Our baby girl, Emma Noelle, is nine months old. She weighs 15 pounds, 14 ounces and is 27.5 inches long. She's a peanut! She continues to be a mover and shaker, loves crawling around to explore, and generally keeps me on my toes. She crawl on hands and knees most often, but on hard surfaces, or if she's trying to move quickly, she'll bear crawl, with her butt up in the air. It's cutest when she growls while she's crawling this way, which sometimes happens. The other way she likes to crawl to get places quickly is head down, pounding her hands against the ground, and breathing heavily through her nose as she barrels forward. I'm completely entertained by her.
Emma is beginning to squeal and jabber more often now, but really only at home. When we are out and about, she prefers to watch in silence as the world moves around her, offering a smile if someone looks her way, which they always do, because she is the sweetest thing. She is different from her brother in this way--him an attention grabber from the very beginning. She's not exactly shy about her interactions anymore, but more reserved definitely. But that is not the Emma we know at home. Now she delights in screaming at the top of her lungs for any number of reasons: because she's happy or feeling playful, to get her daddy or brother's attention, or because she is excited about something (usually food or bath).
She is incredibly playful (and quite a little bruiser!) too. She will play with anyone--though Isaac is her favorite playmate--but doesn't yet understand how rough she can be, or at least I think she doesn't understand. Our poor friend baby Caroline receives the brunt of Emma's rowdy play. She may be a few pounds smaller, but that doesn't stop Emma from batting at Caroline's face or pulling her clothes. Their interactions always end in tears--and not Emma's. I swear she takes pleasure in making poor Caroline cry. I wonder where she gets it from? (See photo.)
Emma continues to love eating, and now she has learned that she can feed the dogs, who are always salivating under her chair. She also still loves crawling around on her own to play and explore. She is incredibly independent for a baby. Again, very different from her big brother, who only in the last few months has started to play independently on a regular basis. Emma's favorite toys are the play kitchen and pretend food, and anything in her brother's bedroom. You should see her hightail it for his open door when he is at school.
Emma dislikes having her diaper changed. More like loathes diaper changes entirely. She cries and thrashes through the entire process unless I tickle her, which I usually do, just so I can hear one of her amazing belly laughs. Have I mentioned her screaming yet? Not the happy squeals, but the upset screaming? I think we have all lost some hearing in our house. Seriously, she is THE LOUDEST. And it sounds like she is being tortured when she is angry or upset. I sometimes worry what the neighbors think is happening. Thankfully she really only screams on the difficult nights at bedtime. Speaking of sleep, that slippery little thing, it once again eludes us--Emma is waking two or three times each night again. A full night's sleep was good while it lasted. Hopefully I'll see it again sooner than later.
I feel so lucky to have my sweet Emma Noelle, to call her my baby girl. She and her brother are my pride and joy, and I often stand back, watching them together, with love and awe filling me, and wonder what I did to get so lucky.
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