Opal at 9 Months

Opal is nine months now and has officially been in my arms longer than she was in my belly.  I am so grateful for this little lady, and wish that I could slow down time.  I want to savor every smile, giggle and snuggle.  Opal for the most part does not nap independently, which is a great way to get extra snuggles in.

The biggest development this past month is that Opal can now crawl.  She started crawling just days before we put up our Christmas tree, so this year we put the tree in a new location - surrounded on three sides, instead of open on three sides in the past.  All three older sisters did not start crawling until after Christmas so this is new for us - keeping the baby and the Christmas tree safe!  Besides wanting to chew on the electrical cord for the lights or the ornaments, she has done pretty good with the tree.  The newness has worn off by now and she just likes to play underneath it.

In the below photos we found her using the squatty potty in our bathroom as a backrest which we found hilarious, if not a tad gross.

 Opal loves taking baths and is my first child to not have issues with getting her hair washed.  She loves splashing in the water, and playing with two little Sesame Street Characters - Ernie and Elmo - that are reserved just for bath time play.

Opal loves getting pushed in her sisters' doll stroller, and this past month, was finally old enough to ride in a shopping cart.  She loved it!

 Opal now says Dada and Bye Bye, bringing her vocabulary up to four words - Mama, Dada, Hi and Bye Bye.  She also understand sign language for "read a book", "more" and "all done."  This little lady is so loved by her mama, her dada, and her big sisters that I can't imagine our family without her.

Opal Marie, you are the center of joy in our family, and we are so glad you are here!