Julianna is 9 months old

Julianna is 9 months old today. That seems so much closer to 1 year old than 8 months did!
Here are some things we are experiencing at 9 months old ...

Separation Anxiety - She peaked about a month ago and seems to be calming down with it. She only gets SA when she's tired for the most part. If she starts to whine when we leave the room, we talk to her, and she is usually OK after that.

Good Girl - Julianna has been a good little girl. We go out everywhere with her and I can't tell you the comments we get from strangers, saying how well behaved she is and how good she is for such a long time. (And of course they say how cute she is!) - We must really be blessed. I thought that was normal, but maybe it's not. We get it every time we eat out, or go to the store, etc... It's definitely a proud feeling!

Teeth - Not one. Nothing.

Crawling - Not yet. Soon. But she is pushing up on her knees, spinning around, and pushing herself backwards on the floor. She is very close to crawling but not there yet. It's OK b/c I can still put her down on her mat with some toys, and she stays occupied for quite some time. I know my days are numbered with that freedom.

Food - She is taking about 22-24 oz of formula a day. She eats a full serving of oatmeal in the morning along with a full jar of fruit, then a full serving of barley cereal in the evening with a full jar of veggies (and even some extra fruit some nights!) - she has become a very good eater as of late. Going to add in some veggies/fruits for lunch this week, and probably some meats too. (Even though she has already been eating chicken and sweet potatoes and loves it!)

Sleep - Julianna sleeps about 11 hours at night. She is a good sleeper. Lately she wakes up giving a few cries for her binky once a night. If she doesn't find it, we go in and give it to her, and back to sleep she goes. I am blaming it on the early stages of teething. I mean come on, 9 months; she has to have a stinkin tooth coming in soon, right?!?
Julianna takes 2-3 naps a day. Usually at 9:30am, 1pm, and a short catnap between 5-6pm. Then bedtime is 8pm sharp.

Words & communication - She says Da-Da ... all the time. She loves saying or screaming Da-Da! She says "A-boo" a lot when playing with her toys... so we think it means toy. Who knows?! She knows how to get our attention now too. Other than screeching (lol), she touches our arm if we are next to us and looks at us with her big blue saucer eyes. She also started to figure out how to kiss our face this week... and she nuzzles her head when you are holding her now. Super cute.

Toys - She is really playing with her toys on a higher level. She's understanding how to take smaller toys out of a bigger toy- like a nesting block or the shapes that go in the big box. She figured out if she hits a piano key on her Baby Einstein mini-piano that it plays a song. Toys are no longer for only putting in the mouth!

Strangers - Julianna is starting to get shy around strangers. When we are out, if someone talks to her, she gives them this serious but shy face as if to say, "Who are you and why are you talking to me?"

There are so many other milestones and fun things but I can't remember it all ...

Juliana's 9 month checkup is tonight - time for weight, height, and shots. She is fitting comfortably into her 12 month clothes & is pretty long for 9 months old. Last time they measured her, she was in the 85th %. I am curious to see how much she weighs tonight!

Julianna modeling her new hat. I got it for 50 cents at Babysrus.

Gotta love clearance.