her first year - ninth month

sweet ems. i said on my last post that i thought you'd be crawling before my next post. you were actually crawling before i could finish my thoughts. you are crawling everywhere and you don't let anything, or anyone, get in your way. you might be the fastest crawler in the world and i was so thrilled that your great gp's ("the gigi's") could be there when you made your first move. it was really special for all of us.

i'm so sad that you're just a few months away from your first birthday but oh! what a celebration it will be! i'm already thinking about the special things we'll do for you and i'm getting excited!!

to drive my point home about you crawling, this was the hardest photo session yet. you would NOT stay in the black. meaning, my twin size black sheet! i mean, how stinkin' ornery do you look here?!?

you pretty much look like a mess here, too. this may be the last time i can do one of these without a bow in your hair. i've always wanted you to be in just a diaper in these photos but as you can see, your reverse-mullet is outta control.

you are a slapper. probably got it from your sister but you LOVE to slap us in the face when we pick you up! it's not just a one time thing. you slap a lot. with both hands. pretty sure you're just that excited to see us! it hurts but don't stop, okay?

along with slapping us, it seems that you slap your friends at school. i don't want you to be the class bully at 9 months. guess we need to work on your excitement factor and gear it in other ways.

so, you like to scream. loud and proud. it's not like your high-pitched scream and it's not a mean scream, but a happy one. it's really deep and you put both arms in front of you and you stiffen your whole body. it's pretty hilarious.

you're done with baby food. d-o-n-e done. you love to eat everything, especially bananas and strawberries. you frown at any kind of meat but i'm sure you'll come around.

pretty sure you had hand/foot/mouth a few weeks ago. it was going around your baby room and you had a few little red bumps on your bottom lip but you never ran a fever. i'm sorry if you did have it.

yes, 9 months is something to admire. you do it well!!

ok, time for a little break. you can't sit one place for long!

nothing gets in your way.

not even your hair.

you're wearing size 4 diapers now! after three days in a row of blow outs, it was time to move up!

not only are you crawling, you're pulling up. this happened on your last week of your 9 months but you're doing it, girl! i guess you've been keeping it a secret from us at home. when you finally did it in front of us, we missed it!! you're soooo fast and you don't use one leg to pull yourself up. you just pull up with your arms and both legs and feet follow at the same time. impressive!

you were obviously getting bored so i tried to help with a few friends.

it worked! you are the happiest girl.

here you are yelling at your bear.

and, since i can't get enough of you and this photo, here it is again.

you are so independent. you are happy to just crawl around the entire house all by yourself. i actually lost you the other day! you love to be in the kitchen and i think it's because you can bang on the floor with your toys and there is a bit of an echo. you ate a cheerio off the floor the other night. that's a first but not a last!

you are sleeping sooooo great and i'm so grateful for that! i'm sad though that you don't want us to read to you right now, especially right before bed. you just want to roll around in bed by yourself. i don't blame you. i've started putting a few books in your bed, just in case.

you continue to be terribly sweet. you lay your head on our shoulders when we need it most. you are loving and soooo much fun. happy 9 months, sweet emma louise! we love you!