Madeleine at 9 months

I love the moments when you really know your baby is communicating with you, interacting with you in a deliberate way. So naturally I was thrilled this month that Madeleine learned to clap. I think it came about because she stood up independently, and I clapped for her. She liked it so much, she began clapping, too. It's like talking to someone who speaks French and yet knowing your nonsense signing and pathetic French is somehow understood. Pure delight.

Madeleine finally got her top 2 teeth this month. It was a struggle, and she still bites me much more than any of the other kids have, so I think she still has more tooth-associated pain than any of the others did. She was pretty sick a few weeks ago, but seems to be over that now, and as a result, is generally napping better. Night time sleep is still not so great. Just ask Andy. (Andy--we love you!)

Madeleine has passed the "durability" test, since for some reason, all of her siblings try to carry her around now. This generally annoys her and terrifies me, but we have all survived. Yeah.

She crawls so quickly now. I still think it is the cutest movement ever--her little hips rotating as she scurries around--since none of my other children have been normal crawlers. She is getting better at standing independently and that makes me wonder if she will walk this month.

When Madeleine wants food and feels she is being forgotten, she lets me know by grunting/growling very urgently, usually accompanied by some form of spastic tensing. It is pretty funny. She likes pretty much anything we put in front of her, with the exception of whole green beans. I love that she wants to feed herself now, as it keeps her entertained and helps her coordination. Didn't God design us well?

Thankfully, Madeleine is warming up a bit to other people when they want to hold her. Truly, I think my dear father-in-law got to hold happy, non-newborn Madeleine for the first time just last week. She is more comfortable crawling away from us, like in Sunday School for example, where she heads right for the piano and reaches up to play it. She still loves the piano at home, and gets downright frustrated if I put her down when she is "playing." She loves to attack the books her siblings are reading.

Still not much hair, but the squeeziest body ever. I love to snuggle Madeleine. Her cheeks are so soft and kissable, and she has the friendliest thighs of my kids thus far. I think Warren summed her up best on Saturday. I was listening to a Christmas song that says, "One tiny child can change the world." Warren stopped playing video games, turned them off, walked over to me at the computer and said earnestly, "Mom, that's true that one tiny child can change the world." I agreed and asked how he knew that. He replied, "Well, Madeleine is a tiny child that has changed our world." Followed by a Big smile.