9 Months

Nope, this isn't a post about pregnancy.  Rather, Nora is nine months old and loving every second of it.  She's always been a good baby but lately she's been just happy happy happy.  She is most excited that she has figured out how to walk while holding onto objects, furniture, or someone's fingers.  She first learned she could do this when we were unpacking the humidifier when she had a cold - she pushed the box a few steps across the living room. Then she started pushing the laundry baskets about whenever I was folding clothes. (Side note: want to turn folding laundry into an all-afternon activity? Hire Nora. She will take the clothes out of the basket, push the basket across the room, take out a few more items, push it elsewhere, and then unstack all the piles you have created. When you have successfully replaced all the now folded clothes into the basket, she will take them out again.)  When we visited Ryan's parents, they borrowed a walker toy from their neighbors, and she went to town.

And now we are the proud owners of a Fisher Price walking toy.  It plays "Rockin' Robin" and now it's in our heads all.day.long.

In other news, she discovered balloons one day at the grocery store.  There I was picking out apples when she starts to bounce in the seat and yells "eh, eh, eh!" loud enough for everyone to hear.  When I turned around to see what she was looking at: ta-da! balloons.  Next time you go to the grocery store, count how many balloons you see.  Based on Nora's most recent grocery store excitement level, I'm guessing you will count 1,876.  But she's happy and it makes grocery shopping interesting, plus the other shoppers are entertained and forgive me when it takes me eighteen minutes to pick out toothpaste because it's right next to the Halloween decorations (i.e. lots of balloons and even a giant inflatable pumpkin).

Her only current dislike at the moment is staying still. I have resorted to cartoons during poopy diaper changes and trimming fingernails.  There's no other way to do it that doesn't end in poop on my carpet and her clothes (and probably mine, too).  Really, changing her diaper is like trying to teach a turtle to sing the national anthem.

9 month pictures to follow. (But not of the diaper changing. How would I even take a picture of that, even if I wanted to? I have no idea.)