Lucy: 9 Months

weight: 14lbs 8.5oz

length: 26.25"

head circumference: 16.75"

Don't let her measurements fool you!  Although Lucy is a tiny 9-month-old (off the charts in weight and between 5th & 10th percentiles in length), she is big when it comes to strength, personality and capacity.

At 9 months old this darling little girl has become quite the adventurer.  She crawls everywhere and loves pulling herself up to stand on pretty much anything, including walls!  Lucy can say "baba" and "mama," although those words really seem to have little meaning to her.  Clapping and waving are her newest skills, although waving still takes some coaxing.  She loves to mimic her dad - during dinner they will tilt their head back & forth at each other.  It's the sweetest thing to watch.  Her best smiles are definitely for daddy.  Believe it or not, Lucy does not have any teeth!  But so far that hasn't stopped her from gumming all sorts of solid foods.  She is a pretty good eater when you catch her at the right moment.  Lucy still nurses 4-5 times a day and has decided that she is not at all a fan of bottles.  

In addition to exploring, Lucy loves to read!  She doesn't really have a favorite toy (in fact, she's way more interested in all things "non-toy" at the moment... e.g. brooms, shoes, cords, outlets, etc), but when we pull out a book, her face sure lights up.  We read two or three books before each nap and bedtime.  Morning naps are becoming a little bit of a struggle, and I'm wondering if she might be ready to move to 1 nap a day.  Knowing how to stand up in her crib also hasn't helped.  Apparently there are too many other fun things to do, who wants to sleep?!  While daytime sleep is a bit sporadic, Lucy is a great nighttime sleeper - usually 7pm to 7am.  With or without great sleep during the day, she is such a happy baby.  We absolutely love our baby girl!

Valentine's Day

Lucy and I spent most of Valentine's Day at my parents' home where my Grandma helped me make homemade taffy - one of my very favorite treats!

While we were there, my mom & sister opened Lucy's Valentine - a bottle of bubbles!  Lucy loved watching the bubbles float through the air.  As soon as one would come close to her face, she would shut her eyes tight.  Eventually she got brave enough to poke the bubbles.  It was so fun to watch her eyes light up with joy!

That evening Jonathan and I enjoyed a nice evening together eating a candlelit dinner and cuddling up & talking by the fire.  He was kind to take the entire night off from studying!  It was a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Eating Solids

Lucy started experimenting with "solid foods" when she was 6 months old.  Based on what I had read and advice from her pediatrician, I first introduced oatmeal and pureed fruits & vegetables.  Let's just say we had a bit of a rocky start.  More food was found on her bib, the tray, the counter - anywhere but in her mouth.  Most of the time she would seal her lips shut and just stare at me.  Anytime I managed to sneak food into her mouth she would just gag and spit the food out.  Why was I doing this again?

So I waited for a couple weeks and momentarily gave up on trying to convince this little one to eat mashed bananas, steamed carrots, etc.  Nonchalantly, I gradually started offering her bits and pieces of whatever I was eating.  And she would eat it!  Letting her hold the food by herself was key - which meant no more blending and pureeing.  She really loves food, she just really loves to feed herself.  Lucy might have a streak of independence in her, and I love it (for now)!

Mealtime is now very enjoyable and extremely entertaining.  Lucy turns into a little cavewoman when she eats and makes the most audible eating sounds possible (imagine a growling "Mmmmmm").  She is slowly learning to like being spoon-fed, and if I can catch her at just the right moment, she does really well with that.

Here is a rundown of what she now likes to eat: greek yogurt, strawberries, graham crackers, pineapple, cheese, avocado, minestrone, bananas, green beans, asiago cheese bagels, quesadillas, pasta, peaches, and really whatever we are having for dinner that night.  Rarely does she reject food now, and if she does, she just probably isn't ready to eat.  Which was probably a big part of the problem in the first place...I'm learning!  Now if I could just figure out how to get these stains out of her clothes!

Mobile

Definition: capable of moving or being moved readily
Synonyms: adaptable, free, moving, nomadic, portable, roaming, unsettled, wandering

Oh how these words are so perfectly descriptive of my darling 8.5 month old!

Just after the 7 month mark (right before Christmas), Lucy started experimenting with crawling.  I guess you could say it was more like she was scooting around, slowly inching her arms and legs to her destination.  With a good month and a half of practice under her belt, this girl is cruising!  She will crawl, pause in a plank pose, sit down and then turn back to crawling.  Truly - if I turn my head for just a couple minutes, I will find her clear across the other side of the house.  She quickly reminds me of all of the things I have yet to "baby proof."  She is smart.  And fast!  And so much more content now that she can go wherever her little heart desires.  I love to hear her giggle and talk as she pitter-patters across the floor.

Having mastered this form of mobility, Lucy is now moving on to the next phase: pulling herself to stand.  She is very comfortable pulling herself up to her knees, and is only now starting to really pull herself up to her feet.  In fact, today after both her morning and afternoon nap I went in to find her beaming and standing tall.  I love this new greeting of hers!