Your first autumn begins

Dear Maya,

Our busy 3-day weekend means mommy is posting this on a Tuesday morning, but better late than never I suppose. We had summer-like weather this weekend, but it really started feeling like fall nonetheless. Mommy made applesauce, chili, Halloween cupcakes, got pumpkins, and did some indoor Halloween decorating, too.

Last week was your 9-month well visit with the pediatrician. You weighed in at 18 pounds 13 ounces and are now 28.5 inches long. The doctor says you look great and are very advanced. You cried a little during your shots, but you cried a lot during the finger prick blood draw. You perked up soon afterwards, though.

You are finally starting to get the hang of waving on command. This is especially endearing when you say goodbye to daddy in the mornings before he goes to work. You are also really enjoying this whole peek-a-boo thing. You grab anything you can--curtains, Tupperware lids, etc.--and start up a session with us.

You also pull out your books every chance you get lately. Though it is hard to get you to sit still on mommy's lap so I can read you a whole story, you like to look through them on your own. The most adorable thing is that sometimes you also put the books back in the bookcase! They usually end up falling out, but still!

We went for a little hike on the Copake Rail Trail this weekend, hoping to see some nice fall-colored leaves. No such luck for the most part--everything was still pretty green. It was a nice walk, though, if a bit overrun with mosquitoes. We'll have to remember to get some baby-safe but repellent one of these days.

And, preparations for your first Halloween are underway! There have been dozens of costume ideas thrown around, but we've narrowed it down to the one homemade costume you'll officially wear for the holiday. That doesn't mean that there won't be some fun dressing up ahead of time, though, like this cute monkey!

Well, mommy's got to go use the rest of your nap time to get ready for our Mommy and Me time at the library a little later. Today we should finally be able to see your buddy Wyatt there after several missed connections. He loves to show off for you and give you kisses so it should be fun. Love you!

P.S. You have added plain homemade yogurt to your food repertoire. Due to mommy's forgetfulness, you also had your first sugar when I accidentally fed you a helping of sweetened applesauce instead of the sugar-free batch I made for you. Ah, well--you certainly seemed to like it!