The Littlest Kalins: Baby Face Friday: 9 months

Weight: 21lbs 4oz (88.94%)
Height: 28.5 inches (82.94%)
Eloise is slim & trim and ready for Bikini season!

During this transition from 8 months to 9 months, we have seen the greatest amount of changes in Eloise. Not only is she alternating between army crawling and traditional crawling, she is pulling up on everything that she can reach with those chubby little hands. She can get around with lightening speed! Speaking of those hands, Grandma Karen equates her hands to little starfish because she spreads her little fingers out against people's faces and it looks like a little starfish. Eloise has one of the firmest grips around too! Whether she is holding on to Mommy's hair, someone's glasses, or her spoon, she is determined to not let go. Because of that firm grip, she has been able to pull herself on virtually anything and hold herself there until she tires out. Just this past week, we have seen her start to do some "cruising" around the coffee table. Daddy has been working hard to baby proof the house and has already started formulating some plans for baby gates. I used to love having to 2 staircases but I have a feeling that will change very soon!

With parents like us, it is no surprise that Eloise has a lot to say already. We've heard a few "ma-ma's" and "da's" but mostly lots of "ba-ba's." We have started pretending that we actually know what Eloise is referring to when she says "ba-ba." Sometimes we think she means "thank you" or "I love you" or "Piper..No!" The funny thing is that we know in her mind that she is trying to communicate with us.

Eloise has been interested in eating since the first time we gave her cereal back at 5 months. At this point, she has tried tons of vegetables and fruits and has loved them all. We started giving her puffs a few weeks ago to help her start to learn how to feed hereslf and she has mastered it. Now she is at the point where she prefers to feed herself. She can feed herself cheerios, rice krispie cereal, puffs and other baby snacks, crackers, cheese, peas, carrots, and blueberries. So far I have been making all of her food - breakfast, lunch, & dinner. Starting next week, she is going to start eating a few things on the menu for breakfast & lunch at daycare. Eloise will be thrilled because she is jealous of the other kids at the table that they get to feed themself! We are looking forward to start introducing some more foods at home too - pasta, bread, chicken, chunks of fruit, & chunks of veggies.

It has been fun to watch our little baby start to develop her personality. We know that when we take her somewhere new that she is going to be very quiet for the first 10 minutes and furrow her brow while scanning the room for familiar faces. We know that when we take her to restaurant that she is going to spin her head around to stare at other tables and be nosey. We know that she is going to flap her arms like a bird when she is excited, ready to eat, or frustrated. We know that she is going to do anything in her power to catch a glimpse of her Daddy when he walks in the room. We know that she is going to squeal with excitement at the mere chance that she will get to touch Piper. We know that she will laugh and clap her hands when it comes to swinging on her swing or being held upside down or put on top of her Daddy's head. If we had to guess, Eloise will be a social butterfly, chatterbox, Daddy's girl, animal lover, and a dare devil.