Katie girl at 9 months

I love the 9 month age.  Katie is starting to become a "person" not just a baby.  She is a really happy girl with lots of smiles and grumpy only when she needs/wants something.  One thing that is starting to show is her desire to do things herself.  She is pretty adamant about feeding herself, whether it is grabbing at the spoon when I try to feed her, or taking food out of my hand before the food even makes it to her tray.  She will eat ANYTHING.  This is way different from Andy, so it's fun to see the difference.  It's also fun to hear Katie communicate.  She mimics sounds that Andy makes - from coughing to screaming.  She also says mama, dada, and is discovering all the funny things she can do with her tongue.  She has 1 full bottom tooth in and her other front bottom tooth is half-way in.

Katie only recently has mastered sitting up by herself, so she is "behind" on the gross motor skills, but following the same trend as Andy.  Having her immobile for now is a-okay with me as I know how life changes once they can freely move!   Another exciting "family" milestone is that she knows and wants her daddy.  She gets excited when she hears Kyle's voice and gives him a special smile.  Of course, like Andy, she says "da da da da" all day long. 

Katie still is a great sleeper - sleeping from 7:30PM - 8:30 AM.  She naps for about an hour in the morning - from about 10 - 11 and naps in the afternoon from about 1 - 3.  She still is solely breast-fed, which is a big shock to me, but for some reason it works (and it saves a lot of money!).  Not sure how much longer we'll last, just taking it one week at a time.  Given that she needs to bulk up a little, she will be on a "high-fat" diet along with Andy.  Everything soaked in butter and olive oil and sneaking in chocolate in anything we can is like a dream for me - and so difficult when trying to shed the post baby pounds (can I still call them that after 9 months?!?).  Like her brother, Katie loves finding the tags on her toys and stuffed animals.  Her favorite toys are her lambie, her teething blanket, and her monkey.  Her most favorite item is her right thumb.  Binkies are a thing of the past.

We are looking forward to seeing her continue to explore and discover new things.  My favorites right now are responding to "SO BIG," how she is super ticklish all over - especially under her chin, her talking to herself and in response to Andy, and her deep belly laugh.