9 months

Nine months for my inside baby to grow from the size of a sesame seed to the size of a watermelon, and now, nine months of my outside baby growing from fitting on papa's forearm to being almost half as long as I am.  I am still amazed at how quickly they grow, how quickly they change, and how quickly the months fly by.

Blink, and you miss things.

I now understand why parents always think their kids are smart.  When they first come into the world, babies are completely useless.  They can't even hold their heads up.  So, in contrast, when they learn to roll over or babble, you think your little one is a genius.  It's even a developmental milestone when they look for something they dropped.  Way to go!


Now, my baby is standing while holding on to something, crawling all over the place, and walking if we help her or she holds on to something.  It feels like an evolutionary survival drive-- she practices standing all day long, in the middle of the night, pretty much all the time, and it looks like she is driven to learn to stand and walk.

She has her first two teeth sprouting.  She says mama when she's hungry.  She can clap and wave.  She likes music and squeals with delight when we turn it on.  The best, though, is still seeing her smile and hearing her laugh.

I have some friends who have been trying to have a baby for years, and I thank my lucky stars every day.  She is still the best thing that ever happened to me.