9 Months

Sophie recently turned 9 Months, and we have seen a lot of changes lately! She is still growing (both up and out!) and is now 29.5 inches and 20.6 pounds, and continues to be in the 95%. This means that she has grown 11 inches and gained 15 pounds since birth. Everyone who sees her comments on what a big girl she is. New likes and dislikes:

Likes:

1. One of Sophie's favorite things to do is pull all of her toys out of her toy box. This can entertain her happily for 45 minutes or more, as she chews and plays with each toy as she pulls it out. Now, I am sure that you are thinking that it is great that she plays independently for so long- but she likes me to sit right behind her. She often stops, turns around and pats my leg- as if to say,"isn't this fun Mom!" She then turns back around and continues pulling out toys. If only she would put the toys back in the box after she pulled them all out.

2. Sophie loves to roll and is becoming increasingly mobile. After dinner we clear everything off the living room floor and she happily rolls around for almost an hour. She can make her way across our entire living room. She is just starting now to move backwards on her tummy, and can pretty much go anywhere she wants. The video is shotty filming at best- do not watch on a full tummy.


Dislikes
1. Being burped! This has been her major dislike since birth, and it continues to be. She now has taken it up a notch- not only does she simply cry or scream when the bottle is removed, she now thrashes about- kicking her legs, arching her back, and waving her arms wildly about. Her tantrums are enough to make a seasoned 2 year old proud.

2. Being confined. Now that she can move around, she does not want to be confined in any way. The once loved exersaucer is now neglected to the side. When I try to put her in it, she holds her legs straight out, much like a gymnast on the rings, and I have to put her down as I cannot hold 20 pounds with straight arms for very long.
We have had a lot of fun with our little Sophs, and she brings us a lot of joy. It will be fun to see what's next!

Blueberry Girl

Sophie has always been a good eater, from the very first bite of rice cereal. It has been a lot of fun to feed her, and to let her try new food. Since she now has officially 4 teeth, we have been giving her chunkier foods. She has recently tried cantaloupe, yogurt, broccoli, and tofu. There is nothing that she does not like. She now has a new favorite- blueberries. I cannot feed them to her fast enough- eventually she gets fed up with my slowness, and grabs the spoon herself. This is great fun. It does not matter if the food does not make it into her mouth, it is also a lot of fun to smear the food onto the tray, pound it with her fists, and then try again to get it into her mouth. Blueberries, by the way, are especially fun to pound and crush in your hands, as they have excellent smearing capabilities. The clean up, however is not so fun. Sophie finds this process completely unnecessary. So far I am winning the battle as I refuse to let her go around blueberried. I am though looking for long-sleeved bibs and a drop cloth, and perhaps a fireman's hose.

Merry Christmas!

We just returned from our Christmas Extravaganza! It was 2 full weeks of celebrating, opening presents, being with family, and eating big meals. Did I mention that we returned a bit larger then we were before? Our first Christmas started off in Shelby with Carl's family. Sophie had a great time playing with her Grams and Gramps and cousins. We also quickly learned that opening presents is not a skill that needs teaching- it is purely instinct. Sophie loved to rip open the presents- and then of course- sample the wrapping paper.

Opening presents with Daddy

Playing with her cousins Vivi and Kyle


Playing with Gramps

Once we got back from Shelby we left the next day for Portland, on Christmas Eve. Sophie was extremely excited to see her Nana and Rosie the dog. Rosie quickly became Sophie's best friend, and they spent a lot of time together. Sophie loved to watch Rosie and would often smile and laugh at her.

Sophie playing in her exer-saucer with Nana and Rosie

Sophie playing on the floor- under the careful watch of Rosie

Eating dinner and stopping to give Rosie a pet. Rosie knew right away that this was the place to be.