Caroline is safely contained in her Patriot Pen. She had a great night, getting some serious sleep on. At 5:30am, Cheryl woke up and was very concerned that she had fallen out of our bed - but Caroline hadn't woken up at her normal time around 1am and was still sleeping soundly in her crib. And she took a great 2 hour nap this morning. With so much sleeping, I'm a bit worried that she may be getting sick, but she seems very happy right now, squealing in delight while playing with her toys.

Caroline enjoyed the bit of ice cream I shared with her this afternoon. Then Cheryl told me I shouldn't be giving a baby rum ice cream.

Caroline is giving her friend Steph a kiss.

Continuing a birthday tradition for me, a group of us went to a mexican food restaurant for dinner. After a few margaritas, Caroline got a bit out of control.

Caroline is up, just as she commanded. It's quite cute when she says it and we are powerless to resist.

Caroline has started saying "up" occasionally when she wants us to get her, although I'm hestitant to classify it as actual talking. She also seems to call me dad, which allays some of my worries...

Because she had the day off for the holiday, Caroline never got out of her pajamas. Although we've given in and take her to our bed every night as soon as she cries, we've now started putting mittens on her so she doesn't scratch us throughout our slumber. So far, they've been quite effective.

Caroline still hasn't mastered eating a biscuit - she sucked on it until it was gooey, and then mashed it around her face and her hands. Eventually she got a some of it in her belly, but much more ended up on her skin and clothes. Bath time immediately followed.

Caroline wore her choke outfit today. With a regular schedule of motrin, she was one happy baby.

Caroline was using this package as a walker to move down the hallway. She had another horrible night and had random bits of crankiness today, but Cheryl thinks the tooth causing the latest problem is just about to break through.

We're pretty sure Caroline's teeth are causing her major angst - she was up a lot last night, took short naps, and was in a bad mood most of the day. This picture was taken about 30 minutes after a dose of motrin.

Caroline really loves her books.

Caroline is currently standing and doing what appears to be lifting. Yes, she's picking up and putting down her learning drum while grimacing. I think she might be building up her muscles for a planned escape from the Patriot Pen (aka The Freedom Perimeter).

Then again...this is also a child whose current favorite toy is a baby sneaker, what with the good chewing laces, so perhaps I'm giving her a little too much credit.

Of course, Caroline immediately tried to eat the card.

Our little one was pretty happy all day - good eating, good long naps, and plenty of activity. Putting her to sleep, however, was very painful. She was doing all her tired motions for about an hour before her 7:30 bedtime, but she didn't stop protesting the crib until almost 8:30. We're hoping she sleeps until 4 or 5am tonight again before waking up and coming to our bed.

Caroline is 9 months old today. She woke up early to celebrate, but faded quickly in the early evening. She also ate like a champ today - Cheryl suspects a growth spurt. We introduced some yobaby yogurt into her diet; both Caroline and Cheryl thought it was tastygorgeous.

Caroline had her 9 month appointment today. She weighed in at 16 lbs, 13.8 ounces; she was 27.25 inches tall; and her head circumference was 17.5 inches. Her weight is in the 25th percentile, her height is in the 25-50th percentile, and her head circumference is in the 50-70th percentile. Her nap was interrupted a bit this afternoon for the appointment, so she's not the happiest of campers right now.

We purchased a new 'toy' for Caroline - what we've dubbed the "Freedom Perimeter" (we're hoping she doesn't grasp the Orwellian doublespeak). Caroline is currently happily crawling around inside, as yet unaware that her exploration of all things dangerous in our living room has come to an end. Unfortunately, the "Freedom Perimeter" is made of plastic, so my idea of fortifying the barriers with an electric shock "Learning Current" will be difficult to implement.

Caroline has been a poor sleeper lately, but she has been extremely happy. The smiling and talking and bouncing are super cute and entertaining. We've also determined that Caroline has rhythym. When Jay puts on the dance music channel, Caroline sways and bops along to the beat. Let's just hope that her love of the dance channel wanes with age; I can't stand it. Perhaps she'll move on to something less cringe-inducing like soft rock hits of the 70s or the hit list channel.

I'm hoping Jay posts some new pictures soon. My class schedule has been lighter than usual this week, so I've been home a lot, negating the need for frequent blog posting.

We have to stop feeding Caroline the caffeinated jars of baby food - she had a lot of trouble falling asleep last night. Finally we relented about 11:45 and brought her to bed. Unfortunately, she woke up about 6:15 ready to start her day, and began making a lot of noise - but she was in a great mood. She's got some serious bags under her eyes - maybe she'll take some long naps. It also doesn't help that she's wearing her bad girl pajamas.

A/V Blog
by Userplane

We captured Caroline shuffling in the hall a few minutes ago. It's getting close to bedtime, so her performance is suffering. She's also not too fond of moving her right foot - not sure if this indicates she's a lefty, or that she prefers balancing on her right foot.

Batten down the hatches! About 2 hours ago, Caroline lumbered determinedly toward a bunch of wires in an open cabinet. She managed to take about 4 very labored steps before she fell down. A few minutes ago, she took 3 steps toward the TiVO remote Jay was dangling before her. Yay, Caroline!

To stop the insane developmental competition Jay has trumped up between me and my daughter, I declare a tie. See, I was born on my due date, and Caroline was born two days early. Therefore, she took her first few steps the same # of days as I did after the appropriate gestational period. Given t as our respective due dates, her clock started at t = -2, whereas mine started at t = 0, so her + 2 days to walk time evens out with the -2, and we tie. Fuzzy math to be sure, but close enough for government work, and now we can rest easy and stop the madness. Right? Right.

I'm very proud of my little ambler. If we can get her to do it again on film, Jay will post video.

Terrible picture, but look at those chompers!

Caroline is now taking multiple steps; unfortunately, they're not consecutive. When Caroline goes to sleep tonight, Cheryl will officially be victorious in the walking race (Cheryl started walking at the age Caroline is today).

Caroline's getting a fifth tooth, and we suspect that was the cause of her extreme crabbiness tonight - although she's feeling pretty good here after some motrin and a relaxing bath.

To address Aunt Carrie's complaint, I've captured Caroline at her crabbiest. It's getting towards dinner and bedtime, and Caroline is spent from a tough day of crawling around, playing with her toys, and non-stop general squirming, especially on her changing table.