happy nine months old baby boy!! wow...another month older and wiser too. just today i was thinking about how fast these nine months have gone. i used to get so sad as you turned another month older, because it was sad to see how fast you were growing and changing. but now i have actually started looking forward to all the things you are learning how to do. it is so exciting to experience the world through the eyes of a baby....to watch as you figure something out that you've been trying to master for a while...to see as your personality grows even bigger and as your will becomes stronger. you are turning into such an individual, and i love every minute of it, and love the littler person you are becoming. i am just so thankful you are mine. :)
as i knew it would be, this past month was a blast! christmas was even better than i anticipated it would be, as was the whole month. we had so much fun celebrating the holiday season with family and friends, and you were spoiled rotten by so many different people. not only was it a busy month, as far as parties and gatherings go, but you also grew and changed a lot...as you seem to do every month.
you have become quite the mover baby finn. you are crawling, or standing and walking along things, 95% of the time. okay, maybe not that much, because you still do sleep a lot, but you are an incredibly active little boy. remember how we used to say you were so easy going and chill?? well, you still are, as far as your temperament and personality go, but you are no longer that baby who will just sit and observe for hours at a time. you like to be on the go! it is fun to watch, but also very exhausting! it doesn't help that toys don't interest you for very long, so pretty much you just crawl to crawl. i guess you like to exercise, and that is great!
as i stated above, you have started to walk along things, such as the couch, our bed, the coffee table, etc... i still don't think you are strong enough or have enough balance to begin taking steps on your own, but i don't think it will be much longer until you figure it all out, and surprisingly, i am okay with that. i am actually kind of excited for you to start walking. you walk the perimeter of your crib when i put you down for a nap, and just yesterday you started trying to pull the pictures off the wall that are hanging above your crib! i think you are becoming a bit of a troublemaker. ;) just kidding.
you have mastered holding your bottle, and hold it by yourself 95% of the time. thank goodness this day came, because i was starting to worry! ;) just jokin'. you also have almost figured out the sippy cup, but you seem to prefer a regular cup better. only problem with a regular cup is that we have to hold it for you and most of the time you end up soaking wet. :)
you have started to feed yourself, just little snacks, like your puff's and those yogurt fruit things. it has taken you kind of a while to figure out how to pick them up with your pointer finger and thumb, but i have seen drastic improvement in the last couple weeks, so i guess we have nothing to worry about. in the past few days you have started grabbing your spoon more, or you try to anyway, so i think it won't be long until you insist on feeding yourself. oh boy, what a joy that will be (heavy on the sarcasm...i am not looking forward to the mess feeding yourself will create!). along those lines, you have become a bit of a snob when it comes to food! ha, no what i mean by that is you definitely like to eat what mom and dad are eating. just the other day dad was eating pizza and he was trying to feed you your "vegetable chicken dinner" puree. you didn't want to have anything to do with it, because i'm sure the pizza looked and smelled much better. ;) we are learning that we need to start eating a lot healthier if we want you to be healthy.
you have become very silly this month, and started making the funniest faces in the whole wide world! seriously dude, i don't know where you get it from but your faces kill me. you have also started laughing lots more, which we LOVE! last week i recorded you as you sat and laughed at duke and claus for like 20 minutes! i don't know what makes them so funny to you, but you have always laughed most for them and that is still the same. you laugh lots more for dad, me and grandma, though, which is great for our ego...so keep it up. ;)
you are still just as vocal as ever, in fact i think you're becoming increasingly louder and more talkative, if you can imagine that! you make the funniest sounds, and i really can tell that you are trying to communicate with us with your funny screams. you are always loudest at church, go figure.
you love to give fives (high and low), and you still clap all the live long day. you never really wave to anyone, which is really surprising. maybe you still don't get it? or maybe you just don't like to?!
since you were in my belly, i have always thought you were a very sweet baby, and that sweet side is starting to come out very strong. a few weeks ago you and i were just playing on the floor together up in mine and dad's bedroom. you were a few feet away from me, just doin' your thing. you started crawling across the floor, right towards me, without me even beckoning you to come. you crawled right into my lap, put your hands up on my shoulders and planted a kiss right on my lips! oh my heavens, talk about melting a girls heart!! it was one of the cutest, sweetest things i have ever seen, and it most definitely brought tears to my eyes. you did the same thing yesterday, and once again, it just made my whole day!
one of my favorite parts of our days is right when you wake up from a nap. i can usually hear you talking to your animals, or sometimes you yell for me to come get you (a happy yell, that is), and when i open your door, you are just standing there in your crib, and the second you see me you get the biggest grin on your face. it just melts my heart, and i look forward to that every single day.
we went to see dr. reese today for your nine month well-baby check. i thought you had to get shots, but turns out you didn't! well, actually you did have to get the 2nd round of your flu shot, since we were supposed to go in for that in november but didn't go. so today you only had to get one shot, and your finger pricked to test your hemoglobin. you did great with the finger pricking, you didn't cry or flinch or anything. you just sucked on the nurses hand...it must have been soothing haha. weighing and measuring you was quite a lot more difficult today than it has been in past visits. you have turned into such a wiggle worm that it took us about 5 minutes to take your measurements (normally it only takes a couple)! the nurse commented, multiple times, on how cute you are. and when dr. reese came in, he couldn't get over what a silly little goof you are. you kept making your funny faces at him, and you laughed at him when he started talking to you. i set you down on the floor while i was talking to him and you just crawled all over the place and climbed up on everything. he said you are doing very well developmentally, and are right on track! that's always great to hear. he said he thinks you'll definitely be walking by our next visit (you'll be one by then!). he said we can start feeding you all kinds of table foods (except honey, syrup and milk) and that we can even feed you mac 'n cheese, so that's what we had for dinner tonight and you loved it. you are definitely my son! your hemoglobin test came back a little lower than they'd like, which means we need to start feeding you more cereal, which will hopefully get your iron count up. dr. reese didn't seem too worried about it though. he says you are a very happy, and very healthy, and said, "you must love hanging out with him, he's a hoot!" yes, indeed you are and indeed i do love hanging out with my little man.
your 9 month stats:
weight: 19lb 7 oz - 32nd percentile
height: 29in - 76th percentile
head circ.: 45.5cm - 57th percentile
you are still the easy going, happy baby you've always been, and your dad and i love every minute we get to spend with you. it has been so fun to watch you grow and learn, and i look forward to what is in store for us in this next month. i have a feeling it's going to be a good one. :)
love,
mom
