Happy 9 months, K! Three-fourths of a year-old!

Happy 9 months, Keifer! We are in shock and awe that 9 months has gone by so darn fast. It's hard to believe that there are only a few more months left before you are One years old. *sniff sniff*. Mommy and Daddy and Treble and Sage, well, we love getting to see the many new faces of Keifer everyday as you explore your world through your eyes, touching, and making silly sounds. You are constantly exploring sounds with your mouth - coughing, imitating people's coughs and sneezes or whines, clicking your tongue, smacking your lips, and vocalizing so much that Mommy is wondering if you'll be a chatterbox that has a hard time STOPPING talking once you get going! All someone has to do is start singing "The Wheels on the Bus' or "The Days of the Week" and you'll stop what you're doing and start beaming with excitement.

Your new thing is to try and give us all kisses when you see us. Mommy loves picking you up at daycare or out of your crib in the AM because you try to lean forward and plant an open mouth, wet, slippery smack on her nose!

You can wave "hi", and "bye bye" now, and you're starting to use just your hand to do the little wave. You can clap when we say "Yay", which you love to do, and all we have to do is say "patty cake" and you're clapping along, laughing as we start the chant.

You can roll around and position your rolls with more ease. You are trying to hard to get from the floor to a sitting position, but you seem to be stuck on your side unless something is behind you to help your abs-of-steel get you up. The other day, you were starting to do the "inch worm" crawl- you were flat on your tummy, and you'd push your bottom UP into the air, and then bring it down to inch your way forward. Mommy was so excited.

You try so hard to imitate us with your toys. You can almost put the balls in your Dino toy, and love rocking to music, clapping and trying to "sing' to it. When mommy starts dancing in front of you (which she does quite often to make you laugh) you wave your arms around and start laughing and clapping at and with her.

You are a social butterfly and love meeting new people, although lately you've been more leery of strangers. When mommy brought you to work the other day and left you with her friends for a minute, you started crying and got scared. But when you see mommy or daddy, you know all is well, and you light up and reach for us. You are also trying to help us get you out of your high chair or car seat by trying to lift your body for us.
You got your first tooth on the FIRST day of the new year! It's pushing its way up, and you've been in a pretty good mood considering.

Two times now, you've said something that sounds like "all done" at home when you've been done eating. Elaine at daycare said you said it again for her the other day. You LOVE to eat - you love to eat people food and would much rather eat that with your fingers vs. us trying to feed you baby food with a spoon. We have to "trick" you by pretending we will give you some people food and then sneaking in the spoon with baby food. All textures seem to be OK with you so far, *knock on wood*.

At night, when you are going to sleep, we read you your favorite books, and you immediately start to unwind. Sometimes if you are cranky, all mommy has to do is start reciting the "Thank you Prayer" or "I Love You Through and Through" out loud to you and you calm down. When you drink your bottle and you are tired, you put your hands up in your hair and stroke it, especially on your left side. I think you might be a 'hair twirler" like your 1/3 sissy, Maddy.

When mommy or daddy comments or says "hi" to Sage, you turn your head to see where she is. You love your fur puppies. You laugh at them constantly, and especially at Sage. You watch her on the Love Seat and laugh, and you hold your hand out to the side of your high chair, and laugh when she licks it. When she comes to lick/kiss your face, sometimes you let her, but others you show her you DO NOT want her to come near you, and she knows now to go away. You also love when Treble licks your stinky toes, and try to pet him.

You are wearing 12-18 month clothes, and 18 month sleeper PJ's although that is coming to a close soon; mommy just got some new 24 month Gerber PJ's for next month. Your hair is growing so fast, and most days it sticks up like a peacock and makes everybody laugh at how cute you look.

We love you, sweet Keifer. You are our angel girl we were so blessed with and we can't imagine our lives without you. Ever.

The shirt says it all: you do love smiles! All you do is see the camera, and you ham it up!

HA!
Oh, what? you have a hat and sweater combo?
How cute!
I do love my patty-cake

You are SO silly, saying "Bibbity Bobbidty", Mommy!
And after a busy day at daycare, and after my photo shoot, I like to relax with a good book in the tub!

Thanks for looking!