Katy at Nine Months

Kaitlyn had her 9-month well-child check up yesterday morning and is healthy as a horse! She’s 17 lbs 6 oz, putting her in the 25th percentile for weight, and 28 inches long, putting her in the 65th percentile for height. The doctor was very happy with her development – she passed her tests with flying colors.

While Katy may not be gaining weight at the same pace she was previously, it is not for lack of eating. This kid can eat! She’s eating baby foods and has started eating finger foods as well. We’re also giving her tastes of table foods, and she gets so excited to eat what the rest of the family is having. Dinner time is much easier now that she can eat with us!

So, what else is new with Katy? Katy is sitting up by herself, army crawling, and moving from crawling to sitting with ease. And man, is she fast! She makes a bee-line for the cats’ food and water dishes, and would love to have access to the power strip with all of the electrical cords sticking out of it. (Don’t worry, it’s blocked!)

Learning to crawl means that Katy is quickly learning the word “No.” And in typical baby fashion, she is testing to see if we mean it. And we do. And when she finally realizes that we mean it, she lets us know her displeasure. (And we had to laugh the other day when she cried after being told “no” and Sophia explained that crying wasn’t going to change mommy’s mind. At least one child has learned that lesson!)

As Katy gets bigger and more mobile, we are learning just how different she is from Sophia. With Sophia, we never worried if the house got quiet – we knew that she was just playing quietly or reading. With Kaitlyn, quietness means that she has gotten into something forbidden. Katy is very curious, where Sophia was very cautious. Sophia was so cautious that she often waited to try new things until she was sure she could be safe doing them. She is still that way. Sophia was very aware of where her body was and rarely bumped her head or hurt herself at all as she moved around. Katy is not so aware, and not so cautious, so I have a feeling she’ll be the one to break a bone first. Or get her head stuck in something. Or taste a chemical. Not to be mischievous, but to try and figure things out.

Katy loves to play Peekaboo and has recently figured out how to initiate the game herself. The giggles that come with a game of Peekaboo are priceless. Katy also loves to read books that have texture. I’ve never seen a baby enjoy “Pat the Bunny” as much as Katy does.

We so enjoy watching Katy grow and learn, even if it means watching her grow up.