NINE months of charis root

Nine months is definitely one of those milestones. Something seriously happens in this ninth month. At least it has for us. Sometimes I long for those days when she was itty bitty, but oh how we are LOVING these days now. Charis continues to rock our world and we are so thankful. We are fresh off our first family vacation and we had such a fabulous time. Here is what she's been up to lately...

first time at the beach with daddy

- She is becoming a little girl. I know she's only 9 months, but she is way more interactive with us and her environment. For so many months she, as a baby, she doesn't really interact with her world. Not any more. Now when she drops a toy she looks after it to see where it went, as opposed to thinking it was gone forever.

couldn't resist the bandana

- She is very determined. You can see it in her face. And she's persistent. All of this will probably end up meaning she is "strong willed." She is also super sweet. So we have a complete package.

this may look like the face of determination...but it's poo poo

- She's crawling. In fact, shortly after turning 8 months she was off. It seemed to only take her a few days to figure it out. Now she's unstoppable. I can't safely leave her on the carpet while I get stuff ready in the kitchen. She quickly finds the electrical cord or dirty flip flop. I'm thinking of investing in the Shark to keep our floors clean b/c it's hard to wash her hands. But soon she may be walking and we'll be out of this stage. Although I'm in no rush for that!

she usually likes to crawl with toys in her mouth

- She still loves to eat and is a great eater. A few new dishes she's had is real Louisiana Gumbo, grilled chicken, and blueberries. Blueberries are like crack. A few of her favorites are cinnamon oatmeal w/ apples, yogurt, and avocado & black beans. I've pretty much blown all the rules of waiting 3 days before trying new things. I'm throwing caution to the wind (for the most part) and giving her lots of stuff. Fortunately, her pediatrician encouraged me that we can give her whatever we are eating.

enjoying some real louisiana Gumbo

- She still has no teeth, but this does not stop her from gumming her way through anything.

- She had her first blowout! It was a mess!! I walked in her room after a nap and it was everywhere. Probably with black beans. She didn't take it out or anything like that, it literally blew out of her diaper while she was sleeping. I hope it doesn't happen again b/c I do not want to clean that up again

poor thing with poo all over her!

- Now for some official stats: she is 27 inches, 18.3 lbs, and still no teeth or sign of them breaking through. Our visit with her pediatrician was good, despite 2 shots.

still loves the Ergo with daddy

- We had our first family vacation this week and she enjoyed crawling around in the surf. She tried wet sand once but realized it wasn't as good as her usual delicacies. She didn't really like the crashing waves when we walked out, so we stayed in the surf where it was safe and fun!

crawling in the surf

- She is able to play with us more. She loves peek-a-boo and chase. Adam is really good at playing chase with her and she giggles with the anticipation of getting caught. It so fun!

- She loves books. Especially the touch and feel books. We've noticed that she touches with her middle finger, so it looks like she's flipping us the bird.

check out the birdie!

We are loving every bit of parenthood. I'm slowly anticipating the next step. Soon she'll be walking and more mobile and probably more independent. She'll lose the bottle for a sippy cup. She'll eat more with her hands then maybe a utensil. Gosh, I don't want to miss anything. I keep thinking back to last summer, around this time. I was excited about her arrival in our lives. I had no idea what to expect. I was nervous about becoming a mom. It wasn't what we had "planned" but I would not trade this for anything. Especially now. She brings so much joy to our lives. With cancer, it's not like life is sad or depressing. It's just that there is this whole other thing vying for our attention, time, energy, etc. Having Charis makes all that so much better. She is clueless to what we are going through, and I'm so thankful for that. We get to enjoy every bit of her. Before I anticipate what's next, I'm making an effort to enjoy each sweet day with her as she explores, changes, develops, grows, and looks at me with her big, sweet chocolate soup eyes.