Photos of Family and Friends: 9 Months

Bernie Rose is already nine months old! Two weeks before this milestone she measured at 28.5 inches long and weighed 17.8 pounds. We have kept busy this month doing a lot of traveling and whole lot of growing.

Bernie is officially on the move! She can crawl with no problem and if she's on carpet she really picks up speed. She can pull herself up onto almost anything that she can reach: tables, chairs, couches, walls, drawers, people... She can hang on with one hand and play with a toy in the other. Her fall back down to a seated position has become more and more graceful. It went from a scary dive, to a plop, to a gradually sit. I don't hover over her so she has hit various body parts from time to time. Sometimes she reacts and starts to cry and others she will shrug it off and try and again.

She likes to play with anything that isn't one of her toys: measuring cups, spoons, tupperware, cell phones, remotes, mirrors, jewelry, and eye glasses to name a few.

She now has SIX teeth poking through and the top four become more visible everyday. She has started to eat more solid foods but this is still in the exploratory stage. Her meals are still the pureed food that I make for her. She loves blueberries and taking bites off of my bananas, apples, peaches, and pears. She's tried hummus, beans, crackers, and cheese. She has aslo gotten her hands on ice cream, fudge, and a chocolate chip cookie, lucky girl.

We have spent another month with out Tony. I don't think there's any other way to put it, except that it really sucks. It doesn't suck being with Bernie everyday, for that I am extremely grateful. It is hard to see Bernie change so much without her dad around. Luckily, we have been surrounded by all sorts of family and friends who help me tremendously and get to spend quality time with Bern.

As you can see, it is getting harder to get Bernie to sit still for a picture. So, we have one where she looks very solemn, another where she starts to move away, and a third attempt that ended in frustration.

Here's a look at what we have done this past month...

We spent a week in Bloomington that started with a Father's day filled with family. Everyone came down to help celebrate and it was like having Christmas in June!

Bernie with Aunt Ann Dad, John, Grandpa, and Bernie on Father's Day

Everyone loves watching Bernie explore, especially Grandma and Grandpa

John is still a little Bernie shy, so when she started crying I decided to hand her over and John just joined in!

We had a great lunch with Amy Smith

And spent an afternoon at Holiday pool with Terri and her two kids, Payton and Madison.

This new toy from Grandma and Grandpa was a huge hit! Bernie was able to walk through the door, open and shut the window, and push most of the buttons.

She went up her very first step in Bloomington. It took a few tries but by the end of the week she was an expert.

Bernie had her 9 month check up as well. No shots, but she did get her finger pricked.

Can you see those teeth???

We had a GREAT afternoon with Erica, Mollie, and Brittany, who just returned from South Korea. We walked around downtown Iowa City and ended up on the patio of the Mill for lunch and even a beer!

Last week Kaye, Ryan, and Jack came for a summer visit. It was GREAT having them around, they really spiced up our boring routine! Bernie loves Jack and Jack loves Bernie even though this time she could move around and play with his toys :)

Just a little sample of her new skills.

Two weeks ago Bernie went up one stair and now she can zoom up a whole flight!

My mom, Bernie, and I went to Atkinson on July 3rd for my Grandma's birthday. It was such a delightful day and the easiest trip we made all month. I had no idea I was only an hour and fifteen minutes away for all of these years!