9 Months

Dear Sarah,

God has blessed you in so many ways, not the least of which is with the gift of contentment. You are content almost all the time - content to participate in activities, content to observe others, content to be in the presence of your family. We often tease about you being happy to be ignored, but I truly think you are just happy - period. As a person who strives for contentment (an obvious contradiction), I am grateful to see you possess this quality effortlessly.

Sarah, you are Mama's girl these days. You track me as I move around the room, and your face is crushed if I walk in and do not immediately pick you up. Once you are in my arms, you proceed to twirl my hair nonstop. A new trick is to lean in towards my face until our foreheads are touching and stare deep into my eyes. Are you developing a psychic connection or trying to head-bang?

And that sweet head is crowned with soft wisps. For Christmas you received a plate set with the verse "There was a little girl who had a little curl right in the middle of her forehead" - a sentiment that is perfectly fitting!

At your 9 month check, you weighed 17 pounds, 14 ounces (45%) and measured 27 inches long (25%). Bananas are your favorite and you go berserk if someone eats one without offering you a bite. You open your mouth over and over like a little bird. Despite gobbling down solid food, you are a petite girl all over. When I finally took you shoe shopping, your feet were so tiny that you needed a 0-6 month size Robeez with a strap to help hold them on!

You have finally begun to scoot around a little more and can pull up. To soothe our concerns about your immobility, the pediatrician reminded us that crawling is not a developmental milestone that they assess because not all kids do it. He seemed confident that you have enough muscle strength based on your ability to sit (clearly achieved) and pull up. Frankly, it seems to be more a matter of desire. When we put your toys out of reach, you either pull the blanket to make the toys come to you or bend like a yoga master to get what you want. Clever baby!

Nine months seems so close to one year. I already find myself holding on a little tighter as the end of your infancy looms closer. You will always be my sweet baby!

Love, Mommy