9 months old

I feel like I just wrote Mary Lawton's 8 months post yesterday. This month has been a blur of activity, eating, and milestones.

She has become a little eating machine in the past week or so. She often eats everything I have prepared for her, and then I have to grab something else to feed her. About 2 weeks ago, I was excited that all of us ate the same dinner: baked Yukon Gold potatoes topped with steamed broccoli and Havarti cheese. Mary Lawton has tried many new things this month:

• Kiwi
  
• Edamame
• Turkey
• Chicken
  
• Puffs
  
• Mozzarella cheese
• Havarti cheese
• Yukon Gold potatoes
  
• Chick peas
• Buckwheat pancakes
  
• Pumpkin pancakes
• Whole wheat pizza crust
• Whole wheat bread
  
• Scrambled eggs
• Bacon

No, not really about the bacon. Maybe next month. We're lucky that mealtime is only a struggle if she's really tired. Otherwise, she eats very well while talking nonstop and spreading food in her hair. She's practicing more and more with a sippy cup, and she likes to "drink" (chew on the edge of) my cup.
Mary Lawton pulled up this month and on Friday afternoon, November 13, pulled up in her crib. We could have done without the pulling up in the crib. Since she learned to climb the stair from the den to the living room, she's always exploring the house. We love that she plays so well by herself, but she doesn't like to be alone. If she's playing nicely and we leave the room, she stops playing and follows us to find out what we're doing. Her favorite toys right now are things that aren't toys--boxes, bowls, cellphones, watches, etc. She still scoots army-man style on her belly, and she's very, very fast. She loves crawling on Coqui, and she really, really wants to be Moe's best friend. Coqui loves her. Moe runs away. I love this picture: Coqui was sitting outside the front door, and Mary Lawton crawled over to see him.
It's crazy exciting to see her growing so fast and what new abilities she has each day, but it's a little sad how quickly her tiny babyness is slipping by. We love you, Mary Lawton. We love your big, sweet smile; your breathless laugh; your cute little butt; your enthusiastic waving; and how you chatter nonstop during dinner. We look forward to what each day brings.