Nine Months Old

Last Thursday marked C's nine month birthday. I told A that morning and she asked if we were going to have cake and blow out candles. I conceded by having her help make vanilla pudding, which we all enjoyed later after a round of "Happy Birthday" to C.

At 9 months, C is weighing 16 lbs 7 oz.--still quite petite, but growing well in her own right. And she isn't small for lack of eating. She can still put away the frozen peas. In the last month, she has started crawling and pulling up. It took her a few days to figure out how to sit back down once she pulled up on something, but she's got it down well enough now that she even tried it in the bathtub tonight.

If I ever provoked you to envy by saying, "my baby doesn't ever really put things in her mouth," know that I am reaping what I sowed in spades. Spades, I tell ya. C is putting everything in her mouth plus all the things A never found. Here is a list of contraband she taste-tested today (yes, just today):

• ping pong ball
• long strand of toilet paper (how did that get in the living room?!)
• A's painted wooden treasure box whose paint comes off when wet (explaining the hot pink stain on C's shirt)
• miscellaneous fuzz (after I swept the floor)
• hair bow
• dishwasher detergent (tried to scrape the leftovers out of the soap compartment while I loaded the dishes)
• bathtub drain
• bottom of mommy's shoe
• night light (which she had just removed from the wall and was in the process of replacing when I walked in)

These are just the ones I know about. I readily acknowledge that she may also have consumed crusty food off the floor, leaves, and/or mud while my back was turned. While the night light was a little unnerving, the ping pong ball was stinkin' hilarious.

Happy 9-month Birthday, C!