Baby Check: 9 Months

Official stats from Effy's 9-month check-up...

Weight: 16lbs 2.6oz - 15th percentile

Length: 27.25" - 40th percentile

Head circumference: 17" - 30th percentile

My mom told me when I was Effy's age, I was just hanging out at the 5th percentile all around.  Effy's a bit bigger than me because we've been training her for her upcoming rugby season.

Oh, Miss Effy.  You make us SO proud and this month was just awesome!  Let's review...

Crawling: Effy is a full-blown crawler now and she is BUSY!  Our downstairs isn't carpeted, so I feel like her little legs have to be tired of hardwood and tile, but she sure doesn't seem to mind.  She's also helping me keep the floors slightly cleaner, as I'm sure lots of parents can relate to.  She'll be crawling pretty quickly and stop randomly and sit very quietly.  Those are the moments that I know she's found some little trinket that she wants to play with that I'm sure I don't want her to play with - pieces of carpet, dust bunnies, whatever.  The other day after crawling around, my mom picked her up and said, "Oh my! How did her toe get bruised?"  It wasn't a bruise.  Just dirt from crawling around our perpetually dirty house.  Did I quickly clean the floor?  Nope.  Just spit cleaned her foot and went about our day.  I have priorities and cleaning floors consistently is not apparently one of them.  Perhaps I could spit clean the floor?  Just start licking it and stuff?  That'd be normal.  Just like me.

I like to put Effy in various containers. She doesn't mind.  This day, it was a toy bin.

Clapping/Waving: Though last month Effy started clapping randomly, this month she has started mimic clapping.  It's one of the most consistent "mimicking" things she does.  She has started waving more consistently too.  Every morning when I get her out of her crib, we immediately go over to her big mirror and I wave at her and tell her hello and good morning a few times.  The last few days, she has waved before I have!  Oh, it just melts my heart and I give her the biggest kisses.  Below is my current favorite set of clapping pictures...we put Effy to bed and she was talking for awhile.  About 20 minutes after we put her down, I checked on the monitor and she was sitting up clapping.  When I heard her wake up in the morning, I checked the monitor again and there she was...in the exact same spot...clapping.  I love that happy little baby.

Kisses for daddy: Okay, she hasn't really "kissed" her dad, per say.  She has, however, licked his chin stubble a few times and we call it a kiss.  It's more fun to say that rather than, "Oh, my 9 month old crawls, claps, and licks her dad's face."  "Crawls, claps, and kisses" is cuter and more alliterative, don't you think?

Effy & Daddy on Father's Day

Eating: Effy's favorite foods include - sweet potatoes, peaches, puffs, cheese, boobs, turkey legs (hardy har har), and the like.  She's not really into peas or green beans, but if you mix 'em with sweet potatoes, she'll go for it.

MAD Photoshop skillz

Sleeping: Effy sleeps so great at night!  She goes to bed between 7 & 8 and sleeps until around 6am at which time she nurses and then falls back asleep until between 8 & 9am.  LOVE.  That being said, naptime is very inconsistent throughout the day.  She usually naps 3 times, mostly in the car while we're driving places.  Sometimes (and by sometimes, I mean most days) I want a nap too, so Effy and I get in our snuggler (aka a super freakin' huge and ugly chair and half recliner we have) and nap together.  Woot!  Effy also frequently sleeps with her butt in the air.  Adorable?  I think so.

Diapers: Effy wears FuzziBunz Perfect Size cloth diapers and has moved out of smalls and into mediums.  Supposedly, some kiddos never make it to larges, so let's hope she's potty trained and we don't need any more diapers!  Have a mentioned we LOVE our diapers?  Because we do.

Pulling up:  A handful of times, Effy has pulled herself up to standing on something, usually the couch, which we feel pretty safe about.  She loves to stand and it's a great way for us to read together because she'll actually look at the book.  If she's sitting in our lap or on the floor, she is not interested in looking at the book, just putting it in her mouth or playing with another toy.  But while she's standing, she has to hold onto the couch so we can put the book in front of her and read.  It's pretty great!  Effy's current favorite book is Frere Jacques, a great little paper book that is indestructible and dish-washer safe.  PLUS it's about a Parisian chef who floats around on donuts - it's like they can read my mind.

