The life of a 9 month old.

Well since I have taken quite a break from blogging I guess it is time for a quick catch up. Addy is now 9 almost 10 months old and I am having a hard time believing that. Where did my little brand new baby go!? She has such a fun personality and puts a smile on my face everyday. She has mastered the army crawl and is pretty quick at it. She will get up on her hands and knees and stay there and look like she will crawl normally and then flop to her stomach and take off. It is pretty funny to watch. She is pulling to stand but mostly just kneels up to our furniture and tries to see what she can get her hands on next. She loves pulling her basket of toys over and sitting in the middle of them and playing to her hearts content, until I leave the room that is. She is a mama's girl for sure and pretty much has to be in the same room as me at all times. She is very aware of strangers and will cling to me if they talk to her. She even gets concerned when her grandparents or Aunts come to talk to her. She won't let anyone but Mom or Dad hold her for too long before she starts to whine and cry. She loves to rip up our Ensign magazines that I keep in a basket under our end table, and she loves to eat. That girl can put away more food then you would believe a 9 month old could. She is sleeping through the night which is wonderful, it is so great to get a full nights rest again. She loves being outside so I am grateful that it has warmed up and we can spend the afternoon outside playing with the other little kids who live in our apartment complex. We recently took a family trip to Zion National Park, I was nervous to see how Addy would do since it was her first time not sleeping in her own bed, in her own room, but she did great. We brought along a few of her favorite toys and things we keep in her crib at home and I think that helped her to sleep well. She wasn't a huge fan of hiking in the hiking backpack but we still went on a few shorter hikes. She loved the swimming pool at the hotel which made me happy, with our two trips to Lake Powell and one trip to Hawaii this summer we are going to be spending a lot of time in the water so I was glad that she liked it. Nothing has changed much with Andrew and I. My schedule is Addy's schedule and our daily routine revolves around her mood, when she will be hungry, and nap time. It is nice now to have predictable nap times so I can better judge when I can get certain things done that require two hands and the ability to walk around without a baby attached to my ankle. My Primary calling is still going well and I am really enjoying it. I have been doing a few photo shoots the past couple of months and it has been nice to get out there and take pictures again. I did 3 shoots for the University of Utah, specifically the Graduate School which was fun and challenging. I've also done a few family photo sessions and a few senior sessions. It has kept me busy and given me a chance to do what I love. Andrew is staying busy with work, his calling, and going to grad school. He is almost a year away from graduation and I am not sure who is happier, me or him. Well not much else is going on. The day to day grind continues but we're happy and I guess that is all that matters.

Addy at 6 Months

7 Months

8 Months

9 Months

and one of my favorites, just for good measure.

The Holidays

January already!? Time goes way too fast. We had a great holiday season spent with lots of family and enjoying the festivities. For Thanksgiving we spent it with my family. We had two dinners this year, one with my Mom and the extended family on her side and then another with my dad and siblings. We ate a lot, made some memories and ate some more. Then the busy weeks getting ready for Christmas came and went and suddenly Christmas was upon us. Addy turned 5 months old on christmas eve and just a few days before that learned how to roll from her stomach to back and from back to stomach in just a few days of each other. She showed no desire to move up until the day she rolled now she wont stay in one place for long. Once she figures out the crawling thing I know we will be in trouble. Addy didn't have much interest in her presents, just the paper they were wrapped in. She had fun trying to shove the paper in her mouth and crinkling it up. As I expected she got spoiled, and I took part in that spoiling. It was a fun first Christmas with Addy, and I'm sure they can only get better. Andrew and I also celebrated our third anniversary. We went to dinner at an italian restaurant in Provo and then to an improve comedy show. It was fun, three years has gone by so fast. Andrew's mom came down to watch Addy so we could go out, I still have a little anxiety about leaving Addy. I guess that is bound to happen when I spend every waking minute with her on my hip, and when she is not there it sort of feels like a part of me is missing. Now that she can roll over she is a little more content to play on her own for a while. She doesn't like it when I leave the room and she can't see me anymore so as long as I mover her from room to room with me she will play contently for a while. We also started her on solid food after her 4 month appointment. She hadn't gained much weight since her 2 month so the dr. said to try some solids and see if that would help her put on a few pounds. She loves and I mean LOVES the solids. So far she has eaten everything I have given her and will often try to taste whatever I am eating as well. she likes to suck on apple and orange slices in her little fruit mesh holder thing (don't know the official name for it) and is still putting anything and everything in her mouth even it if doesn't belong there. She likes to play with her cousin Norah who is 4 months older then her. They spend the majority of the time trying to poke and scratch each others eyes out but they seem to like each other, which will be fun for them to grow up together and have fun. She is still a pretty good sleeper most nights only waking up once maybe twice and every now and then will sleep through the night. She is laughing so much more, usually at me as I make a fool of my self trying to get her to laugh, but there is just something about baby laughs that make the day so much better. My calling as the Primary Secretary is keeping me busy and I am enjoying being in the Primary, It is the perfect calling for me to have with Addy who does not like to stay sitting for very long. Andrew just got put into the Elders Quorum Presidency as the second counselor, so with that work, and school he stays pretty busy and we are lucky if we get to spend an Saturday afternoon together.