I am so smart! S - M - R - T. . .

We went to the pediatrician's for Elizabeth's 9 month checkup on Thursday. She's growing well--28.5 inches long, and 16 lb. 7 oz. That puts her in the 85th percentile for height and the 15th percentile for weight (translation: she's a stringbean baby!) As the doctor was asking about developmental milestones, I started to realize how much she's started doing in the past few months. . .So please excuse the following shameless Mommy brag.

Elizabeth can:
--get into a sitting position by herself
--crawl
--pull herself up (and doesn't she look proud?)
--wave "goodbye"
--clap her hands
--make all sorts of vowel-consonant combinations
--whisper and shriek
--point to things
--feed herself rice puffs, peas, diced carrots, etc.
--sign for "more" of something (like the above foods)
--write a coherent five-paragraph essay in which she analyzes how the tension between the characters' outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the underlying themes of Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (or another literary work of comparable merit)

P.S. Caleb, Elizabeth now has FOUR teeth. Numbers 3 and 4 broke through just yesterday. :)

Blackmail material

Elizabeth loves bathtime!

Bookworm

Here is Elizabeth relaxing with one of her favorite books--the scintillating "Opposites" by Sandra Boynton. It's a bit lacking in plot, to be honest. ;)

Om

Elizabeth is very proud of the fact that she can maneuver from her tummy into a sitting position--she's usually sitting up in her crib when I get her up from her naps. Last night I *thought* she was asleep when I put her down on her side, but I guess she was still awake enough to change positions--because awhile later I checked and found her sound asleep like this. Yes, that is her FOOT resting against her cheek!

Hey, baby--come chill at my crib. . .

Elizabeth's buddies Jovin (Corgela's little guy) and Lydia (MikBeth's little girl) came over to play on Saturday. The babies sat around and looked at each while their parents compared diaper bags and reminisced about how we used to be quite smart and could participate in intelligent conversation. (*Sigh* I don't think those days are ever coming back!)
That's lovely Lydia above, sucking on her burpcloth. Jovin is the oh-so-chill baby lounging in the bouncy seat.

Get ready to waste a few hours on the Internet. . .

Click here.

Sizing up the competition

Meet Baby Brooklyn Margo Epperson. . .
Elizabeth is going to have to work mighty hard to be adorable, now that she's got this beautiful baby to contend with!