Teeth:  Effy's 1st tooth that started coming in last month now has a little buddy coming in next door.  So far it doesn't seem to bother her, so let's hope that trend continues!

Separation anxiety: I'd be lying if I said I hated separation anxiety.  If I walk out of the room, and she starts crying and crawling after me, it makes my heart warm.  Sometimes when I HAVE to leave for whatever reason, I do it very stealth like.  If she doesn't see me leave, she doesn't seem to get upset.

Random picture: Flashing her wall.  Cute little hussie.

Fake farting noises: Perhaps my favorite talent of Effy's are her fake farting skills.  Those of you that know me know that I think fake farts (and real farts for that matter) are HILARIOUS because I am clearly a 4th grade boy.  I know babies start to blow raspberries, which Effy does, but she takes it beyond the cute spitty raspberry situation and does a full-blown fake fart on occasion.  Some of my friends have been lucky enough to get caught in a fake fart cycle with me: make a fake fart noise, laugh, make another noise, laugh, make another noise, start silent laughing, make another noise, start silent laugh/crying.  It's an amazing cycle.  The other day, Effy and I were driving somewhere and she was making some AWESOME noises in the back seat and I was seriously in the front trying to drive while silent laughing.  It was a very proud moment for me.  

Effy's favorite things: Going on walks, the slide and swing at the park, her basket of food toys, being in the Baby Bjorn (she squeals when she sees it being put on), her pacifier, crawling, when you blow in her face (seriously...so cute), when you surprise her over and over (similar to peek-a-boo), checking out the super cute baby that's always in her mirror, playing in laundry baskets/hampers, and so much more!

Sweet potatoes & prunes - delightful!

Fun activities this month:

Walks in the park and watching the pond and ducks - this is a great workout!  We love our jogging stroller from the church choir and it's gotten lots of miles put on it this last month as it was my first full month as a stay-at-home mom.  It's really hot so we walk in the morning unless I'm really busy watching something on Hulu, then Effy sleeps in late and we play around the house instead.

Clearly walks are so stressful for her...

Dance studio reunion - The dance studio where I spent 14 years of my life had a reunion this last month and it was a blast!  Effy spent the weekend hanging out with her grandmama & grandpa as well as her dad.  On Saturday of reunion weekend, we went to the park and got to meet my friend Amanda's sweet baby Jax, see my adorably pregnant friend Kelli, and spend time with my friend Sarah who I haven't seen since before she got married (I couldn't travel for her wedding because I was knocked up).  We saw many other wonderful friends that weekend and I'm so thankful the event was organized!  OH.  Totes forgot to mention...the last year I danced with my studio I was 18.  Now I'm 28 and a mama.  Guess what happened while I was out struttin' my stuff?  I peed a little.  Yup.  Did my little high kick on stage like "Boom, check me out audience," and pee came out.  Yay, childbirth! 

Hang out time with mama's friends - I've gotten to see so many great friends over this last month and Effy is the perfect hang out partner.  Not many of my close friends have kids, so I'm sure they see a meal out with Effy as slightly chaotic, but they never make me feel out of place and are always more than willing to help.  I love my friends. 

A tour at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art - we've taken Effy to the museum a handful of times and she's done wonderfully.  However, this was the first time I tried to take her on an organized tour.  Then somebody (I won't say who) started making fake farting noises in the middle of our tour and I was all OH MY GOSH and Effy was all I DON'T EVEN CARE, LISTEN TO THIS.  And then all the other people were like WHO IS FARTING? and I was all UMM...WE GOTSTA BOUNCE OUTTA DIS MUG.

Carefully studying her Monet book before the museum tour.

Man...trying to recap a whole month is hard because I know I'm losing out on writing down so many funny stories for Effy and all the shinangans she gets me involved in.  Maybe July will be the month of blogging more.  I think I've said that before.  Oops?


Effy, mama & dada think you're the BEST baby in all the land.  Every thing you do makes us so proud.  You are such a happy little girl and we love you.