9 months old

Natalie is 9 months old today!  We are celebrating by hanging out in our pajamas all day.  I managed to snap a few photos of her wearing a cute flower headband with her pj's before she ripped it off (unfortunately, she's not a fan of anything on her head - including headbands, hats and hoods).

She is growing and changing SO fast.  She still loves her toy hammer and toothbrush, but now she's also obsessed with her stackable plastic rings.  She can usually be heard clicking around the house with a ring in her hand...

She's "talking" and "singing" a lot more these days, and she still has a great appetite.  Right now her favorite foods are scrambled eggs, black beans, french toast, and "purple pancakes" (blueberry pancakes).

sporting a sweet black bean goatee

I love purple pancakes!

Grandma Kathy came to visit us last weekend, and we had such a great time.  Natalie absolutely LOVES her!  She was very interested in her Manhattan shaking, and wanted to help...

Kathy is the most generous, family-oriented person I have ever met.  She would do anything for her family, and every time we are together, we are reminded how lucky we are to have her as our mom/mother-in-law/grandma.  The weekend flew by way too quickly, but thankfully she will be back in April when she & Grandma Kristie take care of Natalie while we are in Jamaica for Bobby & Tanya's wedding!

And finally, a few videos taken during the past few weeks...

"typing" on her laptop

her first "real" snowfall!

8 months old

At 8 months old, Natalie's favorite toys include a wooden hammer from Ikea and an infant toothbrush.  They go everywhere with her, and she's even been known to eat a meal with toothbrush in hand.

She spends the majority of her day crawling around the house and pulling herself up to stand on various objects; she especially likes to use a dining room chair, the ottomans in the family room & living room, the front window in our living room, the door out to the back yard, the edge of the bath tub and the dog kennel.  The other day she actually managed to close both of the dogs into the kennel at the same time...

what?

take that!

"do do do, lookin' out my window"

She'd rather stand & chew on her crib than sleep these days

Finn can always be found "helping" during bath time

She still loves bath time!

Speaking of the dogs, she has started taking more of an interest in them lately.  She watches them closely throughout the day, laughing at them as they run around the house together.  She especially enjoys Finnegan (who is more tolerant of her than Murphy), and likes to grab his hair whenever she has the opportunity.  Finn is so good with her, he just lets her yank on his fur and grab at his paws.  I love him even more for this :)

Her personality is really developing right now, as is her sense of humor!  She's been expressing herself a lot more this month, including mini meltdowns (like when we attempted to have her 8 month photos taken) and an adorable "smile" where she scrunches her nose and sort of snorts in & out while baring her teeth.  

"Da da da" and "Na na na" are her favorite things to say right now, and she makes an "ffff" sound when she sees the dogs or hears them barking.  She is also obsessed with any sort of button, buckle or snap, and repeats "buh buh buh buh" when she finds one.  

I have a feeling she'll be walking and saying real words before I know it!

She's eating a larger variety of foods each week, with her newest favorite being french toast.  She still loves avocado and tried scrambled eggs for the first time this week.  I'm still making homemade purees, but look forward to the days when she's eating the same things we are for dinner!