9 Months!

Let me start this post by informing you to keep checking our blog. I am WAY behind in my posts and have high hopes in getting a lot of them out and published before the weekend is through. So be sure to stay tuned!

Maddie turned 9 months old a few weeks ago. 9 months old! I can't believe it. She is growing up so much and every day seems to bring about vast changes. She had her 9-month check-up and came away with the following vital stats:
height: 28 inches (72%)
weight: 19 lbs 8oz (68%)
head circumference: 43.5 cm (43%)

Here are some super fun facts about 9 month old, little Miss Maddie Mae.

Maddie is crawling all over the place. She had been army crawling for a few weeks and we could afford a few moments to turn away and take care of something before returning to her. Those days are long gone. Maddie is a fast crawler. She started to really take off when we returned from our trip to Oregon, just in time for her afternoons with Daddy. :) Needless to say, he is no longer studying while I am at work. Maddie requires constant supervision. Its a good thing she is so cute and lovable, and her father is head-over-heels in love with her, because she sure does take away several hours of his study/work time!

Maddie started pulling herself up onto multiple furniture items the last few weeks. It all started when we found her after her nap, standing up in her crib calling out for us. We had just lowered the mattress the day before, luckily. She looks so proud of herself, doesn't she?
On Monday, she pulled herself up onto the coffee table and before we knew it, we heard loud, painful cries coming from the ground. We were less than 10 feet away, but had our backs turned for just a moment...we found our sweet girl on the floor, tears streaming down her face, and blood coming out of her mouth. Panic? Only slightly. :) She had a little red mark on her chin and had clearly fallen against the table, causing her chin to push up against her upper gums. Her two bottom teeth cut into the gums above, causing the bleeding. :( Poor thing. She was happy and none the wiser once she was in my arms, sucking on a teething ring. Good thing the mouth heals so quickly!

Maddie now has two new words that have been added to her vocabulary of baby talk. The first word occurred an hour before Brant was going to take us to the airport to fly home to Oregon. We were playing with her when she looked up at Brant and said, "Dada!" It was so heartwarming and awesome to hear her say that, while intentionally looking at him! She knows her Daddy and will find him in the house, whenever you ask her, "Where is Daddy?" The second word she said happened earlier this week. Drum roll, please...she said, "Mama!" Can you believe it? I was not expecting that one to come so quickly after her "Dada debut." Brant and I are so charmed to hear her say these words throughout the day.

Maddie's hair is finally starting to grow. This makes me very excited, because I can start doing things with her hair! This is her first ponytail, or "unicorn horn," as Brant likes to refer to it as. I think it is super cute, and we have continued the trend almost daily. :)
Our baby girl has also reached another milestone this month. On Monday, she started clapping with us. She loves to clap! She will clap after every mouthful of food. She will clap when her diaper is being changed. She will clap when she has found a toy. She will clap in the bath tub. She will clap when she has tears in her eyes, which then quickly turn to smiles because the clapping is so much fun! :) It is really neat to see her interacting with us in so many new ways!
Lastly, Maddie is just on the brink of waving to us. She is really good at waving both of her hands wildly, for no particular reason. But this week she is starting to raise one arm while looking at one of us, and wave. Cute!

I told you we had a growing girl on our hands! She is growing up so fast. Sometimes it feels like we blink and she is doing something else brand new. It is such a fun time and so wonderful to watch her little personality blossom.