Grace at 9 months

Grace turned 9 months old on Feb. 1, and she had a 9 month well-baby appointment Friday morning. Since my parents were here, I was able to just take her! How nice! She weighed in at all of 14 pounds, 2 ounces, which puts her under the 3rd percentile, so she is still officially a peanut. The doctor didn't give me too big of a hassle about her, since she is obviously alert, healthy and active. The one big beef I had with the doctor was when she found out I was still breast-feeding, she told me that I was only breast-feeding for comfort now, not nutrition, and I should start giving Grace milk in a sippy cup. Well, I don't have a problem giving Grace milk in a sippy cup, but I certainly know that breast-feeding is still the best thing nutritionally! Even the American pediatric doctor society (whatever its acronym is, LOL), recommends breast-feeding until a year. I guess this doctor didn't get that memo. I went back and checked Luke's baby calendar, and he was 18 pounds, 1 ounce at 1 year. Grace, being a girl, should be a bit smaller, but she is definitely on the same pace as he was (is).

So what else can Grace do now? Well, she has mastered climbing stairs, a feat of some significance since 1. she has not yet mastered going down stairs without falling, and 2. we have 3 sets of stairs in this house. Everyone is on high alert to grab her if she should happen to start climbing. In my spare moments, I am working on teaching her to turn herself around to go down. With all the spare moments I have, she should be good to go . . . in a year or so.

She will also stand for a minute unsupported, although she still will not move her feet. She will cruise around a bit on furniture, and she loves to walk holding on to someone's hands. She also loves to clap her hands, especially at Nathan's basetball games.

She is mainly eating table food now. I still give her baby food, especially at lunch, just to make sure she gets more, but she also eats sandwiches and pretty much anything else we are eating. She picked up on feeding herself pretty quickly. I think that's a survival technique for #6, LOL. I certainly don't have time to just sit there and keep spooning food into her mouth!

Grace is a happy girl with a big smile, who is fortunate to be adored by 4 older brothers and one older sister! She leads a pretty great life right now!