Valerie at 8 months old.
photo by Amy Ritterbusch, 8/3/03
	Valerie is now 10 months old. Valerie is so much fun right now. She is developing her personality, and we all play together very well! Valerie just had a big visit from the Goldstein Family. Grandpa Len, Grammy Hazel, Great Grandma Etta, Uncle Adam, and Aunt Ann all came to Boston to visit. We spent one day at Grandma Carol's house for Roshashana dinner; we spent one day in New Hampshire for Aunt Tammy's baby shower and then back to Aunt Tammy and Uncle Jeremy's house to play with their dogs - Valerie was really excited to see the dogs! And we spent the third day at home where everyone came over to play! Valerie loves to play Godzilla (Matt builds a house out of cards, and Valerie crawls to it and she crashes it! Yes, Valerie is now crawling! She started crawling at about 9 months, and she made us baby proof the house very quickly. She is also eating table food now - mostly cheerios, bread and rice. This is in addition to her baby food (cereal, cooked fruits and vegetables). Valerie also knows how to give kisses, wave hello and goodbye, and she can clap her hands. She is also very vocal. She gets very excited when she sees other children, especially her age, and she also gets excited to see dogs! When she sees them (both the children and the dogs), she laughs and/or squeals as if she is talking to them. Valerie is still wearing some 6-9 month clothing as well as some 12 month clothes. At her 9 month appointment, Valerie weighed 17 pounds and was 27 1/2 inches tall. She slowed down in her growth; she is now in the 25th% for weight and 50th% for height.
**All photos are taken by Matt or Lyla or we don't remember unless otherwise noted.