Emma at Nine Months

That's a frequent view of Emma these days.

This girl is everywhere.

I was actually amazed that she sat still on the couch with her bear for long enough to allow me to snap some pictures. We tried a few weeks ago to get some photos for a belated 8.5 month post (cause, we, um, missed Emma at 8 months). Those photos... didn't go so well. I didn't even post those. Obviously.

Even when she does sit, um, stiller, photos of Emma have a -- er -- blurred quality these days.

I think I'm going to have to get used to that.

Weight: 17 pounds, 14 ounces (25th percentile)

Length: 28 inches (50th percentile)
We went to the doctor yesterday, so I know those stats are legit.

Talents and Skills:

Being incredibly happy. Everywhere we go, we hear exclamations of "she's the happiest baby!" even when we think she's being a crabby little pill compared to her normal cheerful self.

Crawling -- all over the house. Emma follows us from room to room, smacking her palms on the floor and making noises.

Pulling herself up on things. She's not standing independently yet, but we're close, people. She especially likes the dining room chairs and the base of the shower. And the couches.
Eating. Can you say "vacuum"?
Turning pages. Emma loves to read. Or, rather, to turn the pages of books. And to eat them.
Exploring. She's quite proficient. Is there something you'd rather Emma not notice, find, or grab -- like, say, the bucket of dirty diapers that you accidentally left on the floor? She will find it. Oh, will she. And she will be curious.
Opening and closing the shower door. It moves, you guys!
Opening the screen door and sneaking outside. You mean the outside is right there AND I can get to it? AND chew on these shoes? She gets confused and angry when we lock the screen door, which we're doing now.
Clapping! She's still working on getting this down consistently, but it's super cute. And very affirming.
Waving. See notation under "Clapping" above.

Trials, Troubles, Tribulations:

Emma's had a bit of trouble adjusting to my new job and my being gone all morning. Not during the day -- during the day, she's as happy as can be. She LOVES being home with Eric in the mornings; she absolutely adores him. She's happy playing with me in the afternoon. She takes her naps just as well as she always has (even better, maybe). But nighttime... oh, nighttime. 

She often wakes up between 1am and 3am and will cry for up to two hours. She's not hungry, she knows how to put herself back to sleep -- she's just lonely. As soon as I go into her room and pick her up, she lays her head on my shoulder, wraps her arms around my neck, and relaxes her whole body. It's pretty adorable, actually -- she just wants to be held. And as much as I like it, I don't want and can't afford to encourage the habit of her sleeping on me all night long. I love holding her while she sleeps, but we need her to be able to sleep in her crib by herself. (This is in no way a commentary on co-sleeping or any other sleeping arrangements. Having our children in their own beds, in their own space, albeit near our room, is simply our family's arrangement and what works for us.) 

So I'll often spend several hours in the middle of the night going back and forth to Emma's crib, comforting her, telling her I love her, and putting her down to go back to sleep, only to climb into bed to listen to her cry for fifteen or twenty minutes before I go back in again. To be fair, sometimes she sleeps great throughout the night. She isn't consistent, though. (She is consistent in the basics of her sleeping -- she goes down between 8 and 8:30, and wakes up between 7 and 7:30. If she wakes up early, she stays in her crib until 7. She knows the routine, and she's pretty good at it.) It's just those random nighttime-lonely-wakings that we're trying to work through. And really, they're much harder on me than they are on her. She doesn't even seem to remember them by the time she wakes up giggling in the morning.

(wow that was long. break)

Likes/Dislikes:

Emma likes:

being with both parents -- she lights up and shows off and giggles

being with basically anybody, especially new people -- this girl is sooo-cial

laughing

seeing herself in mirrors or on the computer -- even just looking at photos of herself will get her grinning and cooing

finding things she hasn't noticed before in her exploration of the house, like vents or curtains

getting into things she knows she's not supposed to touch -- and she knows

crawling into Eric's closet to chew on his shoes and drag them around the house by their laces

going outside

practicing standing

chewing on things

windows -- looking out of them, grabbing them, smacking them, ramming her head into them, blowing bubbles and making snorting noises against them...

music

going on walks and being outdoors at the park -- the hardest part about spending time at the park with Emma is trying to keep her from ingesting too much grass

getting noticed by strangers

dogs -- she waves and laughs

reading books, especially turning the pages

eating with us -- mealtime has changed from "what toy can we give Emma to distract her while we eat?" to "what can we give her off our plates that will let her feel involved in the meal without making a huge mess?" She'll cry and fuss and throw whatever we give her onto the floor until we give her some of whatever we're eating.

Emma dislikes:

Being ignored

When Eric and I are both busy and standing over her and she isn't successful at distracting us

Being told she can't have something, or having something taken away

Having her meals delayed

Being tired. She turns into a crabby person, and becomes incredibly sensitive and dramatic. When she's happy and awake, nothing seems to hurt or phase her; when she's tired, though, accidentally smacking herself with her book will send her into a storm of tears.

Eating many vegetables. She'll suck down any type of fruit, though

Spending a long time in her carseat

Speaking of likes, Emma likes the camera. 

In fact, most photo-ops with Emma end with her trying to grab the camera...

...as you see.

The other way that photo-taking ends... well... 

...usually begins with a Dad-sighting.