~9 Months~

Our baby girl turned 9 months almost a week ago!  I wanted to wait until she had her 9-month check up before making this post. The last time we got any stats on this little lady was three months ago.  Here's what we're lookin' at these days:

Weight:  19.09 lbs = 49%

Length: 27.76 = 49%

Head Circumference: 17.5 in = 61%

I still can't believe she's a quarter of a year old.  And I thought she was moving at lightning speed last month...man, this girl is FAST.  I mean, it's exhausting to keep an eye on her because, in the blink of an eye, she will have moved from one spot to the other and most of the time, she's getting into something she's not supposed to or doing something gross, like, on many an occasion, licking something straight off the floor (i.e. a crumb, carpet fuzzies, or straight-up dirt).  Yuck.  I used to freak out over this, but just gave up.  

 The good doctor tells us that her motor skills are quite good for her age.  She can move from the sitting position to a standing position and hold it for quite some time before she falls on her butt.  And she prefers to stand rather than sit, even when placed in her crib.  She kneels and gets up from that position with ease and can take steps when supported.  I tell you though, I feel like she is days away from taking her first few steps on her own.  She can grab objects and move them from one hand to another without any problems.  And she's very strong...very rarely is anything she does, whether it's touching your face or taking hold of something is gentle (i.e. earrings or hair).  I think it's something she gets from her daddy, whom she just LOVES to wrestle with.  Really.

Today, I just noticed that one of her top two teeth is actually visible. I can only recall her fussing about the pain a few days ago, so she's been dealing with it quite well.  The new teeth enable her to eat her stage 3 baby foods and some table foods (i.e. bread, crackers, chunky mashed potatoes) a lot easier.  She's not a picky eater....AT ALL.  She loves everything--even the peas that she hated when she first started baby food.  She eats two big meals daily--in the mornings she has oatmeal or cereal with fruit and then in the evenings she has either beef/turkey/chicken with vegetables and some fruit.  She continues to have quite the hearty appetite!  I'm surprised she is still under 20 pounds.

She's been going to daycare more regularly so that Malu can get some schoolwork done during the day.  Dropping her off the first two or three times was rough as she'd cry the whole time.  I actually dropped her off myself one morning and as I tried to hand her to the caregiver, she'd cling to me and climb up to my shoulders.  Now, it's not so bad as she's getting used to seeing the staff on an almost-regular basis. 

She's got a great personality and is, for the most part, bubbly and happy-go-lucky.  Most of the time, she'll let people come up to her, hold her and play with her.  Sometimes, however, one person will get her at the wrong time and she'll just freak out and start screaming and/or crying.  And she is loud.  Very loud.  Not just when she's crying, but just when she talks (or babbles) to herself.  Even the ladies and daycare told Malu that she's loud.  I have no idea where she gets that from :) But the other day, the one person that had her in a frenzy was her doctor.  All was well until she whipped out her stethoscope.  She screamed bloody murder until she was all done.  And she didn't even get shots that day!  Oy vey.

She loves to read and many times, she'll be over at one of two baskets in the house, sifting through her book collection.  She loves to play with her Playskool blocks and some plastic Easter eggs that my boss' wife gave her (simple pleasures) and has a few favorite stuffed animals that she gives kisses to all the time.  We also have her watching videos on how to sign.  I believe she even knows how to sign for milk, as she'll open and close her hands right around the times that she usually gets her bottle.  Malu thinks it's just coincidence, I think not!

Just some other random stuff:  she's still in size 3 diapers and wears clothes sizes 9 to 12 months, although she still fits some 6 month clothing.  And when she's really excited or really teed off, she kicks her feet (like my brother used to do when he was young).  We're lucky because she sleeps all through the night, sometimes getting between 7-10 hours in; and she's been sleeping on her stomach a lot lately.  She still loves her bath times and I have to fight with her to keep her seated in her little tub.  However, she still hates to be laid on her changing table, whether it be to get dressed or have her diaper changed. AND, I have to use the kids' hair detangler spray to deal with her unruly, still very curly hair.

Sina,

I want you stop growing too quickly.  You're truly breaking mommy's and daddy's hearts, but it's okay.  We are having so much fun and we love you through and through!  Looks like we need to start planning your 1st birthday party...and quick!