Samara at Nine Months

Today marks the first official day Sam has spent more time outside of my body than in it. And while I am thrilled with her progression and gradual unfolding, this fact is making me more than a little sad. My period has returned, much of the weight has been lost, she is far bigger than that little squirt we brought home and somehow I miss it all so much.

This month has been a bit of a whirwind. Sam is now quite mobile. She does this funny little breakdancing worm crawl that, although terribly uncomfortable (since it is a series of belly flops), seems to be efficiently getting her across the room and wherever she wants to go. As she crawls on the floor, she can now identify, examine and try to eat each little speck of lint upon the floor and since the vacuuum and I had a falling out years ago and our house is only vaccuumed twice monthly by the cleaning ladies, this pretty much means the floor is a bit like a trip to Old Country Buffet for Sam--all you can eat lint and more!

Sam seems to have developed some separation anxiety this month and definitely has a preference for either me or R. When she wants me, she lifts her arms into the air and says, "Mamamamamam." It is at once completely adorable and completely pathetic. She also says "Dada" and we think "ball," although that one is somewhat suspect.

In the world of small motor skills (I am making these terms up) she has now perfected the "pincer grasp," which has paved the way for a Cheerior habit I fully expect to last for a lifetime. While mommy has had some phobic issues (a much longer post on this later, but suffice it to say, I almost passed out at a restaurant in Beverly Hills when I thought she was choking) with allowing Samara to feed herself, the first few times have been messy and fun (for her).

Currently, Sam's favorite game involves holding a toy, handing it to someone else and then clapping when they take it. This game can be played for hours. And hours. And hours. AndIbetyouthinkIamdonebutIamnot--hours. The clapping is hugely cute as is the waving, which she does readily in restaurants when she suspects someone is not paying enough attention to her. She waves, bats her eyes and screams vowels at them until they acknowledge the cuteness that is Sheba.

Favorite toys this month include the cut and serve fruit my uncles in LA let her take home, her books, a tractor with plastic little people and balls of all shapes and sizes. The fruit comes with a plastic butcher knife that she loves to teethe on and is particularly festive for Halloween as it looks like she is crawling around with a knife. Endlessly amusing.

She is a very social baby, for the most part and loves to interact with other children. When we go to the playgroup on Thursdays, she loves to have one hand on me, while facing another baby and screaming at the top of her lungs. Her experiements in volume control are very cute if you are her parents and very annoying if you are the restaurant patron seated next to her or the woman in the plane seat ahead. Nevertheless, she is learning how to pierce eardrums. A very important skill, indeed.

R was thrilled to finally be able to hoist Sam onto his shoulders this month:



She rode the Merry Go Round for the first time. Not impressed: