Ella @ 9 months

9 months and 9 days old:

*Weighs 19 lbs, 10 oz (GREAT weight gain on the formula, yay!)
*28 inches tall, and finally almost out of 6 mos. sized clothes
*Walks across the room every now and then.
*Has pretty strong legs and good turning skills. She will turn around and walk to me (even though I am the one trying to send her to walk to someone else.)
* Is only eating squash, green beans, and peas for solids, and rice cakes and rice crackers.
*Is going to bed early (6:30 or 7ish) and that's because she's down to 2 naps a day.
*Gets a dream feed around midnight, and usually sleeps til 8 a.m.
* I love that she is finally in this pattern of sleep.
*Cut those two top teeth! Gone are those baby gums. See 'em here.
(Kalia and Annie were THRILLED to see those teeth. They just discovered them tonight.)
*Has been a bit needy after getting sick over Christmas.
*She bounced back fast and seems to have a strong immune system
*She's going through a little separation anxiety and only wants MOMMY whenever I am within her eyesight.
*I let her eat rice (cooked in chicken broth) and pieces of avocado. 12 hours later she was in a lot of pain and I could hear her refluxing. I'm guessing it was the avocado. Darn.
*We have to block of the stairs because she makes a beeline for them all the time. Here she is trying to figure out how to get down. She doesn't know how yet.*I just like this picture from Christmas.
*I was in the middle of feeding her when Annie called for help from the bathroom. I set the spoon down, and came back and found Kalia feeding Ella. I loved it and it gave me hope for the future, and having two oldest girls to help me out.*She will still NOT SIGN to me, this baffles me a little as I am sure Kalia was signing by this age. Sometimes when she is in distress I get a "Maw" out of her, but still no Da-da. She likes to make her "P" sounds a lot though, and also says, "Mmm-bah." all the time. I wonder what it means.

*She has a cute pot belly and wonderful rolls on her legs. And big jowl cheeks. I am crazy about this baby. I am dying over the fact that in 3 months she will be 1.

I am without a doubt her favorite person in the world, and it sure makes me feel good, it's one of the best parts of motherhood. To be loved so completely and unconditionally- it's the closest thing to divine love that there can possibly be. ;)