9 months---where did that go?!

I thought that as summer came to an end and fall approached, my life would be a little less crazy. Paige turns ten months at the end of this week, and I haven't gotten around to to do her 9 month update. When I scanned the camera for pictures, I realized I have taken basically none. What a terrible mother! I have a few on my phone, but I am embarrassed that as time and events slip by, I haven't done my best to record them. I think that sometimes my day feels so routine and predictable there is nothing to capture, but when I look at all the things Paige has accomplished this month, I am so mad at myself for not getting the camera out. Fortunately, between my phone and Mark's, I should have at least something. This picture is cute enough to count for ten:

I realize I am biased, but she is seriously the cutest little baby. This is the only way I can get her hair to stay down, keep it soaking wet! It adds to her charm. I can't go anywhere without getting stopped or having people comment about Paige's eyes, hair, smile...whatever. It doesn't hurt that the girl loves the shopping cart and gets all sorts of excited at the store. At 9 months, I feel like the biggest change is her personality is showing more and more. She is so content and loves to observe. She is gentle and inquisitive. She gets her little pointer finger out and loves to touch my nose, eyelashes, books, flowers, jewelry, anything that catches her eye. Paige loves music and dancing. We bought her her own remote in hopes she would leave the real one alone, it isn't THAT cool, but it is cool enough to play music on cue and allows her to break down when she gets the urge. When she doesn't feel like she is getting the attention she deserves, Paige will fake cough hoping that we will all think there is a serious problem and come running. She can really get into and I fear sometimes she is going to make herself throw up. Paige knows she is cute and likes to lay it on thick. She will smile big and crinkle her nose, baring her new set of teeth--her fangs!

This month has been a tough one since Paige was teething through most of it and refused nap time quite regularly--like she is right now:) I know some of it was her teeth and some of it was the lack of a good schedule since this month was crazy for us. Paige now has four teeth--her two bottom and her two top incisors. I don't think I have ever seen a baby grow her fangs first, perhaps she is part vampire. In any case, it is a pretty awesome site. With the teeth came Paige's first snotty nose. She has been so ridiculously healthy that some nose congestion was quite the change for us. She had her 9 month well check and is 27 in long, 17.5 in head, and weighs 14 lbs 10 oz. She is teeny tiny and is not in a percentile at the moment.

Mobility has officially reached our home. Paige was a little timid about it first, but quickly got the hang of it and is now a crawling machine. It has been fun to watch her figure it out. She quickly decided she wanted more and started trying to stand up. Right now it looks a lot more like yoga, downward facing dog has been mastered, but at least she tries! Last Sunday, she stood up on the church pew on her own and stayed there for awhile That was a first for her. She also has been crawling to side of the crib and kneeling alongside, beckoning me to come and save her. We will need to lower the mattress shortly! Until this month, I never felt Paige showed much affection, but that all changed and I couldn't be happier. It started with stranger danger. Paige would snuggle  up next to me when she felt shy or didn't want me to pass her off to someone she didn't know. Now she does it all the time. She will crawl over and rest her head on your lab or limb, whatever she can snuggle with. I finally get kisses once in awhile too. I love it! I don't think there is a better feeling in the world. It melts my heart and reminds me that all those years of waiting were more than worth it. Mark and I have a beautiful, happy, healthy, peaceful baby girl. What a blessing! I can't imagine my life without her. She brings so much joy into our home--I can't seem to get enough of this girl. I love her more every day!

The other big news this past month and the reason for many sleepless nights and the loss of my mental capacities was moving. We sold our home, my dream home. I loved that house! It was hard to leave the first place I felt like I made home for us. Especially Paige's nursery. I remember being so excited getting it ready for her. Earlier this year, Mark was making multiple trips all over the area taking care of livestock. We never saw him, and we realized we made a big mistake not buying in the country where we could just have everything on our own property. Being a city girl, I like the convenience of being close to everything and having sidewalks, but I like my husband more. Our long term goals could not be met living on .25 acres. We figured we could replicate the house and build on some property. We decided to put our house up  on the market and we weren't really aggressive about selling it, but it's a great house and someone else thought so too.

The closing process was tough this time around--it is a long story, but we finally got things worked out this week and it was a nail biter to the end. I had mixed feelings almost the entire time and felt very overwhelmed. Leaving our home and moving into a rental wasn't easy. It felt much better once we unpacked and got settled. Once we finally signed the papers, I felt such relief and peace. I knew everything would be ok. I think sometimes we try to take on too much at once, and once I decided to take things one step at a time, everything was fine. We still have a few hurdles figuring out the next steps, but I am pledging to take it all a day at a time.

I feel very blessed this month. Mark's cancer scan came back clear and his health continues to improve. We had a little more anxiety this time around, but it ended up being a different problem requiring surgery, not lymphoma. what a relief! Mark will have surgery later this year, but it shouldn't be a big deal. Conference was amazing and I am sad to see it come and go. I remember hating Conference when I was little, and now it seems like another holiday. I love the boost I feel in my spirituality and my testimony. Despite a stressful month, I feel like I have been more than blessed and I am so grateful. I hope that I can give back and show my appreciation to my Heavenly Father. Hope the fall is finding you all well! Good family and friends truly are our greatest blessings.