9 months!

Ella turned 9 months old yesterday, so we had her wellness checkup today. She did swimmingly, despite having missed her morning nap. She's in the 75th percentile for height and weight and 95th for head size (insert Mommy-biased comment about what a genius she is). Really, Denbar children just have giant heads.

Ella and I have started to "train" for the Capitol 10K. Every year--and by that, I mean the last two--Hal and I have participated. I wish I could say that ever year we've both run it, but last year I was 7 months pregnant, so I walked the trail and cheered him on while he ran it. It's kind of the one tradition we Denbars have created so far. So anyway, I'm trying to get back into running shape, and Ella is trying to love her jogging stroller. So far, so good. We made it a little over 2 miles the other day, but in case anyone is wondering, running with a jogging stroller--even an amazing one like the BOB--is freaking hard. I thought it would anchor me into prime running position and not let me lose my form, so I could keep my head up and shoulders square, etc. Instead, it anchors me down and makes me feel like I'm running with my arms tied together. We've got a long way to go to be ready and one month tomorrow until the race. If anyone is interested in running or walking it, feel free to join us--it's really a very fun time!

On another note, Ella finally pulled up to standing on her own, using the crib rails. She's done this several times with the littlest boost from Mommy, but this was independent. She immediately realized what she had done and fussed for me to lift her up to reach the book she wanted. I have to stop doing what she says. She's never going to move anywhere. On the bright side, she has quickly learned to communicate very well using differing degrees of fussing and talking, and since I'm a pushover and respond to her, she keeps getting more feisty and demanding.

The first step is admitting I have a problem; the second step is not giving in to her every whim. But she's just the coolest person I know...

More to come on this battle.