Nine Months!

January 21st

Nine Months. The time it takes for a baby to grow full term in it's mommy's belly. So why is it that nine months of pregnancy seems like an eternity, and the first nine months of your child's life passes in an instant? It seems like I wanted to rush through my pregnancy in order to meet Natalie, and now I just want time to stand still so I can enjoy her as a baby. It's kind of like school and summer vacation. The school year drags by, and summer vacation is over in the blink of an eye.

As a new(ish) parent, I always have people giving me advice, telling me their opinions, or sharing stories. I am a good listener, take all ideas into consideration, and then in the end Nathan and I do what's best for our little girl. It's surprising the number of people that say things like, "I bet you can't wait until she sleeps through the night" or "Man, I can't believe she's not eating real food yet". The funny thing is I can wait for all of these things. I know that Natalie has the rest of her life to sleep through the night, go to bed on her own, walk, run, skip, fall and get hurt, eat solid foods, play by herself, and be independent...without relying solely on us. But for now, we are going to do our best to enjoy our nine month old baby girl. Why rush something that will happen inevitably? After all, one day I'm going to look back and be amazed that it all passed so quickly.

It's hard to believe that Natalie's only been in our lives for three-quarters of a year. When you think about it, that's not much time yet I still can't imagine the last nine months without her. Even though I'm not rushing, I still find myself planning Natalie's 1st birthday. I realize it's three months away, but let's face it, that's not long at all. Maybe if I stopped rushing the school year, Natalie would stay little for longer...what do you think?

Now on to what you came to read! Natalie is nine months old! She is so active. She is crawling everywhere and climbing up on everything. She went from two bottom teeth, to six total teeth in a matter of days! So far she has been a fabulous teether...knock on wood. She is clapping, standing, laughing, and trying to give kisses (usually it's a big opened mouth lick). She still loves her bathtime and the outdoors. Her latest favorites are going out on the trampoline and riding in her wagon! She loves climbing up the stairs and playing with kitty. Kitty is still faster, but Natalie gives him a run for his money!

Just when you thought Natalie couldn't get any cuter, I took her 9 month pictures. Keeping an active 9 month old baby still is not an easy task. Natalie's pictures in order from start to finish:

That's what I was waiting for!

Every mom dreams of the day she gets to put her daughter's hair in a pony tail!!

What do you mean I can't touch this?

I can even get down!

Nathan's grandma got this lamb for Natalie. I started singing Jesus Loves Me and Natalie started dancing! She's getting to the age where she enjoys stuffed animals and loveys!

I haven't blinked yet, but the months continue to pass me by. Next month will be here before we know it.