I must force my hands to type the words. My BABY is nine months old! How did this happen? It was just yesterday that those two pink lines appeared on that stick, wasn't it? *sigh* I thought nine months of pregnancy went fast, but I had no idea! I'm afraid to blink because I know that I could very well open my eyes to find my beautiful daughter all grown and leaving me. I realize that is the ultimate goal, but even though I spend every day encouraging healthy growth for the child, I don't really want her to grow up at all. Am I crazy? Why does feeling like a Mommy feel so much like being crazy, anyway? Ugh. Don't let my whining fool you. I wouldn't trade this for the world. Prime example... I spent the entire day with Julia today. We slept in, got up & bathed, drove out to the Dr. for a well visit, napped on the way home, ate lunch, played & did laundry, made dinner & ate dinner, and watched some TV with Daddy. I enjoyed my routine day with baby. Then, bedtime rolled around. Julia screamed for 20 minutes before I told John to go rescue her. He started to bring her to me and I said, "I've been with her all day, I don't want her any more." He sat down with her in the chair for maybe two minutes before I went over and got her back. That makes me a crazy person. I honestly didn't want to deal with it. I wanted to go eat my snack as I'd planned to do after I put her to bed. But I knew I wouldn't enjoy one bite of anything until she stopped. And she did, she always does, only some nights she makes us work harder for it. She's teaching me patience, God bless her.
Nine months. Sooo much has happened since the six month milestone. Julia is now 28 inches long and weighs 17 lbs, 11oz. She eats all kinds of food now. Baby food, crackers, cheerios, mashed potatoes, anything mushy. I love giving her bites of what I'm eating. And she can feed herself finger foods. She has her bottom two teeth in. (1 1/2 really) She's moving all over. She still rolls to cover the larger distances, but she can also lay her head to the side on one arm and push with her feet to get forward motion. I know she'd be able to crawl if she'd realize she can stay up on her arms. She sits up perfectly. She can only stand by the table or couch with help, but we're working on that. The first time I stood her up by the coffee table and she stayed when I let go, I cried. She looked so much bigger standing there like that. It totally caught me off guard. She can clap her hands and wave bye bye. She babbles and sings. This age is so fun. I need to buy her some new toys. I want to get something big that she can stand at, like an activity table of some sort. She has mastered everything she owns and she needs a new challenge. She loves sitting in her high chair, being with me while I'm in the kitchen. Sometimes I even carry her down in a basket when I do laundry so she doesn't cry upstairs and wake John. She also loves to be outside. She doesn't even need toys, she just loves to take in the great outdoors, sitting in the stroller or the grass. Oh! She is like a fish in the water. We're taking swim classes with Amber & Autumn. She's incredible. She can float comfortably on her back with just my fingertips behind her neck. On her tummy, she kicks her feet and moves her arms when the instructor pushes her toward me under the water. She doesn't even cry when she goes under. It's unreal how natural it is for her. She actually swims by herself for the foot or two between the instructor and I. The instructor said that next we can work on getting her to be able to roll from her front to her back and float. How cool is that? Our dream is to have a pool one day. I know she'd love it. She is just getting stronger and more capable by the day, now, I swear. It's been a whirlwind. I love the smiles and the laughs the most, though. I feel like, in her eyes, I can do no wrong. It's a bit overwhelming, knowing the blind trust she has in me. But it's also the best feeling in the world when all I have to do is walk into the room and her face lights up with a huge smile. She knows it's me. Or when all she needs to fall asleep is for me to sing to her. The feeling of accomplishment when she finally closes those eyes peacefully is incomparable. Everybody warned me how hard it would be to be a mother, but they never could have prepared me for how wonderful it would be. I thought maybe I'd be "used" to her by now. In some ways I guess I am, in terms of including her in every routine thing. And yet, I still rush home to scoop her up after I'm gone at work for four hours, the same way I did the first time I ever left her. Only now, she's equally excited to see me. I know, the toddler years are coming. So for now, I savor each moment with my nine month old because she's only nine months old once!
We bought this frame backpack carrier before this trip, for the places a stroller can't go. Then we didn't end up even having time to do any hiking like we usually do. Kristen liked toting Julia around camp in it, though.
This is Kristen standing on top of the picnic table trying to get a signal on her phone so she can text. We often found her there.
This was taken in the tent Friday night. Friday the 13th, to be exact. We were out in the Jeep most of that day, and barely managed to beat the rain back to camp. We had just enough time for John to put the soft top on the Jeep while I scrambled around camp, throwing things in the truck and under the canopy. I only had time to grab the bag of car snacks and get to the tent before the downpour, so we had munchies for dinner that night. The plan was hot dogs cooked over the fire, so much for plans. This was the worst storm I've ever experienced in a tent. Sideways rain, thunder & lightning. John's setup held, though. We got a little water at the corners, and that was it. Everything outside was wet, but it all dried. Kristen was a tad freaked out, but we all survived! 
Awww... Yes, it's cute, but it only lasts until she gets the hair. She's almost got it now!
This was adorable. Kristen was playing with Julia's legs and she was laughing hysterically, those deep belly laughs. Love it! 
Tired from almost a week of camping, Jeeping, and babysitting. We'll be home before long.
