(I wrote this a month ago but it didn’t get posted due to blog issues. Even though Charlotte’s 10 month update is days away, I’m posting it now!)
Dear Charlotte,
Somehow summer has snuck up on me this year, along with your 9 month birthday. Despite the sneakiness, I think congratulations are in order — for you and for me — for making it through 3/4 of your first year so far.
At 9 months old, you are sitting like a champ and this month you started crawling! You’ve already gotten better at it since I took this video a couple weeks ago. Like most newly-mobile babies, it’s not pretty but it seems to work just fine. You work your elbows back and forth and add a well-timed knee, and the next thing I know you’ve army crawled over to your toy basket and are happily banging plastic cups on the floor.
In addition to your newfound mobility — which made us lower your crib mattress shortly after the photo above was taken — you’ve also gotten a lot more vocal in the last month, and sometimes it’s actually pretty darn loud. You definitely like to be part of the action, and are not content to be left on the floor or in your booster seat even for a moment if the rest of us are doing something else. When we get home from work and daycare, I always put your car seat down on the floor in the living room and can barely take 10 seconds to put my bag down or take my sunglasses off before you are squawking at me to pick you up!
We had a nice long visit from Momo towards the end of this month, and with it came the first signs of separation anxiety — or really, a touch of “stranger danger,” as people seem to call it these days. You often fussed at the idea of Momo carrying you away to your room, out of sight of Daddy or me. It got better as the week went on and you started to recognize your grandmother, and overall it was a rather fascinating indication of where you are developmentally. (And a confidence-boosting observation too, since I now know without a doubt that you know who I am — and like me!)
I haven’t noticed any signs of new teeth yet to join your bottom two, but you’re starting to eat more and show interest in all kids of food — especially if Daddy or Emma or I are eating it. Your hair is getting longer and it’s starting to look like it might be curly! You moved up to size 4 diapers and I finally brought a box of 9-12 month clothes out of the closet as well. To be honest, I probably should have done that last month since putting you in 6 month onesies was starting to look a little silly! But now it’s like you have a whole new (used) wardrobe and it’s fun to see you sporting so many of the cute outfits your sister was wearing a mere 3 years ago.
A few days ago after Momo left, we took another family trip to the grocery store, and this time instead of the “normal” cart we let you loose in one of the infamous car carts. You grabbed that steering wheel and giggled, moving it back and forth the entire time we were there. You were clearly having a fantastic time, and that didn’t go unnoticed by the other customers. Whenever we are out and about, people comment on how smiley and happy you are!
Early in the month, I got to celebrate my first Mother’s Day as a mom of two and it was pretty great. I was never one of those women who just couldn’t wait to have kids, and even after having Emma, my desire to have a second child was as logical as it was emotional — maybe more — but now I don’t want to think about where we’d be without you. I love your smile, your laugh, and your simultaneous easy-going and insistent personality. I love the little sister you are to Emma. I love the awesome daughter you are to Daddy. And I love the extra dose of happiness that you’ve brought to me as a mom the second time around.
At this point I’ve probably said something similar every month, but the good news is that saying it over and over and over doesn’t it any less true.
Love,
Mama