9 Months...a little late

So SJ is blowin' straight through all these milestones... next up is ONE YEAR! I can't believe it. I think I've said that every time. We haven't taken SJ to the doctor yet for her check up (b/c we know she is fine and don't need to pay to have them tell us) but here are her stats...
Longer
Taller
Stella is measuring way above the average one year old in height and weight and last time I checked she was around 30 inches and 20lbs (about a month ago).
We are still nursing but have started to introduce more and more solids. Right now she gets at least one meal of solids a day and we are moving up to two. She LOVES avocado and cheese and takes just about everything else we have given her. The only thing she has ever rejected was a slice of yellow bell pepper. She wouldn't even tolerate it to be on her tray. This is so hilarious b/c neither Drew nor I appreciate bell peppers and it has only been in the recent months that I have been able to tolerate the red and yellow/orange variety. The green don't have a chance in this family. So it's funny that without any prompting she rejected this veg. Oh well. We'll try again some time soon.
At 9 months Stella had her two bottom middle teeth fully installed and just recently started cutting all four middle top teeth. Needless to say, she has not found that a pleasant experience. During her ninth month Stella had a trip to Texas for a wedding, a trip to Kansas for a wedding and a Lewis family trip to Duxbury, MA. She is quite the traveling baby. She has done well on all her flights and has flirted with all the other passengers.
Stella has learned how to wave, fake shyness and give a low five or high five. She loves to talk non stop and eat anything in reach. She still comes at life with the tongue first.
Just this week (9.2) Stella learned how to pull all the way up to standing and has had quite a few tumbles in the process. Pretty soon she will be cruisin' around the house and then we'll really be in trouble.
She is such a fun and happy baby to mother (yes, even in the midst of teething woes) and I am so thankful to the Lord that she came through the colic phase and is now so happy to be with me and wants me around all the time.
We love you SJ... and apparently she loves you too (see video)!

Want a Kiss? from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Because I love you...

and I love her
and, well, she loves herself....
I thought you should see this..

Kiss the Baby Take 2 from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

Updates

This should brighten even the worst Monday!

SJ 7mo Laugh from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

This video is proof that Stella is quite the camera ham. She will rarely continue to do any trick once she sees that camera. She will just stare at it and smile.

Little Puppy from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

This video is a little dated but it is still one of her favorite spots to be. Instead of licking it, now she likes to pull up on it and grab at anything on top of it.
I haven't really be blogging lately because there doesn't seem to be much to blog about. After our trip to Texas and Kansas it took me a while to get back into the swing of things. First I rested a lot to catch up from all the busy activities we had been doing and then I had to restock the fridge and pantry and learn how to cook meals again. Then I had to clean the house and run errands and catch up with friends etc etc... I am just now feeling back to normal. And so is Stella... apparently... because she has gone back to shorter naps and less clingy days.
Lately Stella has mastered her crawling skills and can crawl across the whole house in a matter of minutes (usually to find me). She also likes to pull up on things onto her knees and has pulled up all the way to standing a couple of times on my leg. We think she is teething again or having a growth spurt b/c a couple of times in a row she woke up periodically in the night crying for no apparent reason and she has been a little cranky even in the day too.
We have started to give her solids on a more regular basis. For about the last two weeks we have given her a full feeding of solids before her last nursing because she was acting like she was still hungry at night. Avocado seems to be her favorite but she has enjoyed every fruit we have given her as well. This past week I gave her some raw milk, organic cheese and she LOVED IT. It is the only thing I have ever put in her mouth that at least some of it did not come out. I kept checking her clothes, diaper and high chair for dropped pieces but there were none! This week I am trying to add on another feeding of solids during the early afternoon to see if that helps her stay more comfortable during the 9 month growth spurt.
Stella loves to cluck her tongue and is learning how to clap and give a "high five". She has said mama, dada, nana, ga, ba, and a whole bunch of other gibberish sounds. She also can give a good raspberry.
In other news we have picked three zucchini from our garden and lots of broccoli and today we have a few huge tomatoes that look like they are ripe for the picking. Several cherry tomatoes are orange colored and there are several strawberries to be picked! WOO HOO! I am super pumped about our veggies! I'll post some pictures soon.
The babe is awake... so I'm off!