Nine and Three-Quarter's Months Old!

Platform 9 3/4. But, Hagrid, there must be a mistake. 

This says Platform 9 3/4, there’s no such thing. Is there?

- Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, J.K. Rowling

And there you have it. Baby girl is now nine and three-quarter's months old. In a week, she'll be 10 months, and before you know it, she'll be out the door and on her way to elementary school! I'm getting ahead of myself, though. (We could always decide to home school.)

Our sweet and lively little girl is now closer than ever to walking! Ruby tries daily to figure out exactly how to position herself so that she can walk like her daddy and me. She can walk with the support of her walker toy, and can balance standing up for long-ish periods of time, but once she tries to maneuver her feet on her own, she plummets straight toward the ground. And still, Ruby is determined! She's currently an expert crawler and can quickly race across the room in a matter of a seconds. This keeps Ken and I occupied as we are constantly 'baby-proofing' and trying to hide unsafe objects from baby girl's vantage point. What an adventure this new season is with her! I'm curious what it will be like once she's walking and then running...

This past month, Ruby has really grown in her love for solid foods. She continues to nurse, and is now enjoying little snacks throughout the day. Her favorite foods include peas, green beans, broccoli, yogurt, mango, bread, cheerios, and the Alaskan salmon that Ken caught on our dip-netting trip last summer (See story here). She'll pretty much eat most things that we give her, particularly if she sees us eating them. It amazes me, how she is starting to understand 'meal times' and is also keen on playing games and mimicking us. For instance, this last month, Ruby started playing peek-a-boo with Ken and me, where she is the one doing the hiding behind towels, blankets, and furniture and then 'popping out', hoping for a reaction from us. She also loves blowing raspberries on my face, and doing things that she thinks will make me laugh, like being sneaky and climbing on things. Such a strong and smart little girl. 

At nine months, Ruby's hair is a sandy blonde-brown color and her eyes are hazel, which depending on the light, can lean more toward green or brown. "Da-da" is still her favorite word, although she will occasionally say, "Ma-ma" when she really wants something (like mama's milk). 

I'm really excited that baby girl is almost one year old! Here are some photos from this weekend. The rolling fields of the Palouse are just gorgeous on these sunny winter days. My cousins Isaac and Kristina joined us from the Spokane area for a couple nights and we had so much fun with them. It's a unique blessing to live near them here in Eastern Washington. (Thank you guys again for blessing Ken and me with a date out!) 

I'll leave you with these fun photos of our little 9 [ and 3/4] month old!