she's dancing to the beat of her favorite music. She cut her bottom third tooth and you wouldn't even notice without running your finger on her gum line. Tatum is sitting up by herself, army crawling but crawling, and getting around SO well these days. She's constantly smiling or giggling and really holds her own when socializing with her siblings. Tatum also reaches for her mama when she wants her. This was always my favorite milestone with my babies. When she's upset, tired, hungry, or just in need of her mama cuddles - she reaches her arms up to me or out for me to grab her.

Things You Like:  Lately, being pushed around in your step 2 buggy has been all the rave. You love using your ice cream toys from your lemonade stand that you got from Santa for teething purposes. You enjoy music more than ever now (didn't think that was possible) and you absolutely love peek-a-boo and any coco melon tune. You love your big brother Liam so, so much! Especially when he's making you laugh. You give the best baby laughs when paired with your brother. You love when both of your sisters get on your level to play with you and lately, you've been enjoying mommy and daddy singing you songs (you have loved baby shark -- daddy's version for quite some time now) and you enjoy Baby Beluga with your mama.

And just like that, she's nine months old. 273 days of complete and total baby Tatum bliss. We are so blessed.