Nine months

Kate turned nine months old on Sunday.  It's amazing to think that she has spent as much time out in the world as she did in my belly.  The second nine months definitely went better than the first nine!

Garry took some darling pictures of our girl.  I can't get enough of them. They express her personality so perfectly, and I'm thrilled that he caught her smiling.

Kate is a busy, happy, beautiful light in our family.  She crawls, but mostly just to something that helps her stand up.  She often goes "hands free" when standing next to the couch, and she's starting to warm up to the push toys we have around the house.  I don't anticipate walking in the next month, but she could definitely surprise me.  Kate loves drawers and toilets and cupboards and shoe bins and toy bins and necklaces and earrings and long hair.  Pulling things out of place is her favorite thing (aside from standing).

Kate got three teeth this month.  The first two came on the same day...on top!  A few days after that her bottom left tooth arrived.  The other bottom tooth hasn't shown up yet, but we expect its debut any day.  Since the teeth broke through, Kate finally started sleeping through the night again!  She generally sleeps from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.  {Insert a rousing round of the Hallelujah Chorus.}  On nights when she gets up once or twice, Garry takes care of her (bless his sainted heart).  It's amazing how much better I feel after a full night's rest.  Kate also takes a morning nap (quite flexible in time and length) and a terrific afternoon nap (usually 2.5-3 hours).

Kate enjoys taking walks in the stroller and playing in her exersaucer in the yard while the big people work or play.  She loves a light breeze.  She babbles as she watches the world go by.  She definitely likes to explore her environment.  She has become very hard to handle at church.  Only nine more months until nursery!  Haha.

Kate shows her excitement by kicking her legs and clapping her feet.  It's the cutest thing ever.  If she's sitting down, she bounces up and down on her bum or moves her legs back and forth, kind of waving them like butterfly wings.  If she's being held, she kicks and wiggles her lower half quite vigorously.  No hand waving or clapping yet, but her feet have the system down pat!  Things that elicit such a reaction are a parent's return after an absence and fun music.  Zach can also make her laugh like no one else can.  It's awesome.  Those two have a very special bond.

Kate weighs 20.8 pounds (82%), is 26.8 inches tall (23%), and has a head circumference of 19 inches (100%).  What she lacks in height, she makes up for in brains, apparently.  Her growth and development are right on track.

We sure love our little Kate.  She really is a joy.