Caroline at 9 months

Caroline is so proud of her new ability to pull up in her crib. I'm going to have to lower that mattress one last time.

At eight months, Caroline mastered forward mobility, this month, she is moving on up. Pulling up, that is! She is not cruising yet, but can stand in one spot and hang on very well to the furniture. She also loves to climb on us when we are sitting on the floor and gives great hugs around the neck. She is crawling faster each day, but thankfully hasn't shown much interest in climbing stairs yet. I have the baby gate all ready for that day which I imagine will be coming soon. Caroline is also sporting three new teeth this month, all on top, for a total of five. Much to my relief, she seems to be over the novelty of biting while nursing.
She eats three meals a day, nurses four times, and has a great appetite. We tried Cheerios today which were a big hit, and I am offering her more table foods. The only food she really hasn't liked was watermelon. She gagged on the smallest piece and actually threw up! She still spits up fairly often, much to my dismay. I don't think it is a medical problem, more like she is just one of those special kids who continue to spit beyond the normal 6 month range. Rylan has an eagle-eye for picking out the "puke spots" and is always helpful to tell us when he finds them on the carpet.
I am thankful Caroline is still a good sleeper, napping twice a day and sleeping 12 hours at night. She sucks her thumb when she is tired, but hasn't gotten overly attached to any "loveys" like Rylan bonded with his bear-bear.
She says "da-da" and this week started babbling "buh-buh" when we tried to get her to say brother. I think brother is her favorite person besides mama. She lights up with the biggest smiles and just coos whenever he comes near. They like to play peek-a-boo together and Caroline thinks it is the most fun to roll around on Rylan's bed with him. I am always reminding him to be gentle, but am amazed at how much rough-housing Caroline will tolerate before she fusses. I think she is going to be one tough girl. She still has quite a temper and had a couple big screaming hyperventilating fits this month. One happened when Charlton tried to dig a leaf out of her mouth. Mean daddy! Her cries woke me up out of a sound sleep after I had been working all night. She will also squeal, clench her fists, arch her back and turn red in the high chair or car seat if she doesn't wish to be in there. She also doesn't like wearing her hair bows anymore, or maybe she would rather chew on them than wear them. Her hair is so long that I just can't leave it un-fixed, but I can usually get her to keep a rubber band in.
We went to story time at the library this morning and Caroline actually got to participate since Rylan was willing to sit also. She was very interested and enthusiastic and I was so happy to be able to share that time with her like I did with Rylan when he was a baby. She loves splashing in the tub, swinging at the park, and playing with any of Rylan's toys, especially his race cars and tools. Most of her toys have been hand-me-downs from Rylan, but we will have to remedy that on her
1st birthday and get some real girl toys.
Well, my girl is waking up from her nap now and that's about all I can think to share about her this month. We go to the doctor on Tuesday, so I will update her official height/weight stats then.