Dear Emmylou,

Today is December 14, 2006, which means you are 9 months old now! Can you even believe it? I certainly can't. This past month has been insane with all of the changes we've thrown at you, but you've continued to be one of the happiest and good-natured babies on the planet. Honestly, I'm a little worried that you're saving all of the difficult times for your teenage years because you're just so easy right now. But just because you're easy doesn't mean you're lacking in personality. You've really started to show us yours, and it is sweet, friendly, funny and determined. Go figure, the perfect combination!

These days you're talking up a storm and daddy calls you 'the parrot' because you can imitate lots of things we say. I think that means it's officially time that we start watching what we say! You still aren't officially crawling yet (just scooting and slithering), but we're pretty sure you're going to skip that step altogether and go straight into walking. You've always wanted to stand up in my lap since you were, literally, only a few weeks old, and you still only want to stand, stand, stand! It's even difficult at times to make you sit on the floor and play with your toys-- sometimes I have to pull your legs out from under you to make you sit! You are still racing around in your walker and I have a feeling that if I put you on the sidewalk outside, I might find you a couple blocks away after only a few minutes.

It took a few days, but I think you are finally used to your new house and room because you slept all night last night and the night before. Either that or I have worn you out to the point of exhaustion that you'd be able to sleep on a moving freight train just the same. Really, I'm just glad you're sleeping through the night again! You have also been trying all kinds of new foods lately and I love sharing my plate with you when we go out to eat (which is all the time since we've been kitchen-less for a while). You are really liking chicken, beans, rice and french fries and are slowly getting a little better at eating avocado, something I keep trying to give you (even though you make faces) because the universe just wouldn't make sense if I had a daughter that doesn't like guacamole. You can really chew/gum your food now, which means I no longer envision you turning blue and me administering the Heimlich Maneuver each time I give you something to eat. Yay.

Daddy and I have loved watching you figure out how to do new things, but the best part, for sure, is watching your own face light up with pride and happiness when that happens. Like when you clap, you look at your hands with a smile and then look up at us as if to say, "oh my god, those are my hands that did that!" I can't begin to think of all the other firsts we'll get to experience with you and I hope you have that same un-stifled joy and sense of pride for every single one. We couldn't be prouder of you or love you even a single ounce more.

Love,
Mama