9 months

Kate is 9 months old today. Or was, depending on what time I get this posted since it's almost midnight. She had her appointment and officially weighs 19 pounds, 8 ounces. She stands 26" tall. Her head circumference is 44 cm, and I have no idea why they measure that. Like, if her head is too small I can make it grow? What if it is too big? Should I wrap it tightly like those Chinese women do their feet so it stops growing? I find that information to be useless, but I'm guessing there is some semi-intelligent medical reasoning behind tracking their head measurements. At 44 cm, hers is just fine, by the way.

Today she took 5 steps from me to Nick. Well, 4 or 5, it was hard to count exactly because you couldn't really see the exact point at which she let go and grabbed his out-stretched hand. But still, in my eyes she practically walked a mile. Proud Mama and all. But these were not her first steps.

On Saturday, at the tender age of 8 months and 25 days old, Kate took her first two steps unaided. I don't think she knew that she did it though. We had gone to some friends' house to swim, and I was packing up our belongings to hit the road to come home. Kate was screaming. She was tired and ready for her nap, she wanted me and I was busy doing something else, and she had been subjected to evil pool water and an overly friendly, ginormous yellow lab all in the same day. She was unhappy. She was cruising down the side of the coffee table, making her way in my general direction as I was headed back out to the pool to get my shoes. My Mom was sitting in a recliner at the end of the coffee table, and suddenly Kate let go of the coffee table and took two steps to Grandma.

I missed it.

It's okay though. At least Grandma saw it. Tonight I got to see her take 1, 2, 3, and then 5 steps to Daddy over and over. She's going to be running marathons by next month.