Beulah, 9 Months!

This is SUCH fun age! Beulah seems happier every day, and it's obvious to everyone who sees her. When we're out, strangers say, "She's the happiest baby!" One night we were seated in the middle of a restaurant, watching our 8.5 month old literally work the room! She made every single person in the place smile at her, and when the servers walked by, she clapped! It is such a joy to watch and enjoy her and see others enjoying her.

Beulah's first Christmas was awesome! We were in GA, and of course, she was the center of attention. Eight to nine months is the perfect age for Christmas and opening presents (see video). She didn't understand why she couldn't eat the paper, but she loved tearing it and climbing on (or in) the boxes (see pictures and video). Again, who needs toys?! Actually, I never really considered how important toys are to a child's development before Beulah, but it's amazing to see how they help her accomplish new skills everyday. Beulah's new favorite toy is her Learn & Groove Musical Table by Leap Frog (see pictures and video). It is SO fun to watch her cruise around the table playing with the different instruments. It has really helped strengthen her legs and back as she stands at the table to play, not to mention her hand-eye coordination and understanding of cause and effect. This is by far my favorite toy of hers. I would recommend it to anyone with a child 7+ months old.

Beulah also got a walker to push around the room (see video). She's doing really good! It won't be long now before she starts taking steps on her own! She's really good at cruising from one piece of furniture to another, and sometimes she lets go for a second or two! She also climbed the stairs at her Uncle Mike and Aunt Ria's! Thanks to her other toys from friends and family, she's also learned to put objects into a container, and even plays games with us. She'll play peek-a-boo with her bib, pulling it up over her face until she hears, "Where's Beulah?" at which time she pulls it down and laughs. So fun!! She learned another game from her Paw Paw (my dad). He rolled her little miniature wagon around, and each time it passed her she'd either put her toy in it or take it out. She will also offer me her spoon, which I take with my mouth, then I offer it back to her. It's a fun, hands free game we like to play. She's learned to mimic certain gestures, like waving, clapping, and sticking out her tongue, and she can respond to instruction. She claps and waves when we ask her to, and she stops when she hears us say, "No!" "Danger!" or "Not for baby!"

CUTE THINGS BEULAH DOES (besides everything mentioned above!)
*Beulah will pull up on something (usually her music table), and start bobbin' her head like she's groovin' (see video)!
*She sits on her bottom with her legs straight out and repeatedly raises and lowers her right leg, tapping her heel on the floor.
*She likes to make hissing sounds like she's whispering.
*Sometimes she'll hold her hand up and tuck her chin down as if to say, "Thank ya. Thank ya very much." It's especially funny if she's just finished playing music on her music table.

THINGS THAT MAKE BEULAH LAUGH/SMILE
*When she hears Daddy's keys in the door, she looks at me and smiles and then crawls as fast as she can to the door. Precious!
*Beulah has had the opportunity to spend time with both our families over the holidays, and recognizes them enough now to get really excited when she sees her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. So sweet.