Kassi is 9 months!

I seriously can't believe that Kassi is already three-quarters of the way to a year!! 

How crazy is that?!!!

At her doctor's appointment she weighed in at only 15 lbs 8 oz (I was really hoping for a pound more...) dropping her to the third percentile!  I guess she's one of mine after all...   :)
Kassi was very busy during her ninth month of life! 

Here are some of the things she managed:

Kassi
-got her first tooth!
-learned to army crawl!
-started imitating noises and actions--especially those done by her sisters or musical sounds. (sometimes, when everyone is trying to talk to me at once, she'll make random noise just to add to the commotion)
-plays peek-a-boo on her own!
-learned to pinch food and feed herself and now prefers that over the baby spoon.
-now downs a bottle in one sitting.
-teases! (she's become a pro at the drop things on the floor game and when I try to put her to bed before she wants, she spits out her binkie and laughs at me)
-splashes in the bath!!
-giggles at the most random things (when I push the shopping cart, when someone walks into the room, when she sees a book...)
-TALKS!!!  Her first word was "mama" but she's added  "dada," "baba, and "nana" AND she waves and says "bye-bye" and "nigh-night."
-snuggles with her bunny lovey and holds her binkie in her hand while she sleeps (sometimes she has a binkie in both hands).
-loves music and dances with her hands (even during Sacrament).
-SINGS along with anything

-mastered the ear-piercing scream but she doesn't use is when she's mad, she just likes to make noise.

The Lived-In Look

Yesterday:

Ok, life has been rather nutty here lately (thus my lack of blogging time) and part of that is due to the fact that we are refinancing.  Today was the appraisal and since our home is older but updated, they insisted on doing a walk-through.  I have worked so hard to make my home as clean and open feeling as possible.  I made the girls a deal that if they wouldn't mess up a room after I cleaned it, they could have a banana split tonight (which they are currently counting down to) and was able to get the house looking pretty good by the time the appraiser showed up this morning.  After he left, I had an internal war over relaxing and trying to keep the house nice for just 24 more hours.  Relaxation won for the most part.  Aside from my usual Tuesday errands and chores, I took time to sit with my girls, read, and rest a little.  Now, however, it's been just a few hours and here is what has happened to my beautifully clean home: 

The dining room chairs are on their side.

The kitchen counter is covered with groceries, peels, paper, and dishes.

There are backpacks, jackets, and shoes thrown about the entry way.

There are stuffed toys and clothes all over the floor of the girls' bedroom and on the floor of my dining room.

The throw pillows in the living room have all been repositioned to the middle of the floor.

There is a cookie crumbled into the family room carpet.

Crayons, paper, books, and dolls are strewn about.

Kassi's toy box is dumped all over.

There is folded but not put away laundry on the couch (okay, that one is my bad...)

The kitchen floor is littered with mango peels, cut-up paper, used paper towels, and torn apart pizza.

Dirty clothes cover the girls' bathroom floor.

 

Today:

 

My home has returned to it's usual state of 'organized disorder' and reminds me of a poem in the book I'm currently reading.  The book, "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio," is a true story about a woman who raised ten children during the "contest era" of the 1950's and 1960's.  She paid bills and provided for her kids' needs by winning jingle contests and selling poems and short stories.  One of the poems she sold was written when she still had six kids at home and I just love it.  I think it seems all too fitting for any home with active children:

 

Real Thing

She tosses a pillow,

Poses a book,

To give her home

That lived-in look.

[My] children spare me

Such sly biz:

My home looks lived-in

'Cause it IS!

 

 

P.S.  Kassi discovered last night that she LOVES Banana Splits!