At nine months old, our sweet Janie is such a love bug! She is playing "clappy-clappy" all of the time and has figured out what songs we clap during and always celebrates a song with a clap at the end at playgroup. It is fascinating the things that the little ones just pick up on from being around other kids!
Lil' Gem is growing beautifully, weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces,(50-75 percentile) and measuring a little over 28 inches long (75th percentile). She is meeting or surpassing most developmental milestones, except those that involve crawling or standing. Since she was late to rolling, she appears perfectly content getting around that way. Occasionally, a lunge from the sitting position lands her on all fours and she rocks a little, but is quick to get her feet rearranged so she can just be on her tummy. While Clara was crawling at this point, we are liking the fact that Janie really isn't mobile. This go round we have a different perspective as to how life changes with baby gates, latched cupboard and having to keep every inch of accessible space baby proofed.
Instead of being a mover, Janie is already a talker. Even the pediatrician mentioned that she appears advanced with her repertoire of sounds, responses to cues, and use of signs. A talker, in this family?... no way! Right now she consistently uses the sign for milk, food, more, and waves bye-bye. Her words (Ma-Ma, Da-Da, Aw-wa (Clara)) are sounding more clear. Of course it could have just been a fluke, but she repeated the word cracker so clearly in the car the other day. The cutest thing she consistently says is "Oh Wow!" After we noticed Janie say it, I started to realize how many times I say that a day (with a variety of inflections and tones) so it is really no surprise it will go down as our little gals first phrase. While last month "Ma-Ma" was her most popular word, "Da-Da" has taken over that slot - this may be reflective of her new infatuation with Daddy!
When Kevin comes home in the evenings, Janie just starts screeching and bouncing. She has been a Mama's girl for so long, but now is following in Big Sister's trail and has become a Daddy's Girl, too! Of course Daddy eats this up! It is adorable!
Janie's sense of humor is coming through is some really sweet ways. She still loves peek-a-boo and gives the silliest smirks when she peeks out from under her blanket. She thinks it is funny to give Mommy tastes of her crackers and shares her pacifier. She thinks Clara is about the funniest thing and the two of them can go on laughing at the simplest think, like a sneeze, forever! Absolutely heartwarming!
Janie has started to eat more finger foods. She enjoys small pieces of fruits and veggies and LOVES her baby snacks. She just has to see the container and she starts whining to have some treats. So far she seems to like all that we have presented. She has even warmed up a little to formula. Mommy tricked her into it by putting some formula/oatmeal cereal in all of her other foods to get her used to the taste. After weeks of presenting formula in a bottle, she finally decided to drink it! SUCCESS!! Of course, she makes it clear she is still a boob baby, but having this as a back up option feels great for Mommy!
Getting our Lil' Gem to sit still and have her photo taken is proving a little more challenging than before. Admittedly, a little sad for Mom because I love dressing her up and posing her for photos, but now she is a lot more wiggly trying to stand up or lunge for something that catches her eye. And determined! Once she sees something she wants she does whatever she can to get to it. After this month, we both feel like we have a better sense of our little girl's spunky personality, and if even possible, are falling in love even more.
Heidi & Nick's wedding at the Broken Top Club in Bend, OR was a fun evening for the whole Stevens-Michael clan. It was such a beautiful evening and fun wedding. Even the little gals had a blast!
Clara & Taylor Hugging and Kissing!
Janie Bug's first wedding
Attempt at family photo - Clara was NOT having it she was so jazzed and wanted to go play with the other kids. 
Daddy & his Baby Girls
Clara having her "fancy" meal
These little gals had so much fun on the dance floor. We were out way past Clara's bed time (Janie sacked out in her infant seat), but she was so cute interacting with the others. A very memorable evening indeed!
