9 months!

Stats: 

Height: 29 3/4 in. (100th Percentile)

Weight: 21 lb. 9 oz. (80th Percentile)

Head Circumference: 18 in. (92nd Percentile)

This little peanut of mine is 9 months old! I can now say the cliche saying that "she has been outside of me as long as she was inside of me."I was thinking about it the other day and was trying to decide which I felt went by faster. And honestly, I think they are about the same. For me the beginnings of both seemed to go slow (at least it felt at the time) and then once I stopped throwing up and regained energy in pregnancy and Brooklyn stopped crying 24/7 and started sleeping well at night, time flew! I think overall time flies though. We have already been in CA for almost a year. A YEAR?! Craziness! And when I watch my sweet, little baby and see everything she is learning, I realize she's not going to be my little infant for much longer which makes me sad. Anyways, here are some things about Brooklyn at 9 months...

-The last couple days she has thrown up a few times and seems to have a little stomach bug. I was teasing her that she knew her Dr. Appt. was coming up and she was getting self-conscious about people calling her "big." lol It's so heart breaking to see your baby throwing up and so helpless while knowing how terrible it feels. But it hasn't slowed her down and she has a smile on her face still which is good!

-She very much prefers our food over a bottle and baby food. She can pick up food and feed herself so I try to get foods that she can chew with just her two little teeth. She does really well with mashing up food with her jaw though. She is like a little puppy and will come stand at our legs anytime we are eating something and beg for it.
-She has started smacking her lips and pretending to chew whenever I'm eating something that she wants.

-Is still a good sleeper but has needed me to rock her to sleep for her naps much more frequently. She is having a harder time turning off and just wants to stand and play in her crib. But even though it was easier when she put herself to sleep, I don't mind b/c it's one of the only times I get to hold her close and cuddle now. 

-She has started to become a little clingy to me. She does fine when others are around but during the day when it's just her and me I can't leave the room without her noticing. She will start going "ma ma ma" in a whining tone and crawls to find me.

-I'm going to go ahead and say that her first word is "ma ma." It's taken a little bit for Scotty to concede to it but it has become much more pronounced than her previous babbling. She says it mostly when she is sad or wants something. 

-She got upgraded to a bigger car seat! She has always hated her car seat but it got noticeably worse in the last month. I think she was feeling really cramped b/c her head was all the way to the top, her feet were hanging out, and she just looked huge in it. I still use her infant one for her to sleep in at church though. The bigger seat made a huge difference and driving is much more pleasant. I think she will like it even more when she is turned around. 

-Is walking all around the furniture and can stand on her own for about 10 seconds and then she will sit herself down. I think we will have a walker in the next month or two. 

-Is a living tornado and her favorite thing is to empty out things. She will pull things out of bags, our trash can for paper, drawers, and cabinets one-by-one till it is completely emptied out. I swear I pick up the same things multiple times a day but it's fun to watch her explore.
-Waves "bye-bye"
-Has a preference for "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"

-She says "mmm" and tilts her head back when she is eating something she likes. You know she really likes something (like french fries-I can't help it, the reaction is too cute!) when she does it unprompted. 

-She is a social girl and loves being in crowds and around others, especially other babies and kids. I hope she stays this way and isn't shy like Scott and I were. She will get a little bashful at first sometimes and buries her face in our chest and then she will come up with a big smile on her face. She loves crawling up and standing next to lots of people at church.

-She has the cheesiest smile now. It cracks us up!

-She all of a sudden created an attachment to the stuffed lamb I have had on her shelf. She will spot it from across the room, do an excited squeal and give her cheesiest smile. She loves all over it and sometimes will not let me take it from her. 

-Started giving hugs more especially when she wakes up from naps. 

-She gets really excited when Scotty comes home from work. They have the cutest relationship, she has got him so wrapped around her finger. 

-Her hair has grown a lot in the last month or so and continues to get lighter. I can now pull it up in a tiny ponytail! haha, I think it's so cute and it's just in time b/c she now pulls off any headband I put in her hair. I was having to just style it up in a little mohawk for a while so she didn't look like a ragmuffin   but people had a hard time knowing she was a girl, despite the extra girly outfits I put her in ;). 

-She can see the tiniest little things on the ground and I constantly see her trying to pick up little crumbs and has got the little pincer grip down. We have to be super careful of what's on the ground b/c she will find EVERYTHING and put it in her mouth. 

-She is such an active girl and is always on the move! She keeps me on my toes all day long. 

Sorry this is so long, I'm sure you don't care about all the details, but I do! Time goes so fast and they change so quickly, I just want to remember the little things. She brings such joy in our lives and we love her so much! 

Here are some pics from the last month...

Kickin' up her feet for breakfast...

 Had to lock her out of there...

Had to get a front row seat for Diego...

 Always up to something...

 Caught in the act...

 Emptied out every piece of clothing...

 She is loving her new bath tub...

 Here is her cheesy smile...

 Loves helping Daddy brush his teeth...

 Good morning bed head!...

 Look at what I have to try to contain everyday! Poor girl has TWO cowlicks and it is so straight!

 She thinks she is a big girl now...

Helping me fold laundry...she pulled out each item of clothing one by one...