Movement

Emily has really become a flurry of activity over the past week. Last weekend she started a little bit of official crawling. Since then the crawling has become more constant, but it is still something that she doesn't seem to enjoy. There is lots of whining and complaining that accompanies it. Also, it is not traditional, plain vanilla crawling. Instead, it is a bit lopsided and interspersed with little bunny hops, but she manages to get around.

Also, over the course of the past week, she started pulling herself up on things (her crib, the tub, and the footstool) without any help. Also, I observed a little bit of cruising earlier this week as she walked along while holding onto the footstool. I don't think she ever realized that she was doing it. This sort of activity is something that she enjoys much more than the crawling. Anything that involves standing has always been her preference.

Not only do her arms and legs seem to be moving, but it also appears as if her teeth may be moving. I think that I see white at the front of her upper gums, so I think that a couple of upper teeth may soon make an appearance. She was a bit crabby yesterday, potentially due to teething pain, but other than that there haven't been any other symptoms.

Emily is also continuing to develop her other skills. She has added some ma ma ma's to her vocabulary, but so far we don't have conclusive proof that she associates this with me. Also, she has added pointing to her gestures. She learned this from Nancy, who often points to cars, etc. So, today at lunch Emily was pointing out things of interest to me. So cute.

9 Month Check-up

Emily had her 9-month check-up today. She is now 16 pounds, 13 ounces (17th percentile), 27 inches long (32nd percentile), and her head is 44 cm (52nd percentile). Basically, the doctor is happy with her growth rate. Although she is a peanut, her percentages are holding relatively steady, which is the important part.

Emily has decided that she needs to add a few more tricks to her repertoire. So, she has started babbling with actual consonant sounds like "Ba Ba" and "Da Da". Also, she is trying to make kissing noises by smacking her lips together. Her gestures now include lots of waiving and nodding her head "yes" in addition to "no".

As for her gross motor skills, she is trying to pull herself up on things, but needs a little assistance. She still isn't crawling yet, but she is getting closer every day. She can get her knees underneath her and rock a bit. She is also often in a push-up position to see if she can move that way, but of course that is even harder than hands and knees crawling, so it usually ends in frustration pretty quickly. When she is on her belly she will pivot herself around in a circle and also use her hands to push herself backwards.