9 Months Out

I remember having conversations with some parents where they felt quite emotional once their baby turned 9 months.  Their time outside was now longer than their time inside.  I don't think I felt teary-eyed once Elena turned 9 months, but I will tell you this; 9 months in, AMAZING growth and development and 9 months out, OUTSTANDING growth and development.  Crazy how the miracle is right before our eyes.....

This months' theme word for Elena is busy.  She's a super duper fast crawler and she has no problem standing up against furniture or anything else semi-sturdy.  Elena likes to flap her arms and legs like a spastic bird when she's having her diaper changed and has created her own sign for "All Done".  She pats her right ear with her hand.  At first I thought she had an ear ache or something, but as I watched day after day, I realized she was telling me at meal times she was all done.  Is she brilliant or what?!

Elena is getting pretty good at picking up small things to eat, either food from her tray or bits from the floor.  Her second tooth on the bottom popped out and it seems like a top tooth is coming in as well.  Not the front one, but the side one.  I always thought it would be so goofy if the sides ones came in first!

When she's leaving or coming, Elena can now wave Bye Bye.  It's very cute.  She also reaches out to be carried to her Grandmas.  She had her first Thanksgiving and loves turkey and had her first taste of tofu in miso soup.  Yup, that was a hit too.

Elena had her first fever and cold.  It was when Carl was away so it was slightly difficult caring for her and her siblings all by myself.  When she wasn't sleeping, she was being carried, but insisted only by her mother.  We got lots of use of the cuddly wrap that weekend.  And poor thing at church on Sunday caught her lil' pinky finger in a grate against the wall and cut it.  Gosh, small appendages bleed a lot!  Elena was fine but terribly distracted by the huge band-aid on her finger.

She hasn't gained a lot of weight this month.  Without a very accurate scale, she still is about 18.5 pounds.  But she has grown taller because she's now out of 6 month sleepers.  Her hair is getting a bit longer and thicker and can't really decide what colour it'll be.  Some of it is quite dark, but the underneath growth is lighter than Asha's.  It'll be a while until it decides whether Elena will join the curly haired ranks of Asha and Joel or even it out and have straight hair like Kezia.  Only time will tell with this cutie!