Happy 9 months Finley!

my sweet finney: here we are again and another month has passed. i can't believe that you have already been here 9 months, 270 days. we have less than 100 days until you will be one. wow! that is really hard to say.
you, my sweetie, have had a busy, busy month. where do i begin? just days after your 8 month birthday, you started to crawl, kind of commando style. but just last week, you are up on all fours, crawling everywhere. and as if that wasn't enough, you are pulling up to stand on anything and everything. and as if you couldn't show off anymore, you have taken a step or two. marissa and i were practicing with you today and you would reach right out and take a step between us. it's really amazing to watch your tiny little body try to take those first steps.
you are waving and saying hi and bye. i hear "mama" all the time and just yesterday you made your daddy's year when you said, "dada." he has been waiting for that and it was such a sweet sound. now we can say to you, "where's mama or dada" and you will point to us.
we went to dutch wonderland this last month with your sisters and you were an angel. you slept most of the trip, but woke up long enough to look around and enjoy your first ice cream cone. mamaw, papaw and your great grandma came to visit this month for your baptism. they couldn't get enough of you and had such a great time visiting. i was so afraid you would cry when they walked you down the aisle at church, but you didn't. you were a trooper and stayed the whole service. so many people came to celebrate with us and thank God for you! on monday, we went to pennsylvania and picked apples. you loved that! preslee and mason would pick them and bring you one and you would just squeal! you loved the pumpkins at valley view farms and i can't wait to dress you up for halloween. as always, you and your sisters will be the cutest ones at the party!
as i nursed you and rocked you to sleep tonight, it dawned on me that we are getting closer to your first birthday; you are really growing up right before my eyes. the middle of the night feedings where it is just the two of us are going to come to an end as you stop nursing and start sleeping all night long. as much as i can't imagine an entire nights sleep, i will miss that. gone are the days when you just wanted me to hold you all day. now, you are on a mission from the moment you wake up and you never stop moving. but there is still one constant, you are the happiest little baby i have ever seen. your smile is amazing and i can't even count how many times you flash it to everyone in a 24 hour period. slow down finley, mommy needs time to catch up to you! i just want to memorize every single moment we have before i have to call you a toddler! happy 9 months baby! i love you!
Mama

UPDATE: finley had her 9 month appt today (10/16). she weighed 15 pounds 4 oz (3%) and is 26 1/4 inches tall (10%) dr yeh was amazed that she is already cruising and taking a few steps!