Reese’s nine month well baby appointment was today (as was her nine month birthday). She weighs 21 lb 2.5 oz (90%) and measures 29″ long/tall (90%). She’s grown much taller, because her height used to be in the 75%. She looks huge. The doctor said she was doing great and gave me some pointers for the next few months. Next time she goes in she’ll be a year old!! Here’s a birthday picture.

Sadly, the booger to which I refer was inadvertently edited out. It was there though.

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We’re working on getting Reese to feed herself. It’s going very slowly - she doesn’t trust that what I put on her tray is edible (ironic, since she eats everything else). She’s just starting to eat the peaches I’m giving her.

I was taking advantage of a sleepy baby for some cuddle time on Sunday. You can see her little teeth!

I decided Reese would enjoy a little bubble bath in the sink. It was actually her first time bathing in the sink!

It’s gotten a little warmer again, so I pulled out a gift from Stefa! So cute! It made her look so grown up!

Yesterday I took Reese to the park for the first time. It was blazing hot, but she enjoyed it anyway. She mostly enjoyed the swing. You can also see her dirty knees. We explored the platform of the jungle gym. Some scary moments for mommy, but she was just fine.

We had a pretty busy weekend. Brian and I went to Charlotte Auto Fair with Jayme (his boss) and Joseph (Jayme’s son) for most of the day Saturday. I went to Sandy (Jayme’s wife)’s baby shower that night. We went to church and ran a bunch of errands yesterday, but not before enjoying the amazing fall weather. We had a mini-photo shoot of Reese in her adorable Secret Service hoodie from our friends Steve and Erica before our morning walk yesterday.

We always enjoy our downtime on the weekend, usually watching a TV show on DVD. Here Reese and Brian and watching together.

I got some pictures of Reese pulling up, though no video. Every morning she plays by herself for a while before her first nap, so I took some photos.

Like all babies, Reese progresses differently in different areas. She didn’t roll over regularly until she was 6 months old, but she’s gotten really good at crawling over the past 6 weeks. She’s also pulling up! Talking has been a slower development, usually restricted to “AAAA”s and lip buzzing up until today. Today she learned how to babble! She discovered her little voice, and was telling me all about it. It was so sweet!

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Brian’s parents came into town to visit us (Reese, really) this weekend. We all had a lot of fun together, and they loved their time with their girl. They also brought Dark Pony, a rocking horse that Brian’s grandfather hand made for him. It’s really neat, don’t you think?

Grandpa likes playing on the floor with her.

And here are Grandma and Reese outside Steak and Shake.

I’ve been asked to post some pictures of Reese crawling, so here it is! I’ll try to get one of her pulling up soon.

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I can’t believe I’ve been so long between posts. I have been taking pictures, but I forget to put them up. Reese is pulling up more and more now. We had to lower her crib mattress so she wouldn’t fall out, and it’s a good thing we did! She was standing up holding onto the rails when I came and got her from her morning nap. She’s sleeping less now, only two naps a day, so that allows for longer windows for errands. Now if she can just keep up two naps until, I don’t know, preschool? I still have so much peace and quiet.

A few Sundays ago Reese figured out that she can travel around by crawling, so now she’s everywhere! I can no longer expect her to be in the same place or even the same room when I leave her for a few minutes. Let the baby-proofing begin! On the plus side, she can play very well by herself now, especially if I’m in the room. I don’t need to play with her, just be there and she’ll play and play. It worked out very well last week while I had strep throat and spent most of the day lying on the floor.

And finally, our friends Josh and Beth and Aiden came down and visited for a few days. It was fun to catch up, let the babies play, and show them the house!

Here are Reese and Aiden at about 4 and a half months:

And here is one from last weekend:

I’ve been trying to get Reese to feed herself. Just yesterday she understood that Puffs are food and can go in her mouth, but she’s still sketchy on the concept. I mistakenly gave her blueberries, and you can see what a mess they were!

In her exploring, Reese has taken a liking to windows:

Reese has been blessed with a lot of clothing ever since she was born. My mom brought her a whole suitcase full when she and Kevin visited, and most recently, my Aunt Susie sent a box. Here are some samples: