9 Months Old!

Mr. Big Stuff,

Do you see how this letter is addressed? We used to address it to "little one" and now you are officially "Mr. Big Stuff!" In the nine months we have had with you so far, I think that this has been the month that we have noticed the most changes and you have achieved the most amount of "milestones." You are such a joy to be around and we are soaking up every moment that we get to spend with you.

You are still such a happy child! You love life and love to embrace everything that comes your way. You love experiencing new things and find joy in the simplest things.

Your personality is continuing to shine through, and you laugh at the funniest things. You have had some sort of virus for the last couple of days. It kept you (and mommy and daddy:)) up for most of the night last night. While I was rocking you, in the middle of the night, I was singing, "How Great Thou Art" to you. Every time I would get to the chorus and sing, "great thou art," you would burst into laughter. I know that you were somewhat slap-happy from lack of sleep, but you did it again today. I don't know what is so funny about "How Great Thou Art," but apparently you find it quite hilarious!

As I said above, you are learning new things everyday. Here are some of the things that you have done over the past month:

Clothing Size: You are wearing 6-12 month and 12-18 month clothes! We are starting to run out of things for you to wear as they are either stained from spit-up, or you have outgrown them. Hopefully we don't end up with an Indian Summer or we may be in big trouble!

Favorite Toys: We have found such joy in putting together all of your new toys for you to play with. Before you were born, you received many "big boy" toys as gifts from people. We have had them in storage for quite some time. We put many of them together and you love exploring all the new things, sounds, and movements the different toys make. We love watching your little mind work through things.

Though you really are happy to play with about anything, you have found a favorite new toy over the past month. You love your new push-behind truck. It took you a few tries, but now you walk behind it like a champ. You think you are quite the "big stuff" when you walk one handed while reaching for a toy with the other hand.

Favorite Activities: You really enjoy doing pretty much everything. You love walking behind your truck, walking around the ottoman, eating, taking baths, going for walks in your stroller, swimming, and playing with mommy and daddy. You do NOT enjoy it when mommy and daddy set you down by your toys to play all alone. You would much prefer to be part of the action and have someone playing with you.

Other Milestones: You still are not crawling. I have come to the conclusion that you think crawling is over-rated and that you are going to go right to walking. You have loved standing up since you were about 3 months old and I truly believe you will be walking within the next month or two.

You have started to be much more verbal. You say, "mamamamama" and "dadadadam," although you say "mamamamama" much more. You say it mostly when you are whining or want something. I am not convinced that you know what it means, but you do use it quite often.

You have started to be a little more wary of strangers. You still go to other people quite well, but you often give them a second look before reaching out your arms for them.

Favorite Food: We decided to switch your formula to Target Brand Similac Sensitive and you are doing WAY better with that. You still spit-up, but not near as often. You typically have an 8 oz bottle when you wake up, an 8oz bottle, a jar of fruit, a jar of vegetables and some finger foods around lunchtime, an 8 oz bottle and meat/fruit at dinner time, and a 7 oz bottle before bed. You also like trying new foods at the dinner table. You love any table foods we give you. You have eaten chicken, cake, beans, carrots, yams, lasagna, noodles, and ground beef.

You are still working on drinking out of a sippy cup. You now understand that you need to suck and not chew the sippy cup, but you don't understand that you need to tip it to get the liquid out.

Number of Naps: You are on a pretty consistent nap schedule...finally! You wake up around 7:30 in the morning and then go down for a nap around 10:00. You typically sleep for 1 1/2 hours and then wake up at 11:30. You go down for an afternoon nap around 1:30 and wake up around 3:00.

Bedtime Routine: Your bedtime routine is still really the same. Typically mommy or daddy gives you a bath and then mommy feeds you your last meal of the day. Sometimes we also read you a story. Mommy (and sometimes daddy) sings you a song and then either mommy or daddy puts you in your crib, tucked in your favorite blanket and with the sunshine on. You go to bed around 8:30 and sleep until about 7:30 in the morning.

We also decided to get rid of our new puppy this month. She was a wonderful dog, but mommy was quite allergic to her. You didn't seem to mind either way as you were a little too young to really understand what was going on. When you get a bit older, mommy and daddy will reconsider getting another dog for you:).

You saw the doctor yesterday for your nine month visit. You lucked out and you didn't have to get any shots this time! You are still measuring to be such a big boy. Here are your stats:

Weight - 21lbs 4 oz - 50-75th percentile

Height - 30 inches - 95th percentile

Head circumference - 45.5cm - 50th percentile

As cliche as it sounds, we love you more everyday. We love seeing your personality shine through and all the joy you experience on a daily basis. It is our prayer that we become the best parents for you and that you become all that God has in store for you. We love you beyond imagine!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy