outside longer than inside.

I think my friend Lexie says it best. Amelia has spend more time in our arms then in the womb. 9 months growing her in utero, plus 9 nine months of breastfeeding makes a whole year and a half of sharing my body with this little babe! Couldn't have asked for a better calling.

Baby Amelia is cruising between furniture, taking a few (baby) steps by herself, but prefers to crawl because she's so much faster. She loves climbing stairs. She claps and waves. She throws her head back for her cheesy grin that fills her face. She discovered her tongue. She waves both her arms up and down when she's excited. She's silly and loves to laugh.

She gets side-tracked when her diaper is being changed. Sometimes she enjoys her bath, sometimes she does not. She loves to chase Mom when when they do chores together. She loves to sing and to be sung to. She eats like there's no tomorrow- her favorites are carrots, broccoli, squash, green and red bell peppers, and cheerios. She does NOT like avocados, spinach, bananas, apples, blueberries. Sometimes I sneak these foods in anyway.

She has improved on her naps- we can now count on 45 minutes to an hour and a half! Speaking of sleep, we usually get a good 7 hours between 11 pm and 6 am. We are working on dropping the 11 pm feeding- I'll keep you updated. Her bedtime routine includes a bath, one "last" feeding, bedtime prayer, and her bedtime song "I love to see the temple." Sometimes, when she's really antsy during her feeding, I'll sing the whole time. (Jeremy says my singing just makes it worst- what a stinker!)

She loves to play while I read to her, and loves to make comments too! Sometimes I'll read for hours, most times just a couple of books before she's ready to explore elsewhere. We started reading the Book of Mormon together the day- just finished the second chapter in 1 Nephi!

She usually wakes up by 8 am, and greets me with a huge grin on her face. She loves to go for walks, and loves being at the store, on a shopping cart. She still has some stranger anxiety, but has definitely improved. She's good at grabbing my arm tighter, before she starts screaming.

She loves her Daddy- just adores him, because he's so fun. He works so hard for both of us so we can live in this beautiful home. I can't believe she has grown up so fast. She is such an amazing spirit in our lives. Sometimes I just hold her close and take a deep breath, because I know how close to Heaven I am.

I never knew life could be so good. Happy belated 9 months, Amelia! We love you, babe!