9 Months of Lucy Joy

Oh my Lucy Joy! It's official. 9 months is the best months (so far). Something magical happened this last month. She became a happier baby! She turned 9 months on July 25. Duke was gone the last 2 months of July and when he came back he even said something about it. She didn't cry every time we were in the car. She didn't freak out on the reg. She was just more content all of a sudden. I'd say she's still more high maintenance/needy than some of my other friends babies. However, we've made progress!! I'm not going to lose my mind! Things are going to be OK! 

• She has cut her 2 bottom teeth-barely! (can we talk about how TERRIBLE teething is?) 
• She's finally into eating. I discovered the trick with her is to let her feed herself. She doesn't tend to like things when I offer them, but if I let her pick it up and put in her mouth she likes it. Go figure. Also those little squeeze pouches let her feed herself too-we're obsessed.
• As of this week she is scooting..not crawling. However she does it very slowly. And only when completely necessary. It's a start. 
• She is full of smiles. She is so excited about life. Right now she is waving around her bib like it's the best thing that has ever happened to her. I love it.
• Her favorite toys currently are my makeup bag contents-particularly the brushes. (I started putting paintbrushes in it to fool her). She also loves holding markers and running them across the ground and tapping stuff with them. Bowls and spoons are also a favorite. And my tennis shoes. She's fascinated by the laces. Basically she hates all the toys I paid for. 

^the above pics I took on July 25. And here's a few below from the last couple weeks.