3/4

Holy moly, Charli is 9 MONTHS OLD today. That's 3/4 of a year!

We just got back from her 9 month checkup, and Charli is 16 lbs. 3 oz, and 27 3/4 inches long. She laid very still and stretched out for her length measurement this time, so this is probably the most accurate measurement we've ever gotten. For length, she is 50th percentile, head size 40th, and *gasp* for weight, now she has dropped to 10th percentile! She is starving! No wonder her pants won't stay on! And here I thought she had finally started eating enough! *SOB*

OK, now that that is out of my system (for the moment), I can tell you that Charli has really been eating a lot better, once I made the discovery that she doesn't like things that taste bad. Sour is not really a problem, but bland or grainy are both non-starters. I have started making her pasta (these little things called melon seeds, which look like - you guessed it! - melon seeds), and she LOVES it. I mix up all kinds of vegetables, like carrots, spinach, corn, peas, bell peppers, green beans, whatever we've got, throw in some of the tomato sauce and season to taste, add it to the pasta and Charli eats it like a champ.

Back at the doctor's office, Charli had no shots today. However, that didn't seem to matter. She still screamed like, well, a baby, even though nothing traumatic happened at all. It's clear she retains some memory of having shots at the doctor's office, because she was fine with all the people coming in and measuring and talking, until Dr. Rostek started listening with the stethoscope. Then she got worried and started crying, and was not able to be calmed. It got worse until he actually had to lay her down (which is the position in which one gets shots), and then she really let loose. She screamed until well after the doctor was done, and when I laid her on her back to put her pants on she about blew the walls out. Once we left the room, everything was fine again.

Charli has been doing all kinds of developing! She has stopped wandering blindly over the edges of things, and now recognizes the visual cliff and hesitates. She still misjudges some of the time (especially when she decides "OK, I'll stop here, but I'm going to turn around and sit down"), but it's such a tremendous improvement! Brian and I are grateful. She likes to look at pictures of other babies, and occasionally tries to put her finger in their mouths. She's a lot better at picking things up with her fingers, she looks for things when she drops them or when we hide them behind our backs, she looks where you point (sometimes). She is pulling herself up better than ever, and has become quite comfortable with only 3 points of support - usually both legs and an arm, but today she had both her hands down and she started waving one of her legs around. Several days ago she actually took both hands off my knee, so she was just on her feet and leaning her butt against my hand. She's more interactive than ever, and really interested in teeth, fingernails, and shoes.

That's all for now! Check out the new pictures on the site, and we're looking forward to the reunion next week!