Happy Belated 9 Months!

I'm a little late with it but better late than never, right?  Claire had her 9 month checkup 2 weeks ago and is growing like a little maniac.  

Her official stats are:

     Height: 28.5 ins (75th percentile)

     Weight: 18.65 lbs (40th percentile)

     Head circumference: 18 inches (90th percentile)

Ok so maybe she's not physically growing like a maniac (besides her head ha) but she is growing UP like one.  She is super mobile these days.  Crawling all over the place.  Her favorite spot to go....the forbidden steps.

As soon as we put her down she beelines right for them.  And literally does it within the blink of an eye.  

It all happened so fast, we haven't even had a chance to baby proof yet.  First item on the to-do list....baby gates.  She sure has fun with it though.

And is pretty good at it.  She can get up our full flight of stairs within minutes.  Trouble :)

Besides crawling all over the place and up the steps, she's also pulling herself up on everything she can get her hands on.

And gets so excited once she's up and stable.

She's also trying to communicate more and more with us every day.  We're trying to teach her a few signs but she seems to think waving is the answer to all of them.  No matter what you ask, if you use a sign while asking, she'll wave to you.  It's cute but not very helpful.  I'm pretty sure she just doesn't agree with our sign choices b/c she's made up a few of her own.  

Whenever she's hungry, thirsty, or just hears or sees someone else eating something, her eyes light up (just like a puppy) and she smacks her lips together...like you would do if you were exaggerating tasting something.  No clue how she figured it out, but it's definitely helpful.  

She's also gotten very good and communicating NO.  She doesn't shake her head but she definitely lets you know she doesn't want something...she either pushes it away or turns her head away from you VERY dramatically.  

Besides the signs, she can give kisses, high fives, clap (as seen below), and we're getting close on doing so big.   

She's definitely starting to really get a personality.  She knows what she wants, will surely let you know, and fight you a bit if you try to stop her.  But thankfully she doesn't rebel too much.  She's completely aware of what no means...although I think sometimes she pretends not to be...like when she goes for the laptop...

"What mom?  I'm not sure what you're trying to tell me when you say 'no' but this is so much fun!"

Our little 9 month old is a lot of work but worth every bit of it.