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| "Say what!?! I'm how old?" |
With Jackie starting the school year, the last month seems to have been the fastest of then all since Maia joined our lives. Though they say that a baby's rate of growth slows down, it really does feel like the last month has seen Maia develop so incredibly fast.
When Maia turned 8 months, I mentioned that she was as close to crawling as she could possibly be without actually crawling. Well, shortly thereafter, she figured it out, and quickly started to crawl all around our living room (her only room for the moment, due to house-water seepage issues in our downstairs - being fixed as I write!). Apparently, though, figuring out the crawling wasn't enough for our little girl. The very next day, a Wednesday (as I was home from work), she started pulling herself up on the pillows I had lined around the fireplace. For the last 2-3 weeks, all Maia really seems interested in is pulling herself up - via pillows, chair, the living room ottoman, baskets, steps, you get the idea. There's no more just stepping out of the room for 15 seconds.
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| The day after she finally figured out the crawling. |
Along with her increased mobility, it seems as if Maia's personality continued to develop and shine in the last month. She's become much more likely to react to either my or Jackie's presence, whether it be coming to pick her up from the sitter, or simply walking into the house, she often responds with smiles. For my part, I've seen this come out on Wednesdays which, with the school year now in full swing, I again stay home with Maia. Through those days, I've seen her grow to become so much more mobile, but also more sturdy, for lack of a better word. She reacts to being tickled, often with belly laughs that can't help but bring a smile to your face. Lately, it seems her favorite play activity is, when I am laying on the floor in front of her, use me to pull herself up and stand, tug at my hair, and generally try to crawl over me. The entire time, she's constantly smiling, laughing, giggling.
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| "I'm a big girl now." |
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| "Ellie, I will make you like me." |
Her increased mobility, and the "skills" associated with it, have continued to manifest themselves. In our house, our living room is two steps down from our kitchen. Maia recently figured out how to go up that step and then again to reach the kitchen level. She doesn't always succeed when she is trying, but often enough to get us thinking and worry about getting gates up on the other side of the kitchen, where there are steps that go downstairs. Also, with her seemingly desire to practice these skills, nap and bedtime routines have sometimes come more prolonged, where we will come in and find her sitting and playing, or standing up. Often, when standing up, she starts to jump whenever we come into the room, so proud of herself and her new found ability.
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| "Nap? I don't need no stinkin' nap." |
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| "I. Said. No. Nap." |
The last month has really been watching development happen everyday. There was one Wednesday I was home I felt a little guilty, because I spent most of the day just watching her, instead of interacting. But seeing her look at something, decide to get it, crawl over to it, pick it up and ponder it, explore it, try to taste it and otherwise experience it....its fascinating to watch and observe.
She also got to experience her first common cold (not including the more serious bout with RSV in the spring). All things considered, she handled it pretty well. She never really got more fussy as a result of the congestion and runny nose; although she did have trouble sleeping through the night for a couple nights in a row. But besides that, everything was "business as usual" for Maia, despite the cold; which meant plenty of crawling, climbing, and standing.
At her 9 month checkup, she weighed in at 18 pounds, 6 ounces, officially making her heavier than a bowling ball (also meaning that the car seat gets harder and harder to carry around). The weight put her at the 54th percentile. She is now 2 feet four inches tall, putting her at the 76th percentile for height. She apparently has a small head (though you wouldn't know from how much she likes to look at herself in the mirror;)), as she registered below the 20th percentile.
So...tall, medium build, small head. We think it makes for a pretty cute baby.
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