Standing Up!

Well, Erin was satisfied with crawling for about 3 weeks. Now, it's on to standing. She has been practicing very hard, and those skinny little legs are starting to hold her up!

She has been very busy practicing her new tricks this week - so busy, in fact, that it's hard for her to find time to take naps and she wants to wake up at 5am. Mommy, Daddy, and Bella do not want to wake up at 5am!

Crawling video

Here is a 48-second video of Erin crawling today. I don't know what happened to the audio, nor do I know why it is so grainy - it's not the same without her heavy breathing and goo-goo's! Actually getting it off the video recorder and onto the computer is feat in itself for me!

9 months old!

Erin is 9 months old today! She is growing up so fast, and we think she is the cutest and smartest baby ever...parents are allowed to think that, right? She went for her 9-month checkup today. I didn't know they did 9-month checkups since they don't need any immunizations at that age, but I guess they do. She continues to be tall and thin like her Grandpa Callaway was - 26-1/2" long (>95th percentile), 17 lbs. 14 oz. (30th percentile), and her head is 17-1/2" (60th percentile). I am used to more chubby babies and am concerned about her weight, but the doctor said not to worry, that she is doing great and is eating as much as she needs, and that she may always be thin. If that's true, I am happy for her, and jealous too!

Everything checked out great - one ear is completely healed and one has just a tiny hint of infection left, but she still has 4 more days of antibiotics to clear that up. She passed the developmental screen with flying colors - the only thing she doesn't do is drink from a cup. He said to just keep trying that and she will figure it out. I got some apple juice to try - she's never had juice, so maybe it will be so good that she will work for it! We have the cups with straws and the regular sippy cups, but so far she hasn't figured out either one. We've been using the straw one lately because that seems easier to use since there is no head-tilting required.

She is crawling up a storm now, though sometimes she likes to use one knee and one foot. It's pretty funny to watch her do that! She loves to play with Bella's bell, which confuses Bella to no end..."Do I have to go outside? I don't think so!" Erin also wants to stand and likes us to hold her in a standing position on the floor so she can bend down and pick up toys. Why not just sit, silly girl?!?

Another highlight is Erin dancing - only a video can do that justice, so I won't even try to describe it. We will try to get video of her dancing soon!

We started a new picture album - http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.callaway/ErinMichelle9Months - enjoy!

Ear Infection #2

After we got back from the beach, Erin started having a runny nose and cough. Last night, she started pulling on her ears, so we took her to the pediatrician this morning...and we have Ear Infection #2. I am hoping she didn't inherit her mommy's history of lots and lots of ear infections! She got more of the pink stuff that she likes really well. We got to check out the Cary office of the pediatrician group and liked it very much.

Erin is doing well with it - she's actually doing better than she did with her last cold a few weeks ago. She is eating fine and sleeping pretty well, except for waking up to cough. She still makes time to practice her crawling, which has definitely gotten Bella's attention! I am starting to wonder if switching to formula has made her more susceptible to colds/infections since she's not getting the antibodies from breast milk any more. It's too late to go back now, so we'll just have to deal with her colds!

Big news of the day - she weighed 18 lbs. 1 oz. (with her diaper and clothes on)!

P.S. Bella has had some kind of stomach bug/problem this morning...she seems to be feeling better now though.

Wedding and Vacation!

We have had such a great week - Uncle Dale and Aunt Maria's wedding was last Saturday, and it was so beautiful and perfect! We are so happy for them...and jealous that they are in Italy right now! Everything went great, and Maria was so calm the whole day. Erin and Ansley were precious in their coordinating dresses that Grandma A. made them, and Logan did such a great job as ring bearer.

Sunday, we went out to North Myrtle Beach with most of my (Gina's) family from Indiana. We had a wonderful time, and Erin LOVED the beach! She was so happy to sit under the umbrella and play with toys or just watch the waves and people. She also liked being in the ocean, as well as the pool and lazy river at the condo. We had such a great time seeing everybody and hanging out at the beach. Erin practiced her crawling skills and impressed everyone with her tricks, as well as her 4 new teeth on top!

Bob picked Bella up today, and she had a stellar report card from the kennel. So I'd say that vacation was a success all around!

Pictures are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.callaway/DaleAndMariaWeddingBeach2009

Learning from Bella

In addition to carrying things around in her mouth, Erin has learned another trick from Bella: the pathetic stare. One time, I thought I would give her a taste of ice cream just to see what she would do. Well, she liked it. A lot. And now, whenever I have ice cream (which is at least once a day...or so...), Erin is right there with her pathetic stare. Naturally, I cannot ignore that, and she gets ice cream. Don't worry - I just give her the vanilla part, not the cookie dough/chocolate chips/etc., and she maybe gets a teaspoon total. Is that bad?

I'm just helping her practice her "Daddy, I need a new convertible" look!

Tomorrow starts the wedding fun for Uncle Dale and (very-soon-to-be) Aunt Maria, and our beach trip afterwards. We are so excited! Erin has been busy packing her bags all day long. The dining room is full of baby equipment. Good thing Daddy has strong muscles to carry all this stuff.

Watch out World!

When I dropped Erin off at daycare this morning, I noticed that Aubrey, one of the other little girls about Erin's age, was crawling around the room. The other two boys that were there are older and were crawling around playing with each other. I was talking to her teacher about how she really wants to crawl, but she hadn't done it yet.

Apparently the peer pressure got to Erin, as when I set her down on the floor to put her bottles in the fridge, she crawled 4 (steps?) to me! After picking her up and congratulating her, I put her back down to see if she'd do it again. And sure enough, she did another 4/5 steps back to me!

Watch out World, Erin is mobile! :)

This Week

Erin has had a good week - she was sick with a cold last weekend and had a relapse in her sleeping, but she's feeling better and is getting back on track now. She's been busy going on walks, playing with her toys, and exploring! She's still working on crawling - but hasn't actually done it yet. She does move around through scooting and rotating her body. She's eating her solid foods too, though she's not drinking as much formula as she has in the past couple of weeks. She's also a pro at feeding herself - cheerios, peas, bananas, etc. We are so proud! Diaper changes have become more challenging since she likes to flip on the changing table now. She's got such a personality and is so much fun!