Nine Months

Bailey turned nine months on the 23rd. She weighs 19 pounds, 8 ounces (64th%) and is 28.5 inches long (82nd%). At her doctor's appointment, she had to get her finger pricked. I was afraid at how she would react, but she just sat there staring at the nurse the whole time. She didn't even flinch when the nurse pricked her finger. And then the nurse had to squeeze her finger forever, and Bailey didn't even try to pull her hand away. I was in shock. She cried during her shots, of course, but calmed down pretty quickly after I picked her up.

She, once again, was not into smiling for any pictures.

Yeah, she's really over getting her picture taken.

This one's a little better. She's at least not giving me the look of death.

We bought Bailey her first barrettes! Cute, huh?

One of Bailey's favorite things to do is use her teeth to open her finger foods container.

Then she'll stick her whole arm inside to grab some.

And eventually she just dumps them on the floor. It's much easier that way.

Words Bailey Understands:

1. Light (Whenever we ask her where the light is, she looks up at it.)

2. Book (She has a lot of books in her room. When I get her after her nap, sometimes I ask if she wants to read a book, and she'll look over at the books.)

3. Music (When I ask her if she wants to hear some music, she looks over at our iPod.)

4. Kitty (We have a couple of kittens that roam our neighborhood. She loves looking at them, and she'll look outside when I ask her where the kitty is.

5. No (She understands this means she's not supposed to be doing something, but she doesn't usually listen.)

6. Maybe Daddy or Mama. (We're working on it, but not quite sure if she's got it.)

Signs Bailey Understands:

1. Milk (She can be upset and crying, but when I ask her if she wants milk and show her the sign, she gets really happy and excited.)

2. Not sure about the rest yet.

Bailey Loves:

1. Crawling.

2. Pulling herself up to standing. She's also started cruising a little bit.

3. Exploring.

4. Eating finger foods.

5. When we put on music and dance with her.

6. Pointing at lights.

7. Spitting while I'm feeding her. (A habit Skigh encouraged one day by laughing and laughing at her. Now we're trying to break it by sternly telling her "no" every time she does it and not giving her any more food until she stops. It's not fun to be sprayed with food. She thinks it's hilarious though. And she thinks it's funny when I tell her no. She likes to test me.... She'll take a bite of food, stare at me, and spit a teeny tiny bit to see what my reaction is.)

Bailey Hates:

1. When she can't see me.

2. Getting her face wiped after eating. (She insists on screaming EVERY time.)

3. Broccoli with cheese and any kind of meat.

Bailey is very helpful when we get her dressed. She puts her arms through the sleeves, and if she is holding something, she'll switch hands so we can put her other arm through. It's really cute.

New Development:

Bailey no longer eats at night. We thought it was the best thing to do because she was still waking up so often during the night. I think when she would cycle back to light sleep, she would force herself awake to eat. Well, I was afraid at how she would react to not being fed at night, but it hasn't been bad at all. She's handled it so well and is already sleeping SO much better. It's amazing. It's definitely helped her (and me) get a better night's sleep.

We can't believe how fast Bailey is growing. She'll be a year old in less than three months. It's just crazy.