9 Month Update

This was yet, again, another big month for all of us! Besides having visitors for about 3 weeks straight and getting to enjoy all that San Diego has to offer, Anslie has had several accomplishments that are all really exciting! So, let's get down to it and inform everyone of all of Anslie's new 'tricks':

First of all, we finally got her into the Occupational Therapist who came to the conclusion that the reason why she is so fussy when she eats is because it seems like her reflux is still bothering her. He gave us some ideas on how to help Anslie in other ways but suggested that we contact her pediatrician and have her medication adjusted. Well, after doing that Anslie was worse off than she was before, so we put her back on the old medication and she has been doing really well. She is eating a lot of food, both jarred baby food and chunk foods right of my plate. She really enjoys anything that she can chew on so I let her have at it, as long as it is something that is appropriate for her to eat. Anslie has become an expert at drinking through a straw. There are times when she is too busy to nurse so I will pump breast milk and then let her drink it through her straw so that she can still see what is going on in the world. It seems to work really well.

Anslie's first tooth has finally broken through the surface of her gums. It is still pretty tiny, but it's totally visible and she is even starting to chew with it. She stuck her finger in her mouth one day to chew on and accidentally bit herself with it. I think that was the first time she realized it was there. I see another blister on the gums right next to it (on the bottom right) and it also looks like her two front teeth may be coming in soon as well. Anslie did pretty well during the teething process. She was a little fussier during the day but that was about it.

Not only can Anslie now roll over in all directions, she is also getting into a sitting position from a laying position and vice versa. The first time she did it was in the middle of the night. She woke up crying so I went to get her to feed her and instead of being on her back like I expected, she was sitting up in her crib staring at me. A couple days later she was a pro at it. Learning to sit up has also enticed her to push over onto her hands and knees and she will even lay on her tummy (finally!) and play with her toys. While Walt and Connie were in town, they really practiced a lot with her and got her to rock back and forth on her hands and knees and even attempt crawling. For the first time tonight, Anslie crawled from our couch to our entertainment center and pulled all the dvd's off the shelf. I expect her to be crawling completely within a couple days now!

Anslie is also really good at pulling up on things. She will pull up on anything now and can get into a full upright position. She will also let go of whatever she has been holding onto and turn around, cruise a little bit, and then attempt to stand on her own for a few seconds. While I was reading her a story last night she actually stood up on her own twice without holding onto anything and stayed standing for about 5 seconds each time. I will bet that as soon as she figures out how to crawl she will be on her feet in no time!

Anslie can shake her head no when she doesn't want something or when she is finished eating, point to things that she wants, and shares her sense of humor by breaking into laughter when she thinks something is funny, even if no one else gets the joke. She loves to bounce up and down and give mommy and daddy wet, sloppy kisses. Another thing she likes to do is stick her hand in my mouth while she is nursing, or grab people's noses and chins while they are holding her. Weird.

Anslie is still pretty sociable. She hasn't really been affected by stranger anxiety and as long as she is entertained she doesn't seem to experience separation anxiety either. I was able to leave her for about 4 hours with my in-laws while they were in town (the first time I have ever really left her with a 'babysitter') and she was great! Whew!

We love our little girl so much and she is definately getting more and more fun as she gets older. Anslie is my little sidekick and I love having her around! She makes her daddy and I laugh all the time with all of the silly faces she makes and I love to make her laugh too. We are truly blessed to have such a sweet little spirit in our home!

Love,
The Ruffners

PS - I couldn't decide which of her 9 month pictures I liked the best, so I sent them all. Enjoy!