Sloane got a package in the mail from G last week. She had fun opening it which mostly meant pulling on the loose tabs of paper. I think by her birthday and Christmas she’ll have lots of fun with wrapping paper and ribbons. 

Thanks for the new clothes, G! The vest is ridiculously cute.

So this happened today…

https://youtu.be/7RC-HvgYqEY

It is the closest she has gotten to crawling. I hope that the subject matter of the magazine means she’ll be organized!

Sloane also started putting weight on her feet. Most babies do this around 4-6 months. Sloane thought it looked like too much work so she waited. About two weeks ago, she decided she should start practicing and now she is very proud of herself. She claps and smiles when we hold her up. She is very close to pulling herself up to standing, but for now she needs our help.

Wow! Sloane turned 9 months this week. She has been a trouper while cutting two new teeth. She is thinking ahead for Halloween and Jack’o’lanterns, as she grew the central and lateral incisor on the top left only.

We went to the pediatrician today. She said Sloane is currently the size of an average one year old. She weighs 23 lbs 13 oz and is 29.3 inches long. She grew 2 inches in 3 months!

Sloane is quite the big girl now. She isn’t crawling yet and that is fine with us. Even without crawling if we look away, she can be across the room in no time at all. Mostly, she is after cat toys and electrical cords. We have started the process of rearranging things once she discovers the dangerous areas. So far electric cords have been the biggest issue.

She loves to pull all her books off the coffee table and take the toys out her toy box. We passed the bouncy seat, swing, and activity mat on to a little friend. Taking them out of the house felt like a significant shift from infant to baby. Now she is also taking baths in the big tub and she thoroughly enjoys the freedom in the water. When people meet her, they often tell us they love her expressive face. I captured a good look in the bottom photo. She’s got some sass in her.

Oh my, how the summer flies by!

In early August, we went to NH to see my family for about 6 days. It was packed full of visits with family and friends. Sloane meet great aunts, great uncles, second cousins, family friends of 30+ years, and my “twin” Hannah! We were grateful for everyone who traveled and made time to see us. The weather was gorgeous, which was a great escape for us from the Portland heat wave. The food was delicious. My parents counted over 100 meals during the visit. The best was lobster, steamers, and mussels on Sunday night- our favorite summertime tradition!

Sloane was working on three new teeth during the visit and had her first bout of attachment to Adam and me. Being on East Coast time meant she was up for 2 hours in the middle of the night, every night! But during one of those nighttime parties, she started pushing herself into the seated position. Now she isn’t just a rolling turtle stuck laying down!

In the winter, my mom won a photo shoot from Lamar Smith in a silent auction. During our August visit, we took advantage of the lush, green summer in Wilton. We made a list and attempted to get all combinations of nieces, aunts, grandparents, granddaughters, and families. Lida had the wonderful suggestion of taking one of her and Pa in his Jeep- a 1940s Jeep Willy. We put Sloane in a couple of those also, but she won’t go on a Jeep ride for another year or two. Here is a sampling of the best ones.

Even though we are having a sweltering summer, Sloane keeps on smiling and have fun.

She really looks like a big girl when she is swinging- smiling, giggling, and looking around! Well, not as grown up as B but she isn’t my little snuggly, glow worm anymore.

I let Sloane have a popsicle! It was homemade by Rach with just plums. I think she was happy even though she only gave a half smile.

A couple weeks ago we gave Sloane a dill pickle spear. She loved it! And we both smelled like pickles for the rest of the day. Rach told me that B really liked pickled beets when she started eating solids. I decided to give it a try. She makes silly, crazy faces, but continues to eat, so I am not torturing her.

https://youtu.be/cct64AJrCkQ

These are some shots that needed to be shared, even though they are from the 4th.

This video shows a few of my favorite things that Sloane does lately- tap dancing on the wall, singing proclamations, and holding one hand up for emphasis!

https://youtu.be/9vKN7uZTAM4