Eva is 9 Months Old!

Time is moving pretty quickly, and as you can see below, Eva is no longer the delicate little baby she once was,  she is just steps away from entering the toddler world.  During Eva's 9 month birthday, we were visiting Dana's family in Michigan...so I thought, how cute would it be to use Dana's old baby blanket and have Eva sitting in a chair that Dana once sat in when he was young.  I loved the idea and think it turned out perfectly.

At 9 months old, Eva is weighing in at 19 1/2 lbs and measures about 29".  I can see a tremendous growth spurt in her last couple weeks because she went from fitting her 9 month clothing comfortably to all of a sudden being too long.  That means more new cute clothes for her to wear :)

Eva has many new things happening lately, and most of them were noticed when we were in Michigan, so others were able to witness them as well.  First, she has been going through a growling phase, which consists of using her lowest voice possible to growl at everyone around her.  I'm not sure, but we're thinking she got it from her brother, Rocky.  Its been pretty funny to listen to her when she is in "growl" mode. 

We've also been trying to work with her to learn how to wave bye-bye.  She's starting to get the hang of it, for you can see her fingers start moving whenever we wave.  And, she even raised her hand and started waving right at Daddy once.  It was so cute.  She was sitting so straight and smiling so big while she looked across the table at Dana with her hand in the air and fingers moving.

Grandma taught her how to play peek-a-boo, which she absolutely loves.  They played it almost every day that they had together, it was the cutest thing to watch.  Grandma would really get her going, and she would giggle so much.  It was the perfect bonding experience for both of them.

Eva has started spinning  around in a cirlce.  When her Aunt Kelly noticed her doing it on Grandma's kitchen floor, she told us that Reese (Eva's cousin) also use to do it at that age, so they nicknamed him Taz.  Now Eva is taking over the Taz moves.

She has been daring enough to try and stand on her own.  We have witnessed her stand while holding something and then just let go a few times now.  Its scary for us, feeling like we need to jump in and grab her, but we know this is just part of her process in moving forward with walking and standing on her own. 

She has begun eating finger foods, which she seems to really enjoy, but boy does it make a mess for mommy.  I am now sweeping and mopping 3x a day, and eating a meal has become much much longer.  Her favorites have been Cherrios and banana.

Lastly, Eva is now starting to become a bit bashful and not as easy for anyone to grab her.  She needs a little warming up before she is comfortable in a strangers arms and has now started crying for mommy if she is unsure of who she is with.  But, rest assured, it is still extremely easy to get a smile out of her.  Eva is always smiling and laughing and happy-go-lucky. 

I love spending my days with Eva, she is just so much fun and happy to be around.  She loves to get me to chase her around the house, likes to walk while I hold her hands (boy is my back getting a work out), and tries to play with Rocky whenever she gets close to him...she is just a joy, I can't get enough of her.