9 Months Old Already!

Like I expected October was a crazy busy month! I can't believe it is already November...where did the time go?
To start with I ran the Mud Factory 5K on the 6th, it was fantastic. Kelli and one of her friends ran too. I really had fun and it has helped me to make some new fitness goals :) Then we had Adam and Beth's wedding. Lilly was so good, they got as many compliments on the well behaved baby as they did on the beautiful day :p Then I was so inspired by the Mud Factory run that I signed up and ran the Merrel Down and Dirty 5K also, this time with my little-est sis, Britt.
I am happy to report that I also made some big changes to my diet and workout regimen and have lost ALL of my baby weight and then some! I really don't like running but I feel good about the progress I am making and I hope that I can really stick with it. It is important to me that Lilly sees me be responsible about my fitness and eating habits.

Lilly has had a big month also. She is eating a lot more food and is becoming very active. And, even more exciting, she is now sleeping in her crib! A lot of people have been asking me how long she was going to sleep with me, and the only answer I had was "until she was ready." I am happy that we waited so long, I know it is conventional to put babies in their own rooms around 3-4 months but it was just not best for us. October proved to be right. Lilly stopped sleeping well with me, she became impossible! So after about 2 weeks of trying different soothing methods I decided to cut her loose. It turned out to be the right move. To make the transition easier we started a new bedtime routine. Now James rocks her and puts her to bed before he leaves for work. I love that the two of them have something that is special between them. To be honest, I think it make James feel better, he was worried that she was not ready to sleep alone.
I think Lilly is trying to talk too. There is much debate over what she is trying to say though. She goes around saying "bah-bah-bah" which is odd because there is nothing in our lives that makes sense for. She doesn't take a bottle... I think she is trying to say mama, the "mmmm" sound is a very difficult sound to make but the vowel sound "-ah" would be correct. Of course, Britt, who we call "auntie B" thinks she is trying to say "Be"... I argue that she knows how to pronounce the "-e" sound so if that was what she was trying to say we would know.
She has also become quite the dare devil, she likes to climb on anything she can find. She can almost get off the couch by herself, especially if her feet are already pointed in the right direction. Lilly has also decided that shopping carts are made wrong, she prefers facing in the direction that it is being pushed, so no matter how diligent you are she always seems to find a way to turn herself around...
For Halloween, Lilly was a Ladybug. All of her local grandparents came over for dinner and to see how cute she was all dressed up. It went really well, she is very lucky to have such a big family that is close enough to come over for family time.
I have to say that I really am thankful for all of our family. We are blessed to have so many people in our lives that are willing to help us out. I really appreciate all of our parents and sisters who watch Lilly whenever we need. It is great that James and I get the opportunity to go out on dates and have adult time.
I feel like I could go on forever about Lilly right now, she changes so much in so many little ways, it is amazing to watch her grow and develop.
Like today, we got her snack cup, the ones that have flaps on the lids so you can stick your hand in and pull out the snack but they aren't loose enough to shake the contents out of...those ones. Lilly apparently doesn't like putting her hand in, so what did she figure out??? That she can pull up a couple of flaps with one had and use the other to shake it upside down so that the Puffs fall out! Yes, she is smart. And, yes, we are going to have our hands full :)