Haley at 9 Months!

9 Month Stats:

Weight: 19.4 lbs

Height: ???

Swinging and Strolling;: This baby loves to be upside down! she also enjoys singing and riding in her stroller. Here she is at the zoo with Elijah, and again in the back of her double stroller taking a ride around the block.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling: Haley got some balls and we made her a ball pt out of a box, a laundry basket, and an inflatable pool. She learned to get out of all of them quickly, but she has fun in them for a while. It was an effective strategy for keeping her in one pace for about 4 weeks, and then she became an even more adventurous explorer.

Playing in the Grass: Haley loves picking weeds and pulling them apart. I love the awkwardness of her little hands as she pinches at things. She also likes playing in the garden at work and exploring the entrance to our home. She's picking up speed as she crawls around and gets everywhere she wants to go.

Bath Time: This sweet little smile greets me every time haley takes a bath. She enjoys standing on the side of the tub and watching it fill up.

On the Move: Haley is getting better at walking with support. She got a lot of practice standing on her own, on the furniture, in her crib, and in her pack n' play. She will take a few steps while holding someone's hand, but now that she can crawl (she started 2 days into her 9th month), she often sits down and asserts her independence by crawling to her destination. She will walk with her grocery cart though, up and down the long hallway at work. It was a little too quick for her at first, but she does great if she walks along the wall so the friction of the baseboard can slow her down. She even tried to stand with the help of an exercise ball, it's great for balance practice.

Standing and Reading: Of all the places where Haley practices standing, she likes the bookshelf the best. There are scores of books for Haley to pull off the shelves and flip through. She could be entertained there for hours. She also likes playing the piano, she enjoys hearing the music she creates at her fingertips. I think it's sweet how she rises up on her toes to reach the keys.

Stairs: Haley conquered the stairs, and with a little help from her friends, and a little backup from a trusted adult, Haley climbs the stairs bottom to top over and over again. She thinks this new way of exploring is one of the greatest things in the world. She gets a big silly grin when she's proud of herself.

Cleaning and Lounging: After helping with the laundry Haley likes to take take some time off to relax. Her favorite leisurely activities are using the computer with her dad, and watching TV with mom (while she plays with her toys of course)

Summertime: In preparation for Summer Haley went swimming for the first time. She also spent some time at the softball fields helping 'da bears get ready to play.

Friends: On our great road trip Haley got to meet several friends. She also got to meet two smaller babies this month, Eero and Imogen. She didn't really know what to think of these babies who were smaller than her. But she did like playing with Ruffin the dog, finally a puppy who's just her size. Pacer, our co-workers dog is her buddy too.

If we're mentioning friends we can't forget some of Haley's toys, her mobile and her stuffed animals who keep her company in the wee hours of the night. This poor teething baby loves having someone to snuggle with nearby.

Road Tripping: Haley's getting so big that we decided to get her a new car seat. She doesn't have the same toy anymore but she does well sitting in the Thorne Throne like a big girl. Sometimes she even like to take the wheel.

Miscellanious: Haley started eating wagon wheels and several other new finger foods. She's all about having food she can carry around or sit and eat at her leisure. It's great at work to be able to put her in her high chair with some food and focus on other things, like cooking dinner for 9 teenage boys. Haley also spends a lot of time exploring the living room and playing in her exersaucer. She really likes playing with keys too. She almost always has her pacifier clipped to her shirt for easy access, and so we won't lose it every 5 minutes. She likes having it handy, but still get it backwards every once in a while. And she's started wearing shoes to protect her little toes as she crawls around. She still doesn't really know what to think about them though. I think she much prefers to have bare feet.

As far as temperment goes, she loves to smile, she loves to pant in excitement, and she loves to play. She is a good baby, she does great when we leave her with friends or when we leave her in childcare at church. She's only really upset when she's teething, hungry, or sleepy, and even then she's a trooper if she needs to be. There are several bust days where she has to wait for what she wants and she is becoming very flexible and patient. She is an absolute joy and I'm glad to be her mama.

And I can't remember if it was while she was 8 months old or 9, but somewhere in there she started waving regularly and even blowing kisses. The kisses was great because I had gone to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for one of my boys. Haley was waving bye to the lady behind the desk and the lady tried to get her to blow a kiss. I said, "oh, she doesn't really know that one yet" just to let the lady know she wasn't being stingy with her affection. And almost as if to prove me wrong Haley put her hand to her mouth and sent a kiss her way. Adorable!