9-months

Clara is officially 9 months old!

Per the pediatrician, she is in the 75th percentile for weight and
height (she looks quite tall compared to her standard sized crib!)

We visited the relatives in Iowa last week. Clara loved meeting with
her cousins! Her first night in town she was so excited she couldn't
fall asleep and kept on wanting to play with them (til 1 AM her
time!!) She was given a glow-worm which reminded me of the one I had
when I was little. She loves this toy and intently stares at it when
it plays its brief lullaby. When visiting her other cousins she was a
little sleepy from the day before, but still seemed to be awake enough
to become wide-eyed at her new Sesame street cell phone and remote
control (she loves these and I save them for changing time to keep her
occupied).

What a difference a month makes! While in Iowa she learned to wave
goodbye!! She loves interacting with people, even strangers in the
airport (I've heard this will change once "Stranger anxiety" takes
over). Yesterday Jason walked into her room and found her sitting up
completely on her own (she will still throw herself backwards so we
worry she'll hit her head, but so far so good). She likes to play on
her own, playing with her stacking cups (ie. banging them together) or
in her exersaucer (lent to us by a friend). She is almost an expert
at picking up cheerios with her thumb and index finger. She enjoys
whatever solids she is given (most recently she had Channa Masala with
silvered almonds and lemon rice, they were ground up using our Food
Mill). She has two little teeth (and loves having them brushed,
hopefully she'll enjoy flossing too when she is a little older).

She does not crawl, but rather rolls towards whatever object she wants
that is out of reach. She is able to cruise but not pull herself up
to stand, so we are still able to keep a good eye on her. We have had
our gates for 1 month now but still haven't installed them! In the
meanwhile, we're determined to get baby proofed before another month
passes by.