Emma update

Emma is enjoying the really large space we have and is fully making it hers. We have set up two shelves of a bookshelf that comtain her toys and books and she has the best time unpacking them each day, like each toy is a whole new discovery. She also makes up little games for herself. She puts a toy on the shelf, then moves to stand on the side of the bookshelf and reaches around grunting like it is really hard to get the toy, peeking now and then to see how close her questing hand is. In the afternoons she likes a snack, a piece of apple or some cheerios in a bowl. Those she turns into a game too, but mostly it's a Momom game; "look Momom, I dumped all my cheerios on the floor, now you have to pick them up so I can do it again."
She is really close to standing. Quite often she will be leaning against a chair or the bookshelf and will let go to transfer a toy from one hand to another without noticing she is balancing on her own. She has also tried to stand up in the middle of the floor from downward dog, but so far these just result in faceplants and crying. I am teaching her to high five and it sets us both giggling. Me cos she really doesn't get it yet and her because she likes the little slap against her palm and my giggles. Then there is the opposite side to her, the dark side. At nearly nine months she has assessed that when we are having dinner, this is the best time to stick her fingers in the plugs/outlets. She spies it from a distance, crawls as fast as she can over there and pulls herself up on the wall. Then she looks back at our disapproving faces with a wicked, wicked grin and touches the outlet. She knows "no" and has chosen to ignore it. A swift smack on the hand had zero effect (maybe she thought I was high fiving with vigour?) So we hold her hands down against her body to make her stop. Anyone who has seen us try and horseshoe her into a carseat or stroller knows that Emma does not like to be restrained. So for the most part this is working. At least until we are trying to eat again, and she feels neglected.

She is definitely enjoying having me around all the time and has become super clingy. Crying when I leave to pee in the morning, even though she has Dadad, who, let's face it, is way more fun that I am. She is completely uninterested in the Dik dik or the birds and I can't wait for a Leopard or Lion to meander through our yard and see if she says "Kitty Cat!" as she was trying to hard to do at Grandma and Grandpa's place before we left.