Emma's 9 Months!

Emma has now been in our arms longer than she was in my tummy.  At this point, it feels like she has always been here and I can't imagine life without her.  It is wonderful to have a baby in my arms to cuddle and snuggle.  I am savoring every moment because as the days go on, she is becoming more mobile and independent.  This month was all about moving.  She has conquered horizontal surfaces quite well, and has begun trying out vertical dimensions, much to my distress and amazement.  Here she is below trying to figure out how to get out of the situation she crawled into.

She can walk while holding onto our fingers or the furniture quite well this month too, and was even seen pushing a box across the floor while at a friend's birthday party.

In the picture below she had climbed up the shelf with the assistance of a toy she used as a step and alerted us with a cry that she couldn't get back down.  My initial fear was replaced with excitement over a great photo opportunity.

All of this crawling, climbing and walking has really increased her appetite as well as her sleeping abilities.  She has eaten an entire avocado in one sitting and has been sleeping about seven to eight hours straight at night.  Here she is below with Bunny Blankie.

 These days it really does seem like when she isn't sleeping, she is eating.  She has been gaining weight so well this month that the doctors are convinced she is over the hump and well on her way to a healthy growth curve again.  We are still adhering to the high calorie feeding schedule, but we are hoping at her next doctor appointment we can relax a bit and feed her on a more relaxed schedule.  And of course when she isn't eating or sleeping, she is playing.  She loves playing with Lucy and for some reason is obsessed with pulling Lucy's hair.

Santa brought Lucy and Emma some blocks for Christmas, and both girls have really enjoyed playing with them - alone.  This makes it complicated for Will and I to maintain block building peace, as Emma's idea of playing blocks is knocking down and tearing apart anything Lucy makes, and Lucy's idea of playing blocks is needing to use whatever piece Emma is currently holding.

Fortunately there are some activities that both girls enjoy together, including singing along to live piano music...

 ...and sledding on their new sleds from Auntie Cate and Uncle Pat.

New habits this month include lots of finger pointing, waving and clapping as well as saying Lucy's name.  It sounds more like "Ew-See" but we know it is Lucy because she points to either Lucy or a picture of Lucy while saying it.  Now that she has Da-da and Ew-See down, I am patiently awaiting her to call me Mama.  Even with just a two word vocabulary, she is getting really good at telling us what she wants through finger pointing or just plain crawling over attempting whatever she needs herself.  She crawls to me and points at the Boppy pillow I nurse her on when she wants milk (we call it milkies) and she crawls over to her highchair or Will when she wants food.

And because I am busy getting Emma out from under the table and off of ledges, here are her eight month portraits a month late.

Excuse me while I go pull Emma down from the elliptical machine...