9 Months

I can't believe Abbi has already been with us as long as she was in my belly! She is getting so big, and doesn't even seem like a baby to me anymore. But it is getting to be so much fun - her little personality really is starting to shine through!

At 9 months, Abbi:

• is weighing in at 19 pounds, 10 ounces and is 28 1/2 inches tall. That puts her in the 65th percentile for weight and 85th for height.
• is moving around like crazy. I actually thought she'd be walking by now, but not yet. But she loves to stand, cruise and crawl, and does not like to sit still.
• hates laying on her back. I dread having to change her diaper or her clothes because it takes so long and we have to find ways to distract her!

• loves Max. 2 of her favorite games - playing keep away with Max and having someone hold her while running after Max. Both get giggles out of her every time! I can tell that Max loves playing with her as well (most of the time - as long as she isn't pulling his tail or his ears!)
• she loves to grab a hold of whatever she can get into her hands. It usually ends up being my hair or the skin on my neck and chest - both of which hurt terribly!
• has 3 teeth and 1 on the way. Her bottom 2 were already in, but she surprised us by getting one of the top side teeth! The other top side tooth is now coming in, so soon she will look like a jack-o-lantern.

• puts everything in her mouth - as shown in the picture above. At least she doesn't think everything tastes good! This is a time I am so grateful that I get to stay home with her everyday - I'd be terrified to leave her in daycare, putting everything in her mouth, with the swine flu running rampant!
• loves to eat. She is still nursing like a champ, but she really gets excited when it's time to eat her solids or snacks. Seriously - if I put her in her high chair and take more than 7 seconds to get her food to her, she will start to throw a fit! She's eating pretty much everything I give her these days, but she really loves her veggies. And Gerber puffs. And bananas.
  

• loves to imitate. She will usually cough if you cough, or laugh if you laugh. And it always makes me smile!
• knows the word "no", but mostly thinks it's funny. Anytime I tell her "no" and that she shouldn't be doing something, she'll look at me and start shaking her head back and forth and start laughing! She'll even start shaking her head before I tell her no if she is doing something she knows she is not supposed to do!
• can wave bye-bye, although she usually faces her hand towards herself!

• mostly just babbles, but we can sometimes get a "dada" out of her, but she has only said "mama" once. But she loves to talk, so I can tell that once she starts making sense of the words, she is really going to be a talker!
• is mostly sleeping through the night, although she doesn't usually last more than 10 hours. We had to let her cry it out, and unfortunately, it took much longer this time than it did the first time. But now she'll usually make it until around 5am without waking up. Too bad the dog still doesn't sleep through the night, otherwise, I might be able to say I'm sleeping all night, too!

I seriously can't believe how much joy this little girl brings into our lives. I cannot imagine life without her now. And I know as she gets older, it's just going to get better!