Nine Months

Mila officially turned nine months today and I am convinced we have entered one of my absolute favorite baby stages of all.  A personality is blossoming every day as our little lady grows and discovers more of what she can.  What a joy she is to all of us!  She is funny and smart, not much for cuddling but sweet as pie, and I can't get enough of watching how she interacts in this world of ours.  I have always loved watching her because she is such a thinker.  She seems to have a keen awareness of the world around her and her place in all of it.  The other night, I was holding in front of the bathroom mirror and she got so excited!  She waved at herself, did her 'so big', and then kept looking back and forth from me to my reflection with this smile on her face as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world.  She's intense, she's a thinker, and she's a bit dramatic, all much like her mama, and I continue to be astonished with the connection the two of us share.  She's always looking for her mama and the satisfaction we both feel as I scoop her up in my arms is what makes this mom thing so fulfilling.  There is just nothing more important than being there for your babes.  

We have a lot of new milestones for the Mila girl this month, fun things to remember about nine months...

//Houston, we have a crawler!  She's been scooting away for over a month now, but officially made the leap this weekend, much to her brother's horror!  I, on the other hand, love it.  I set her down in the living room, go to do something in the bathroom, and pretty soon, I hear her coming down the hall!  We've had to limit Legos to a kitchen table activity, and Beau had to put our plants up higher after he caught you eating dirt the other night, but other than that, we're adjusting to two movers quite well.

Well...most of us, anyway. :)

I actually caught Mila's first official crawl with my camera.  It was the day after Cruz's birthday party, and he had just learned to set up his new race track...

Little did Cruz know, someone else was about to invite herself to play...

(Nicely, at first)...Cruz: "Here Mewa, you can play with this balloon."

(All is content for a second or two)...

Going, going...

GONE!  ("No, Mewa!!!)

"It's not nice to break other people's toys, Mewa." (As Mila eats hot wheels car)...

Poor Cruz's is in for a rude awakening. :)

//Mila is thee best little eater and I pray pray pray she continues that way.  I have the most fun preparing her yummy foods and she can't get enough of them.  The other night, I sliced an acorn squash in half, scooped out the seeds and replaced them with a diced up honeycrisp apple.  After a sprinkle of cinnamon, I baked the halves in the oven until they were tender, then pureed it all in the blender.  It smells like fall and Mila loves it.  We've also moved on to sippy cups from time to time, more foods she can pick up and eat like peas, home canned peaches, and brown rice, and she even ate diced chicken the other night!  Beau picked up a rotisserie chicken from Hy-Vee and Mila couldn't get enough!  

//We popped two more teeth this month, for a running total of eight now - four on the top and four on the bottom.  Mila has a pretty sweet gap between her top two and we find it adorable and hilarious.  We call her Baby Strahan. :)

//Mila now waves by opening and closing her little fist.  She's quite proud of it.  She also typically greets people with a very apparent fake smile.  When she's bored, she'll move her forefinger across her lips creating a 'bababa' sound, and anytime we bounce her, she immediately starts to hum and make her voice bounce.  She raises her voice and lets out a little 'ah!' every time we walk down Cruz's preschool hallway because she's discovered her echo, and she will perform her 'no no no' on request because she knows it makes people laugh.  She's quite the character and I'm afraid she gets her sense of humor from her daddy. :)

//She's still a fantastic little sleeper, going down around 7:30 and getting up around 6.  She loves her blankies and we often find her playing with her dolly in her crib after she wakes up.

//Mila is still not much for cuddling, but still falls asleep fastest when you sing to her.  She is still not much for giggling, but one of the most smiley babies I know.  Even when it's fake. :)

We have Mila's nine month doctor's appointment this afternoon and I can't wait to see how much she's grown.  Her Size 3 diapers are getting a little tight around the waist, her carseat straps need adjusting, and it's time to lower the mattress in her crib.  

Happy nine months, little girl. 

On a side note, it has been so fun to reread Cruz's monthly milestone posts and compare them with his sister's.  It's uncanny this month - I feel like I'm rewriting history!