Seriously, how can you be nine months old already?
Sophie, I think you’ve really grown in the last month. More so than any other month so far. I can remember when I felt like Ella went from being a baby to a big girl and here we are again. When people ask how old you are, I cringe saying nine months. It sounds so big. I’m going to turn around and you’ll be blowing out birthday candles, wearing ballet shoes, riding a bike.
These are the things I’ll remember most about nine months:
- Gone are the days of quiet Sophie who falls asleep without a whimper. When you have an opinion, you make yourself known. You still don’t cry a lot and you aren’t overly fussy, you just seem to have found your voice. You squeal with delight, you yell to get our attention, you mimic us when we make funny noises. You fuss a little when we put you to bed, but we’re working on that. We’ve talked about it and I hope you can agree that less fussing at bedtime is really the way to go.
- You are eating so many different foods! You still love baby food and I’ve yet to find anything that you will turn down, but you are starting to explore and eat things that your daddy and I cook for dinner. You love bananas, waffles, tortillas, tomatoes, spaghetti-os, shredded cheese, mushy cheerios and powdered donuts. Seriously. Who doesn’t love powdered donuts?
- You have two of the CUTEST little teeth. They are both on the bottom (just like your sister) and when you smile we all get so tickled. It gives you the most mischievous little look on your face. I think you must be getting another one on the bottom because you rub the spot right next to them all the time. I love that little snaggle-tooth smile.
- Guess who can give kisses? They are open mouthed, slobbery kisses, but the sweetest ones I’ve ever had. Some days you’ll give them all day long and other days you are stingy. The one thing I’ve learned, though, is that if I hold you up over my head and lower you towards my face, you’ll give me “shugen” every time.
- You’ve got that pincer grasp down pat. Not only are you picking up foods and feeding them to yourself, you can pick up a leaf or a bug or a hair barrette on your little radar from twelve feet out. You have the ability to pick up those tiny little things with two fingers and manage to sneak them into your mouth before I can catch you. We had quite the little scare with leaf particles this week and I’m regretting teaching you how to pick things up!
- Your vocabulary is already expanding. You can say “da-da”, “bye-bye”, “hi” and “uh-oh” with confidence. You’ll throw out a “ma-ma” when you’re really sleepy or really mad and you’re trying really hard to say baby. You have a little plastic baby at Garan’s house and you say “ba-ba” every time you pick her up. We’re working on Ella. If you want to spend all of your time with her, it’s high time you know how to say her name.
- You are kind over the whole ‘rock me to sleep’ situation and it’s bittersweet. Do I love being able to lay you in your crib and walk away? Yes, but I sure do miss those sweet snuggles. I think more than anything I miss that you need me to rock you.
- Nap times are a bit confusing at our house right now. You need them, I know you need them, you know that I know that you need them. The problem is, we’re all a little confused about when you need them. Some days you take one, other days it’s three. Sometimes they are thirty minute power naps and for the last few days I’ve had to wake you from a three hour nap at 8 o’clock to feed you dinner and bathe you, only to put you right back down. It must be a growth spurt, but I’m ready to settle back into a routine.
- We learned this week that you are pretty much smitten with cold air. You have laughed and giggled every time we walk out into the below freezing temperatures, despite your hatred for hats and jackets. You get giddy and pump your little legs with delight.
- You are in love with our dog, Beemer. I’m sorry that I can’t say the feeling is mutual. She has a love-hate relationship with little girls and you just haven’t won her over yet. She growls at you and turns her nose up, but she wants to stand right beside you at all times. You, on the other hand, want to crawl all over her and inspect her ears and are positively ecstatic when you hear that rumble in her throat. We laugh at her all the time because she doesn’t want you to pay her any attention, but she’d like to be near you just the same. I’m hoping you can compromise and settle into some kind of relationship pretty soon.
- It seems you are still a momma’s girl, as you follow me from room to room on a regular basis. You are starting to play more independently, but only when I’m close by. When you can see me, you smile and giggle and play so well, but as soon as I’m out of your sight the fussing begins. In the afternoons when I pick you up from Garan’s, you are almost always napping. We like to see how long it takes you to hear my voice and sit straight up. It’s usually pretty quick and the look on your face is always so sweet. I love seeing your little hands reach for me.
Sophie, I’ve already started planning your birthday party and even ordered invitations and cupcake liners this week. How can it be that it’s 2011? I am going to cherish these next three months and try to hold to my baby just a little bit longer. Thank you for being such a little snuggle bunny and indulging me when I want to carry you around. That weight on my hip makes every moment just a little bit better.
And for posterity, you are still wearing a size 2 diaper, just now getting too big for your 3-6 month onesies and wearing a size 1 shoes. You might be long, but girl you are TINY. You drink four 6 ounce bottles each day and three meals of baby and/or table food. Not to be confused with the MANY times you see one of us eating and sidle up to beg with Beemer.
