Stella's 9 month appointment

Stella had her 9 month doctor appointment today.  She's 18 lb 3.5 oz (35%), 28 1/2" long (77%) and her head circumference is 17.76" (78%).  She can wave hi & bye (on her own terms of course), clap her hands, stand unassisted for a few seconds, walk behind her walker some, pull up on anything, crawl really fast and pretty much get in to everything.  She doesn't cruise along furniture yet, but I'll bet it's not far away. She loves to talk and voice her opinion on things.

Most of the time she has a HUGE appetite and she can feed herself very good. Occasionally she has the appetite of a hummingbird as opposed to the appetite of a marathoner. I don't want to be one of those moms who have a fit when their kid doesn't eat, but it drives me insane.  I know she's not going to starve if she misses one meal.  That's not the issue. The problem is when she refuses to eat the exact same food she was 100% in love with at the previous meal.  She loves breakfast foods, peaches,  orange, all berries, cheese quesadillas, yogurt and most meats. She thinks her Daddy makes the best scrambled eggs.  She's had juice once and was so excited about it. 

She loves being outdoors and torturing Bandit. She still just has the 2 bottom teeth, but the doctor said her top gums are swollen, so top teeth are probably not too far away.  She is quite the social butterfly and comfortable being in most situations. She likes to open and close doors and explore my face (specifically my mouth including touching my teeth and pinching my tongue). 

We are halfway through swim classes. I'm not sure if we'll do another month. Donald ordered a pool in February and we are excited about getting her in it in a few months. I'm sure we'll be in it everyday that it's nice out.  I'm so excited for this summer. I imagine her running around in the yard naked, picking veggies out of the garden and eating them, chasing Bandit out the door, through the doggy door and around the yard, splashing like crazy in the pool. 

I've been planning her 1st birthday party since January. I know six months in advance is a bit much, but a friend said she had barely planned anything for her son's 1st birthday two weeks out. It got me to thinking what I wanted to do, so I started a list of ideas on my phone. I began pinning ideas, recipes and themes on Pinterest and I've even purchased a few items. I don't want to stress over things so I'm trying to plan and buy as much in advance.