9 Months

I can't believe this girl is 9 months old already. The last few months have flown by and each time she reaches a new month milestone, I'm taken by surprise. And speaking of milestones...

Avery has a totally unique way of...scooting? I guess that's what you'd call it. It's kind of a cross between army-crawling and rolling. She rolls onto her side while pushing up with her feet so her bum sticks up in the air, then pushes herself forward. They she rolls to the other side while doing the same thing, over and over until she reaches her goal. She looks just like a little inchworm with a bit of a twist. It's weird, but she definitely wins points for creativity!

My favorite part of this age is when they learn to play and interact with everyone around them. Avery's favorite is still peek-a-boo, but she'll throw her arms in the air when you say, Avery is...so big!" and she's just learning to clap her hands together as well. My other favorite is when you say, "Avery, can you dance?" and she'll start bouncing up and down and sometimes tipping her head from side to side. So cute.

She's got her little pincer grasp down, which means exploring all kinds of new foods. She'll pretty much eat anything we give her. It also means she can gingerly pick up even the smallest of crumbs on the floor. Combine that with her ability to get around the room quickly and you can imagine that we've had a couple of close calls with small toys and random tiny things left on the floor.

She continues to think that it's a matter of life and death when I happen to leave a room. I'll admit that it has thrown me off since Sadie and Ellie were so easy-going in this department. It can be very stressful! Sundays are the worst because I have to play the piano in Relief Society, which means handing her off to whichever nice lady happens to be sitting next to me. And then that poor woman has to be the one to take her out because she's in hysterics. I'm sure they all dread me sitting down next to them. :)  Her poor grandparents are all baffled by the whole deal too. I'm sure it's hard not to take it personally, but we're learning that while she may not want to be handed over right away, she will warm up eventually. It just takes time.

Awesome post-ponytail hair.

That makes it sounds like she's a grumpy baby, but she's really not. She's actually quite happy most the time. She thinks it's great fun to charm the people sitting behind us in church and will deliver the biggest grins and giggles as soon as anyone looks her way. And let's be honest. Those delicious cheeks could melt the hardest of hearts! She's at the stage where she thinks it's great fun to yell as loud and as long as she possibly can and then grin happily and wave her arms when she gets the desired result of someone paying attention to her. Silly creatures, these babies.

Life continues to be a rollercoaster with her along, but we wouldn't trade a second of it. Love this doll-baby!