Miss Curious

On her 9 month checkup, Emily weighed in at 20lb. 4 oz and was 29 1/4in. long.  Although we had been told that she wasn't going to get any shots this time, we ended up with one Hepatitis B shot that they failed to give to her at her 6 month checkup.  She did well as always, except she hates to have her ears looked at and always starts crying when you place her laying down on the examination table.  She seems to do that on her changing table as well, so I'm hoping it's just a phase she grows out of soon.

Emily is now crawling everywhere and has learned how to pull herself up into a standing position with the help of objects such as chairs, tables, couches, and people's legs.  Not only can she pull herself up but she taught herself how to get back down into a sit position without falling backwards.  She can lalso side step around the coffee table, which means everything she can break or get into her mouth must be immediately removed from her sight.  Anything that looks remotely interesting to her is automatically reached for, examined and then placed in her mouth.  Needless to say, she has to be watched constantly, no more leaving the room for a minute while she watches Dora the Explorer, because the next thing you know, she is on her way to whatever catches her eye.

Yesterday, as I was cooking dinner, Brian stepped out into the garage and within a few seconds I could hear something on the ground moving.  I called out to Emily but there was no response, although I could still hear movement of an object.  When I turned the corner, I found her splashing the water from the dog bowl with her little hands.  Gross!

Emily is starting to mimic as we found out the other day when she was playing with Brian.  She makes her hand into a fist and moves it across her mouth to make a vibrating sound with her voice.  Brian did the same thing and before you knew it they were both going back and forth with the sound.  Emily thought it was the best game ever.  Antoher game she loves is Peek-a-Boo, which we have played before, but now she is more involved and she has learned when she gets a hold of a blanket to immediately cover her face so you can play Peek-a-Boo.  It is such a riot!

Little Miss Curious also learned how to drink the water from her bathtub.  As she was playing with her toys, I suddenly see her bend her body towards the water and place her face down.  I thought to myself, oh my she is about to drown herself, but to my surprise she opened her mouth and scooped some of the bath water.  She immediately started to choke on it since she gulped too much, but then proceeded to do it once again.  I have never seen an infant do such a thing.

The biggest news of all is that she has learned how to say MAMA!  I don't believe she really knows who mama really is, although she does say it when she needs or wants something. She has also learned when someone says "Bang Bang" to start banging on the object in front of her, which is a delight.

Soon to come - walking.  I know it's just around the corner because she is starting to attempt to walk, with guidance, without you having to initiate.  Baby sister will be making her appearance in the next 6 weeks, so I am cherishing these moments with Emily before chaos ensues.