Hadley's 9-month update!

Hadley is nine months old today and what a crazy month it has been! As per her 9-month checkup at the pediatrician's office, Hadley is now almost 17 pounds (16lb, 13oz) & is 26 1/4 inches tall! She is in the 10th percentile for weight, height & head circumference - our little peanut! Haddy is still wearing size 3 diapers (though we tried 4s for a bit, but noticed no major difference, so we might as well stick with the cheaper size!), and mostly 9-month clothes. She still has no teeth & no sign of their impending arrival anytime soon. She has, however, began babbling up a storm with ga-ga, maaam, and DA-DA being her favorites, lucky for Daddy! Hadley has also begun to eat chunks of fruit and whole puffs this month, which she finger-feeds herself (mostly the puffs, the fruit is still a little difficult for her hand-eye coordination).

Haddy's new "talent" this month is standing up in the bath tub, which she finds highly entertaining. When Mommy and Daddy tell her sternly, "Hadley Rebecca, NO STANDING UP! PLEASE SIT DOWN!," she simply laughs at them! Oye! We're in for it! She is also getting better at creeping (army-crawl style), but makes it about two inches before getting frustrated & rolling over. She would prefer to walk, and has taken about 4-5 steps on her own.

Hadley is also obsessed with paper these days. She can't get enough of playing in Daddy's recycling bin, tipping it over, spreading the contents all over the floor, and then ripping up the paper into itty-bitty pieces. Because of this, she has also learned the word "NO," which she actually responds appropriately to (we let her rip up the paper but she hears NO when she tries to put it in her mouth).

We started the month out with a family photo at the beach with EVERYONE from Daddy's side of the family - all of his brothers & sisters & their families came to Grammy & Granddad's shore house in Ocean City for a picture. It was really crazy having everyone there all at once. Haddy especially had a good time chasing around the kitty & "talking" to her cousin, Abby.

After returning from the shore, Mommy & Daddy took Haddy to Daddy's church softball picnic. Hadley was such a good girl there! She slept in her stroller & enjoyed walking all over the inside of the modular while Daddy was in the hot sun playing his game. We also took another camping trip this month. Haddy was a "decent" sleeper while we were there, but that's a relative term, of course! She enjoyed her stroller rides & started eating small pieces of puffs & veggie straws while we were at the cabin.

Haddy also visited her friend Payton this month, when Mommy and Daddy went to Payton's parents' house for a picnic. Hadley had a good time playing with Payton & even tried to give her a big kiss! We think it was really nice for the girls to get together and it was really neat to see them interact!

Finally, we went to the shore again this past week. Haddy (along with Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Kate) experienced her first earthquake, while she was finishing up her lunch. What a crazy experience that was, but everyone was fine, thank goodness! Hadley seemed to enjoy the beach more this time. She loved the sand and even didn't seem to mind getting her feet wet...that is until a wave came up to her belly button & the cold water made her cry! Hadley also took a surrey ride with Daddy, Grammy, Aunt Ellie, Aunt Mel, David, Caroline, and Kathryn (basically everyone but Mommy, as she was back at the house sleeping). She was a very good girl and seemed to enjoy the ride.

We had been planning to stay at the shore until this coming Saturday (tomorrow), but Hurricane Irene had other plans, so we left last night to beat the rush (as there is a mandatory evacuation of Ocean City). Hopefully everyone stays safe & I don't have to write about any crazy hurricane stories in Haddy's 10-month update!