Sweet Jane and Will: Nine (and a half) Months Old!

Well, shoot. It's been almost two weeks now since you turned nine months old. It's gardening season, and it's hard to stay inside at the computer when there is so much to be done. A word of warning to you, my dear... one day when you're living your big, independent, adult life you may realize, all of a sudden, that you've turned into your mother. And you may *actually* not mind it so much. So apparently I'm an avid gardener now. Grandma herself did not see this coming!

Anyway, so you're a big (holding steady at 75th percentile), independent nine month-old these days. If you're hungry, you grab some food (you insist on feeding yourself these days). If you're thirsty, you pick up your sippy cup and have some water. If you're bored, you move around to your toys or you get my attention to play. If you could use the bathroom, you'd be pretty much self-sufficient!

Seriously, though, the crawling thing is coming along. You're still dragging yourself around at this point, but you get up on hands and knees pretty regularly. You also finally rolled from back to front. Only once, but it was very exciting. Your small motor skills are coming along well. You can turn pages, feed yourself (obviously), and you love fingering things, especially fasteners like buttons, zippers, and snaps. You are pretty content to sit around fingering things, chewing, talking, and observing, which is probably why the moving thing isn't a big priority for you.

Speaking of talking, I'm happy to report you finally said "ma-ma" and even "mommy". You had been spoiling Daddy pretty regularly with a "daddy" when he'd go get you first thing in the morning, and one day I finally got my due. Daddy brought you into our room to drag me out of bed, and you said "mommy". If Daddy hadn't been there to confirm, I would've thought I was dreaming! You can also say "ball" in context, and you occasionally attempt "dog". It is really thrilling to watch you figure things out.

You are becoming such a little socialite. We've been taking you out a lot lately, and you love charming everyone around you. You recently learned to wave, and have been trying that out on strangers to reward them for taking an interest in you. You are even starting to get comfortable playing with and being held by other people. Grandpa Steve came to visit, and you and he got a long just great. He held you, pushed you in the swings, took you for walks, and you guys played together a lot. It made him (and us) so happy.