Moving forward with moving forward

Each day, Piper is getting better at motoring around--doing more crawling steps and fewer inchworm steps (as we like to call it when she lifts her butt up in the air, moves a couple inches forward, and plops back down on her tummy). When the incentive is right--like Mommy's cell phone--she is a quick and entertaining learner!

Leaps and bounds

And as if being on the cusp of crawling isn't accomplishment enough... we forgot to mention that Piper can also clap her hands now. Not yet on demand, hence no video. This morning when I went in to get Piper ready for daycare, she was sound asleep. Usually, since she goes to bed at 6pm, she wakes up at just the right time for daycare so luckily we haven't had to wake her often. But this weekend she did get a little bit off her sleep schedule. And we think she was wiped out from all her efforts at forward movement!

Movin' and shakin'

Bedtime story

The bad and the good (in that order)

As most of you already know, Piper had her first trip to the ER last Saturday. She took a tumble from the kitchen table (my watch, and I thought I was watching, but turns out I wasn't). Don't worry - she's fine. She came through the experience with a little shiner under her left eye and a better understanding that, when you go to the ER and they say the doctor will be with you shortly, they don't actually mean it.

Needless to say it was a horrible experience for all, and although Piper seems to have forgotten about it her mother most definitely has not.

The doctors at the ER didn't do much for her - they didn't want to scan her unnecessarily and she seemed to be fine (which might explain why, after we were immediately triaged, we then went on to become the last people sitting in the waiting room two hours later). She was a real trooper throughout the entire ordeal. We just had her follow-up visit with the pediatrician yesterday and she's as good as new.

So we're eternally grateful that the situation wasn't any worse, and appropriately humbled by the realization of just how fast an accident can happen and the fact that you can never be off your game even for a second.

On to more pleasant topics, Piper's really having fun experimenting with finger foods! She likes shredded cheddar cheese, peas, and ham. She doesn't (yet) like broccoli, yellow squash or ground turkey.

Part of the problem with preparing vegetables for Piper is that everything needs to be steamed to beyond lifeless and soggy since she has no teeth to chew. And who wants vegetables that are dead and fall apart when you touch them? I figure at this point we're not going for nutritional value since much of that is likely leeched away despite my diligence in the steaming process. We're more so aiming to help her develop a taste for healthy eating.

We have also started sitting Piper up in her stroller rather than plugging the car seat into the travel system. What this means is that Piper can see things as we stroll! She loves this newest development - it makes going everywhere much more interesting. :)

All in all, Piper seems to be thinking that it's good to be a 9 month old. She's more fun and interactive every day, and still she's the easiest part of our hectic lives. There's no other explanation for it: we've been given an angel.

Mugged

Piper's mug shot. Did you know they take a mug shot at the 9 month check-up? Well, only if your baby looks like trouble...

Just kidding, they don't take mug shots at the doctor's office. This one was taken at the Hennepin County records office when we applied for Piper's passport today!

So, back to her 9 month check-up. Piper's doing awesome!!!

Height: 28" (75 percentile!!!) (So that's why she's into 12 month sizes!)
Weight: 18 lbs 4 ounces (45-50 percentile!!!)
Head circumference: HUGE! 17.5 inches (75 percentile) (That must be because of all her brains.)

Tammy, our Nurse Practitioner, was very impressed by Piper's 'vocabulary' - she said the combinations of sounds she's making are advanced for her age. She thought that perhaps her motor skill development is a bit slower because all of her energy is going to the part of her brain that controls the constant - very musical and varied - jibber-jabber :)

Seriously though, her motor skills are just fine. She won't be the earliest crawler, or puller-upper, or walker. But she's developing at a reasonable pace.

And we've been given the green light to start giving her some table foods, so let the fun begin :)

The only negative part of the visit came when Piper needed a finger poke. She did NOT like that. But it was over relatively quickly (well, actually it felt like it took forever, but it was over eventually). And daddy was at the ready for some serious comforting.

That's all - a very successful visit! And in 4-6 weeks Piper will be cleared to leave the country. Watch out, world!

It's a great big world

The last straw

Today Piper decided she was fed up with being dehydrated. So she decided to learn how to use a straw. Yay Piper!

Gigglebutt

Piper was in an extremely good mood this evening. Nothing was a little bit funny, everything was VERY funny! Of course, once the camera came out, she quieted down. This video captured just a hint of her giddiness.

Discovery

Busy Friday for the Peapod

This morning Piper spent some time at her Grandma's house while I had an early appointment. She has a great time playing with all of Grandma's toys, and then enjoyed having brunch with Grandma and me and even ate a few pieces of muffin (tentatively, and not necessarily intentionally).

She also spilled my Starbucks all over Grandma's kitchen floor. I forget sometimes that little hands can reach and grab now!


Then Piper got to spend some time this afternoon with her Godmother Christina, who's expecting her third baby this summer. It was great to see them interacting. Piper was mesmerized. And Christina is a pediatric occupational therapist, so she confirmed that Piper is coming along just beautifully (from a developmental standpoint). :)


Isn't it great to have so many people in the world who love this little girl to pieces?