Amelia 7-11 months

So I've slacked on updating on Amelia. She has been growing and developing great! She is such a patient, laid back little baby which is especially nice after a crazy baby like Maddie. She is curious and likes to get into things, but in a normal way all babies do. She listens pretty well when you say no, and she is content to just sit on your lap (usually.) Occasionally when I need a nap, and Maddie and Amelia's naps don't line up, I let Claire watch Amelia while I snooze for a bit. I have often come downstairs and see the two of them sitting on a chair together, watching tv, with Amelia contentedly sucking her thumb. It's so sweet. Once, she even fell asleep next to Claire. I love the special bond they have.

Amelia at 7 months old:

I had to document the awesome rolls this kid has, before they went away! Though at 11 months, the rolls are still alive and well!

Amelia at 8 months old:

Amelia has enjoyed lots of new food. She didn't really eat much baby food before I started giving her table food. She got her two bottom teeth when she was 9 months old and all four top teeth right when she turned 10 months. This helps her bite, and she really prefers eating with her hands rather than being fed with a spoon (though she does love her yogurt.) She is a great eater, and we've discovered that one of her favorite foods is pizza. I don't know where she puts it, but she can eat a serious amount of pizza!

9 months old:

Not crawling yet, but getting close!

She LOVES that left thumb.

Right before Amelia started crawling, she finally rolled over front to back, and a couple days later, back to front. She had moved around and gotten on her belly before, but not in the traditional way. She apparently felt no need. Then, a few days later, at a little over 9 months old, Amelia started crawling forward! We were visiting my sister over Memorial Day weekend when she started. Though I enjoyed having her not moving around, I was excited to see her develop and start discovering new things. She likes to be with me, so she can crawl to where I am now. She has gotten faster and faster. Amelia also pulls herself to standing holding on to furniture. Still no attempts at walking yet, but that's just fine. Like I said, she's a patient little girl and is in no hurry. She really enjoys playing with her toys and isn't concerned with reaching the next physical milestone.

10 months old:

Amelia is also a little chatter box. She says a lot of "nanana", "dadada", "mamama", and her latest, "aboof!" I've worked with getting her to say mama and dada and know what it means, but I'm not sure if she does yet. She finds it quite humorous if you imitate her sounds though, and it makes her laugh. Just yesterday, she started saying things that sounded like words she meant. She says "uh-oh" when she drops things. Sunday morning, she woke up really early. I fed her and got her back to sleep, but was too tired to get her back to her bed. When she woke up, she lunged for her daddy, and squealed, "dada!" Then later that morning, when I had to go upstairs without her, she cried, "mamamama" from downstairs. I think she's starting to know what those words mean! Yea!

Right around 10 months, she started clapping. If people around her (or even on the tv) are clapping, she will clap. She will especially clap if you clap and say, "yea!" It's pretty cute, and she enjoys it. She loves music as well, and loves to play on the toy piano. Now that she can crawl, she often crawls over, gets on her knees, and plays the toy piano. She seems drawn to music. More than once she was playing or doing something, and some music grabbed her attention, and she stopped everything she was doing to listen to it. It's pretty cool.

11 months old:

I feel so blessed to have this little girl in our family. She has such a vibrant, happy, peaceful personality and is such a joy to have around. I just love this little girl, and love how her little personality adds to the variety we have in Claire and Maddie. I can't believe in a few weeks she'll already be a year old!