9 Months

Alice is now 9 months old.  Her stats are as follows : 17.2 lbs, 26 1/4 inches tall, and 42.5 cm head.  She has become a lot more busy this past month.  She still isn't crawling, but she can get where she wants to go given enough times to roll/scoot/army crawl across the floor.  She had developed a bit of an attitude when we take away something that she finds and isn't supposed to play with.  She loves paper, any kind of remotes, cell phones, and computer cords.  Her next preference would be the dog toys, and if she must she will play with her toys.

She still has just two teeth on the bottom, and I don't when we will see more.  One of my resolutions has worked, and she now takes naps, in her crib.  It has been blissful as a mom and she is much more happy.  Apparently, she is also a tummy sleeper.  She also usually starts bedtime in her crib, and somehow still wakes up next to me in my bed.  Not sure how that happens :). 

She is a good little eater, but has now decided that feeding herself is much better than mom using a spoon.  Unfortunately, the only thing she can eat well by herself is cheerios.  I think it is one of her favorite foods, but not exactly a well balanced diet.  She is still nursing a lot, and we expect that to continue for a while.  This past month, I was beginning to alter that plan as she began to use her teeth more, but that has since subsided.

This past week, she used sign language for the first time.  She signed milk, however, we think to her it means I want some.  She did the same sign to my sister who was eating a burrito on Monday.  I am sure the clarity will sink in a little more in the future.

She has also learned how to put her pacifier back in her mouth when it falls out.  Maybe TMI, but she is still pooping in the toilet and peeing in her potty.  She is still in diapers full time, but will still usually go when I ask her too. 

We just started swimming lessons with her, and she appears to love the water.  She splashes, loves to float on her back, and just kick.  We are still working on blowing bubbles in the water, and she is not totally comfortable going all the way under.  She doesn't mind water on her face, and overall loves swimming.

Story time at the library is also a favorite, and she loves to see the other kids and is actually becoming more interested in the stories and rhymes.

We have also been spending a lot of time with the Olympia gymnasts.  The girls absolutely love her and she likes them too.  She is pretty good at the meets, and it is fun to spend so much time with Grandma Poe (the head coach). 

She is still a happy little girl and we are just having a blast with her.