Arden at 9 months

Stats at her 9 month doctor's visit:

Weight: 17 pounds 14 ounces (25-50th percentile)

Height: 29 inches (90th percentile or something like that)

What do I say about my sweet Arden? She is just a good-natured little nugget and I can just eat her up. So I love Arden to death but I have to admit there were a couple of weeks when I wondered why Arden had turned into such a challenge. Well, the obvious reason was that she had a cold and couldn't BREATHE, but for a while there I thought she was turning into Ava #2 (aka the worst sleeper ever). I think she is getting back on track now to falling asleep better on her own. Although sometimes she will just cry in her crib in the afternoon and won't take her afternoon nap. It is still tough at night since she wakes up 2-4 times a night. I nurse her back to sleep (I think I am repeating the same mistakes as I did with Ava) and put her back in the crib that is next to me. Sometimes she won't fall asleep and start squawking and she wants to play a little bit. At this point she ends up in my bed and she likes to put her mouth up to my face. Seriously adorable. I have to remind myself that someday she will sleep through the night!

Arden is up to some new tricks. She can do some serious army crawling around, and when she feels like it she can crawl on her knees too. She doesn't do that much around our apartment since we don't have any carpet.

Arden is quite a squawker. Whenever we make a roaring sound, she'll copy us. She can make really loud noises and hold a note for a long time. A friend who has had years of voice training said that Arden could be a singer someday. Arden likes to bop to music as well.

Arden is also known in our household as "The Wrestler." Anytime I try to change her diaper or clothes, she will twist and turn to get away. It is seriously a wrestling match to get her to lay or sit still for a second. It is one "body slam" after the next to get the job done.

Arden has started eating puffs and cheerios, small bits of cheese, and has tried pizza crusts, bread, and avocados.

Arden likes to squint/blink her eyes playfully

She only has two bottom teeth and just a few more strands of hair.

Santa's little helper

I'll never get enough of this girl

Anytime something is on Arden's head she tries to take it off

Arden does this funny thing of putting her four fingers up to her mouth when she is tired. She doesn't put her fingers in her mouth, just up to her lips while she sucks on her bottom lip. My family got such a kick out of this in Arizona.

"How big is Arden? So big!"

Little Eskimo asleep on the floor

Ava and Arden like to look out our big window

Arden can say "dada"

Ava thinks of this jumper as a swing and pushes Arden back and forth...until I catch her. I must say that Arden puts up with Ava's rough housing very well. Ava likes to wrestle her, slap her face somewhat gently, sit on her and steal whatever is in Arden's hands. Ah, sisterly love.