9-Month Stats

She is still a peanut ... but she is growing steadily! As of her 9-month doctor's appointment earlier this week, she weighs 16.5 lbs and is 27.5 inches long. That's nearly 10 pounds and 8 inches since birth. Her weight is approximately 10th percentile, but length is almost average at around the 40th percentile.

Debating whether I should post this one ...

For the past several days, Carolyn has developed a new routine. In the morning as soon as we take off her diaper, she crawls over to her diaper pail, stands up, and poops on the floor. In the evening as soon as we take her diaper off, she stands up next to the bath tub and pees. So we decided we should buy her a potty seat and see if we can reinforce this behavior in a more constructive way. So far, we have caught a pee and a poop. She really does not like the potty because her little butt falls through the hole. And, I am pretty sure that she is not ready for any sort of formal potty-training, but it is clear that she is realizing that it is preferable to go potty when she does not have to wear it around in her pants all day. Who could blame her. She's a smart girl.

Don't believe me? I wouldn't if I were you. I posted a picture on our flickr page for proof of her successful toilet behaviors. I refrained from posting it here. I have better judgement than to expose you to that.

Hey Dad, I Like Dirt!

Carolyn was helping Steve garden today.
It looks like she had fun playing in the dirt.
Looks like she ate some dirt, too.

9 Months Old

Another month has passed ... this month marks an interesting milestone, the point where we have known Carolyn longer as a baby, than as a person inside of my belly.

Still no hair, no teeth, and few naps. She likes to wave, but does not always do it in the right context. She tries to clap her hands, but oftentimes misses. She climbs on everything. And, she is a loud-mouth. I have a feeling that she is going to be an early walker. She used to only walk if you were holding on to both of her hands, but the past few days, she is walking with only holding on to one hand. Who knows how long it will be until she is brave enough to do it on her own without any assistance....

I was getting ready to put away her bouncy chair, thinking that she had outgrown it, but she found a new way to use it. She climbs on, makes it bounce, and then climbs back off. She does it over and over. She will also climb into the chair when drinking a bottle; those are the few rare moments when she sits still and actually relaxes during the day.

Bathtime is still a highlight of her day. Here is a little vide of her talking to her new friend, Duck.

I will update again with her 9-month length and weight stats, after we get back from the doctor's office on Monday.

Carolyn loves Leo

Carolyn loves Leo
Originally uploaded by boo4172002

This cracks me up. Carolyn loves Leo and wants to play with him so bad. Today, he actually tolerated it.

Cross-Country Ski Date

Steve and I had a date -- we went cross-country skiing with some neighbors (and fellow Mom's group members), while Carolyn stayed at home with Katie the babysitter. I am not at all a natural, when it comes to cross-country skiing, but I was better than I was last time. Those darn skiny skis are hard to control. I sometimes would fall just standing still on flat ground. I definitely prefer alpine skiing over nordic, but the scenery is lovely and the day was so perfect. Blue skies and sunshine.

Fundraiser for Machara

In true Becky spirit, I agreed to help organize a fundraiser for Machara Miracle Network, a foundation dedicated to bringing water to Souther Sudan. When I volunteered, I said I would 'help' with the event, but it turned out to be more like I (along with Kim) were in-charge of hosting the event. It ended up being A LOT of work, at a time when I did not have a lot of time available, but it was a success. The organization made quite a bit of money and all of the attendees had fun.

I am glad I did it, but I need to learn to keep my mouth shut instead of volunteering to do things like this.

Weekend Visitors - The Coles

Pierce and Jen visited from New Jersey. Their trip was short -- they arrived on Friday and left on Sunday. They went skiing on Friday, and then we all spent a day skiing together on Saturday. Nikki invited us over for dinner on Saturday night, where she cooked us stuffed peppers and entertained us with her new game, "rock band." On Sunday, we enjoyed a breakfast at home and a hike in the neighborhood before taking them back to the airport.