9 Months Old!

Our beautiful baby is now 9 months old! Time goes by and she is so big! She really is such a good baby. She is usually very content, although very curious and active. She loves other babies, kids, and animals. She is now fully crawling instead of army crawling, and she discovered about a week ago that she can pull herself up on furniture. I am now constantly having to keep her away from the fireplace because she loves to pull herself up on the mantle and I am so afraid she is going to fall and hit her head. Bathtime is still her favorite time of day, and naps/night time is still her least favorite. She discovered about a month ago that she could have an opinion on things, and life became much more complicated after that. She is always happy, unless she is mad. When I go to put her in her crib, she tries to climb over my shoulder to get away. When she doesn't want to get in her car seat, she arches her back and tries to slide out. Changing her diaper has become a two person job because she loves being naked, and tries to get away as soon as the diaper is off. She knows when she wants something, and she doesn't easily forget. There is no distracting her from what she wants. I am a little afraid the terrible two's have come early... but I am so grateful- I am much happier with a high-spirited child.

In our Sunday School class, there are 4 other babies within a month's age of Priya. It is interesting to compare. Priya is much more active than the other babies. They seem so content to sit on mom's lap, or sleep, or play with toys. Priya is constantly grabbing at bolts on the chair, trying to slide off my lap to play, or trying to grab the people around us. Church is absolutely exhausting!

We haven't found one thing that Priya dislikes eating. She has had everything from onions to asparagus, and she loves it all. She also loves playing with balls, mirrors, and daddy's shoes. Her other big things right now are "Patty Cake," waving good-bye, finding people's noses, listening to animal sounds, and lifting her arms when someone says, "So Big!" She also loves patting me on the back when I try to snuggle her, and wiping my face after I wipe hers. Daddy is still her favorite person to play with, and she loves my mom. She is fascinated with our stairs, and our pet birds. She has the sweetest smile, and she brightens my day!

On the other side of it, Andrew and I are adjusting well to parenthood. It is better than we ever could have dreamed. I feel like I am finally figuring out how to juggle everything, and the house is finally staying clean most of the time. It is nice to be caught up on the housework. I am even getting my "sixth sense" as a mom. I was sound asleep the other night and I sensed Andrew rolling over in bed. I immediately reached out and grabbed his arm to "save" him from falling off the bed. I guess I will be prepared if he or Priya are ever really falling off the bed!

These are the best pictures I could get! I have a feeling that the older she gets, the less these pictures are going to work...