9 Months

On Sunday Vivian turned 9 months old. I still cannot believe it. As you can see from the pictures I have selected - turning 9 months old seems to entail refusing to sleep. After reading the instruction manual (American Academy of Pediatrics Book) that our pediatrician gave us, it would appear that we are smack dab in the middle of separation anxiety which not only disrupts her sleep, but mine as well. Apparently, Vivian is at the stage where she realizes that there is only one of her Mom and Dad and she needs to wake up often and fight sleep to spend more time with us (it of course is a bigger problem since most of the time there is only one of us here). The book says this stage usually happens around 8-12 months and lasts from two weeks until - well it did not really say so I am assuming this can go on until she is one. I really hope not.

She looks sleepy and she is all ready for bed, but she is good for another two to three hours.

Here she is making a funny face at the camera.

I love you kid. You have changed so much in the last month and are getting big and coordinated. You have mastered crawling and pulling yourself up on things - walking cannot be too far off. Your motor runs all the time and I cannot trust you for a minute - I have learned that if you are being quiet then you are not being good. You also have this amazing talent for finding the dirtiest spots in our house and trying to eat the dirt you find there. If the house is not dirty enough for you - laundry lint will do - even if you have to dig through Daddy's basket of clean clothes until you find some. You are starting to love your books and really enjoy being read to - unless it starts to make you sleepy, then it is time to bolt. You challenge me to keep up with you and you amaze me with your unique spirit. You call me MumMum on a regular basis (not just when you are furious with me) but start saying DaDaDa the minute your Daddy comes home and for several days after he leaves. We love you and are so happy to have you in our lives. My favorite line from your Olivia book comes to mind - "You wear me out, but I love you anyway" to which Olivia says "I love you anyway too, Mommy".