Nine Months Old

Evie turned nine months last week and had her well-baby check today. She now weighs just over 21 pounds and she's 27.8 inches long. That puts her in the 83% for weight and the 56% for height. All the crawling is helping her slim down.

She still loves crawling and doesn't like being held much these days. She's also learned recently how to pull herself to standing and she'll do it anywhere she can find something to grab on to. Sunday morning I tried to put her down for a nap before she was ready. After letting her cry for some time, I finally decided to rescue her. When I opened her door, she was standing up, resting her head on the crib railing as she cried. It was so pitiful and no wonder she wasn't going to sleep, if she was standing.

I think she's actually licking our railing in the above photo. Squash is still clearly her favorite food, but she's not so opposed to carrots these days. She's also learning to eat regular food and so far she seems to like everything I put on her tray, although it doesn't all make it into her mouth. She's pretty good at picking stuff up, but sometimes it falls out of her hand before it makes it into her mouth.

Her top two teeth have finally broken through although they're still hiding up in the swollen gums. Every now and then Evie tests out those new teeth, grinding them against her bottom teeth and it sounds like she's chewing on rocks. It makes my skin crawl every time and I've checked her mouth for rocks more than a few times.

Our pediatrician noted how easy going Evie is after watching Anna and Evie interact. As usual, Anna was up in Evie's face or pushing her around. Our doctor said that many second children figure out how to defend themselves and are pretty good at warding off their older siblings, but Evie seems to take it all in stride. She's pretty good about putting up with Anna, but she's also not afraid to steal Anna's binky right out of her mouth and that usually gets Anna's attention.

Last week she started saying "da da" and this week I've heard a few "ma mas." Of course they don't mean much to her, but she's getting better at mimicking sounds. She laughs often, especially when Anna is playing peekaboo with her or when we give her raspberries. If you can't tell, we are totally in love with our Evie and think she's a doll.

Highlights of My Day

I started the day off feeling like a not-so-great mom. I found a nugget of poop in the washer after the cycle had run--evidence that potty training isn't going well at all and that I am not so great at cleaning out soiled panties before they go in the washer.

Evie, who is now a master crawler, crawled out the garage door and rolled down the stairs. Anna tried to warn me but I couldn't move fast enough and ended up comforting two crying kids on the garage steps. I guess Anna does love her sister even if she expresses her frustration by hitting her. The fall didn't seem to leave any marks on Evie, but she's been a bit more clingy today. That might also be because of teething.

We had a picnic with our friends Melissa and Avery down by Bridal Veil Falls this morning. The rain stopped long enough for us to stroll up the path and eat lunch. Then as we were finishing up, the sky turned dark and the wind picked up, giving us just enough warning that we almost made it back to our cars before large rain drops began to fall. Fall is coming.

For the second day in a row, Anna refused to take her nap and woke Evie up by screaming. It's Anna's new favorite trick, to yell "aaahhh!" Last night she decided to do it all the way home from my parents' house and poor Evie started crying every time Anna yelled. I'm nervous that this decision not to nap is becoming a new lifestyle choice. I'm not ready for a toddler that doesn't nap.

After her "nap" Anna came to me with a booger--she often has her finger up her nose, but she's great about handing off her treasures to me rather than making them a snack--and then she decided to put it back in her nose. 

While I tried to finish cleaning the bathroom, Anna worked hard to keep Evie happy. Sometimes she was a little rough, but she had good intentions. Evie was just too cranky to be much fun. Anna also turned an empty diaper box into a slide, which kept all of us happy for awhile.

With the bathrooms cleaned and the laundry going, Anna and I sat down to enjoy some kettle corn. We practiced counting, and I decided again that staying home with my kids really is the best job I've ever had.