9 Months

Moving

Anna rolls quickly from one side of a room to the other, under beds and tables and to toys.  She has a lot more bumps and bruises these days because of all the things she rolls into.  Most notably this month, she wants to stand.  She arches her back when she wants to be upright (with support) and then she dances (i.e. bounces) her legs.  When she gets really excited, she wiggles her legs very quickly.

 

Talking 

WOW, Bye-Bye and the "H" sound have been added to Anna's short list. She has been attempting to wave "hi" and "bye".

 

Travel 

Anna is quite the traveler.  This month alone she has been to Tampa, Myrtle Beach, and Wilmington to visit family and play in pools and oceans. 

Eating

This month we started to explore some dairy in addition to fruits, veggies, and grains.  Unfortunately, dairy does not seem to agree with Anna quite yet based on a few sleepless nights, tummy troubles and puking.   Finger foods have been a huge hit.  She picks things up with both hands but usually picks up with her left and transfers to her right before putting it directly in her mouth.

Random

Anna's hemangiomas seem to have stopped growing and may even be starting to shrink.  After several visits to multiple doctors we have concluded that the welts that continuosly appear on arms and legs are an hyper-reaction to outdoor bug bites (probably mosquito).

Siblings

She is so easily entertained by Max and Kate in the car, at the pool, on the floor, in her bed...all they have to do is look at her and she grins and giggles.  The other day they put on a parade for her which she thought was absolutely spectacular.

Update: 16.1 lbs; 28in.

Wilmington

The kids and I took a quick trip to Wilmington to visit Grandma Mary, Papa D and Abigail.  We had a BLAST at their pool, the beach, in the playroom and out on the town. 

Pool 

All three just loved being in the water.  The pool toys were a hit, especially the squirt guns which turned into an all out war between the kids and Grandparents.  Kate clung to every flotation device until Papa D got her floating and jumping in.  Max was fearless and loved putting out fires by dumping buckets of water on everyone.

Beach

Once again Anna wanted to be part of the action, sitting/standing in the water and playing with the sand. Max wanted to dig and build, his favorite castle was a drip castle that he meticulously worked on until is got washed away. Kate wanted to be tossed and turned by the waves - the rougher the better.

 

Playroom

Grandma Mary has worked very hard to stock her playroom closet with toys for all ages.  Max and Kate begged to play every waking minute that we were not on the beach or at the pool.  Max spent hours lining up dinosaurs, reading books and organizing cars.  Kate collected all sorts of things, took care of baby animals and pretended to be a princess at all times (she even tried to wear the "glass slippers" to bed one night). Anna loved the noise makers, small bath toys, baby dolls, and ROCKY!

Fuzzy Peach Frozen Yogurt

Thank you Grandma Mary, Papa D and Abigail (and Rocky) for spending so much time playing with us.  I truly appreciate the extra hands and find these little getaways very relaxing. THANK YOU! See you soon.

Bright and Early

Monkey

More Waves

Waves

Kingston Plantation

YAY for work trips!  Once again Duke hosted an awesome week of lectures and family fun in North Myrtle Beach.  We are really enjoying this trip more with each year.  We spent each morning on the beach with a quick dip in the pool/lazy river to rinse off.  Then we headed in for naps, walks and cooler restocking. The afternoons were spent by the splash pool.  We found that the kids had just as much fun out of the water after the pool closed so we packed dinners (and specialty drinks for Mom and Dad) and hung out by the empty stage for our own version of a dinner show.  Dinner shows were different each day, some dancing, some singing, some acrobatics and kite flying.

Splash Pool
This water park is such a blast with water spraying everywhere, slides, lazy river, and itty-bitty pool with mini fountains.  There was something for everyone at all times!

Beach
Everyone loved the beach.  We made friends with a little girl named Nadia who the kids adored.  Kate could not get enough time in the water and waves.  Max was busy working in the sand. Anna splashed in the water and dug her toes in the sand between naps.

After Hours Entertainment
Anna thought the afternoon winds were hilarious. Kate & Max tried to make towels into kites.

 

Max must have said "ladies and gentlemen for the first time ever..." and "raise your hand if you want to come on stage...Kate raise your hand!" a hundred times.

 Princess Kate wanted to strike a pose!

We went on an adventure looking for aquatic life throughout the plantation.  We found a few turtles, swans, fish, squirrels (which were too friendly) and sprinklers.

I am pretty sure everyone had a blast and we are already looking forward to next year!