9 Months

Eleanor is 9 months old today!

Wow. She has been out as long as she was in. While those first 9 months went by painfully slowly, these last 9 months have flown by. It's hard to believe it was even the same amount of time.

At 9 months Eleanor is crawling all over the place, curiously exploring our apartment. She loves to head toward something she knows I don't want her to touch and then turn around a smile at me, as if to say "Are you gonna come get me now?" She started really crawling a week ago and is now a seasoned pro. She is a good eater and likes to try new foods, making use of her six teeth. She can drink out of a sippy cup by herself (as long as it's the kind with a straw). She usually only take two naps a day and is a great sleeper at night. She is really easy going and does great out and about, at restaurants, and at our friends' houses. She likes her stroller and of course being in the Ergo carrier. She loves to laugh and give kisses. She is unspeakably wonderful.

Eleanor and I will be back in Phoenix later this week to celebrate Atlas's first Birthday. We're going to try to get in as many visits as possible. We're looking forward to seeing everybody!

38 weeks:

39 weeks:

36 & 37 Weeks

Our girl is getting closer and closer to crawling. She can get into the hands and knees position really quickly now and has crawled backwards a few times, but she's still learning how to coordinate her arms and legs to get her to move forward. She also figured out how to maneuver from her belly into a sitting position.

She constantly surprises us with her brightness. Last week we were sitting on the floor playing and the second Andrew walked through the door after work she waved at him! He hadn’t even had time to wave to her first. She put it together that waving is something you do when you first see someone. I've also been half-heartedly teaching her a few signs and today she mimicked the "all done" sign.

I inadvertently taught Eleanor the best trick ever this week. Sometimes if she is feeling particularly cuddly she will put her head against my chest just for a second, then look up at me and smile. When she started doing that, I started squeezing her close and saying “Oh, soooooo sweet!” which she found hilarious. Now if I ask her, “Eleanor, are you so sweet?” she’ll put her head down on my chest and I will respond with a drawn out sing-songy “soooo sweet!” So I basically conditioned her to cuddle on cue.

She is so stinkin cute I can hardly handle it. I was sad when she started teething because I knew I’d miss her gummy smile, but now I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without her wide bunny-toothed grin. She has the best smile I have ever seen, an ear-to-ear beam where she shows off all 6 of her pearly whites that just melts your heart.

37 weeks:

36 weeks: