Elizabeth is 9 months old! 3/4 of a year! And she really does seem much more like a toddler than an infant these days. In fact, so much so that I sometimes get surprised when she has a baby moment.
Looking back at the 8 month post, Elizabeth hasn't really learned to do anything new in the last month, but what were new skills then that still had an air of tentativeness to them are now second nature. There is also something intangible to the sturdiness of her carriage and movement. She climbs over obstacles and propels herself around the house with ease.
Anyway, a few notes on Elizabeth at 9 months old:
- She is a speed crawler.
- She has no fear. None. Whether it be sitting under the big dog at daycare reaching up to his mouth or leaning out of her little tub towards Nicholas' water, or crawling at full speed across our bed, she just goes. I admire her spunk, but this tendency terrifies me. And the other day in the bath she finally did manage to go head first into Nicholas' water. My hands were all of 2 inches away so she wasn't under for more than a second, but it scared us all.
- She eats a lot of table foods and wants to eat more but having only 2 teeth that are all the way in and another 2 that have broken through just doesn't cut it for many foods.
- She now clearly understands some words. She responds to her name, knows "no," smacks her lips together if we say "kisses," and looks for her Elmo doll at the word "Elmo."
- This week there were a couple times it sounded like she said real words, but it was probably just babbling. But both "up" and "mama" came out at appropriate times.
- She loves music. She does a little bouncy dance. And if you do a little dance she thinks it is the funniest thing ever.
- She has gotten really good at naps and bedtime. She virtually never nurses herself to sleep anymore, for better or worse. But I take her into her room, give her a pacifier, and start singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" and she generally puts her head down on my shoulder, acknowledging what it is time for. The only times she really cries or won't stay down is if we've tried to put her down before she's really tired (like if we're trying to force a nap before going somewhere). Normally she either goes down quietly or just talks a little. I know that this is too good to last and am fairly certain that vacation will ruin it.
- Similarly, she gets up pretty reliably twice a night and is up for only about 5 minutes to eat a little and goes back down with no fuss. Beautiful.
- She loves dogs. Real dogs, stuffed dogs, pictures of dogs. She is NOT getting a real dog. EVER.
- She pulls her bows or ponytail holders out in bed or in the car so I often take them out before putting her in. It doesn't seem to be an objection to how they feel so much as a desire to take them out to chew on them. As long as she has toys around or other things to do she leaves them alone. At least for now.
- She expects adoration and attention. When we go somewhere or someone is over and they aren't focused on her or showering her with praise, she demands their attention. Dangerous.
- She crawls around looking for little pieces on the floor to pick up and put in her mouth. Literally. Gah! If I see her pause and look intently at the floor I know she has found something the broom has missed. At least she is keeping us vigilant on cleaning, right?
- She has started to enjoy games. She made up a game with an old toy megaphone that involves putting it up to her face and then looking through the hole. She thinks it is hilarious when Daddy pretends that her stuffed dog is real. She loves when I do airplane with her on my feet.
And, as always, some pictures:
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