nine months

Whelp, that escalated quickly. Last time I sat down to do this, I had an army crawler who couldn't quite sit himself up. Ha. Now, getting a monthly photo of you is a two-person job. 

About a week after you hit 8 months, you figured out it was much faster to crawl on your hands and knees...and you haven't looked back. You were crawling for a hot minute before you realized that was simply the gateway to pulling up and climbing. Needless to say, you are all over the place now. In the last couple of days, you've even been taking little steps with your walker. I know it won't be long before I'm chasing after you. Lord help us. 

This month, we decided to go 2/2 on the sickness front - following up last month's virus with a new virus of the month. This one started as we were walking out the door for Kindermusik. You threw up all over both of us. I've definitely earned my mom card now....as if the grocery store diaper blowout incident wasn't enough. You followed the same pattern as your last virus - completely pitiful, lethargic and sleepy on day one; fussy, clingy and impossible to please on days two and three. Sandwiched in between were two nights of terrible sleep for all parties involved. But once it was over, you went back to being your content self.

The good news is that when you aren't sick or teething, you are still a good sleeper - either sleeping through the night or waking up between 5-6 a.m. for a snack. You get up for the day between 7:00-8:00 - usually closer to 8:00. Sometimes I have to wake you up around 8:15 or later! You nap at 9:00 or 9:30 until 11:00, and then again from 2:00-3:30 or 4:00. Bedtime is 7:00 p.m. I like routine. You like routine. Everyone likes this routine. 

Now that you are mobile, it takes you a little while to settle down for sleep, but after whining, standing, sitting and rolling around for 10-15 minutes, you usually fall asleep. As soon as we lay you down, you search around for your lovey - a little giraffe blanket that you've been sleeping with for a few months. We had to get soft covers for your crib rails after we discovered you'd been chewing on them. One morning, I went in to get you and your aquarium was on. I had forgotten to put it in the off position and you'd turned it on and were laying there watching the fish swim by. Later that day during a nap, I checked the monitor to find you sitting in your crib pushing the button over and over again. You couldn't figure out why it wouldn't turn on - alas, mom had wised up. [Why they would put an on/off switch within reach of baby is beyond me].

We finally moved you out of your baby bath tub. You didn't really fit in it anymore, and all you wanted to do was climb out. It's big boy baths for you now. You like to roam around the tub splashing, playing with toys, removing the spout cover, and, of course, climbing up the sides. 

Your eating is out of control. There is not much you won't eat, and the scale proves it. At your appointment this week, you weighed 20 lbs 10 oz, which puts you in the 68th percentile for weight (you are in the 85% for height). Now, that may not seem too crazy, but you've ALWAYS been somewhere in the 20-25th percentile for weight. My long and lean baby no more. This comes as no surprise. You ate an entire 6-inch sub sandwich the other day. You've devoured a lemon slice with nary a raised eyebrow. You waste no time shoveling food, and you don't stop until I cut you off. I'm not sure there is anything you don't like to eat - maybe sweet potatoes, but even then you'll eat them if that's all that is left on your tray. We've tried everything from sushi to a small bite of ice cream this month. We've also had some sippy cup success - you like the ones with straws. 

Speaking of straws, they top the list of things you love right now. Starbucks, aka the land of straws, is a big hit. I'm not sure what you'll do when it's cold outside and Mom is no longer ordering iced lattes. You love the Dyson fan/heater in your room. You love pushing anything back and forth - toy cars, the fireplace screen, office chairs, anything else sitting on the floor. You love driving your car toy. It's loud and obnoxious so naturally it's one of your favorites. You sit there shifting gears with great delight. You still love music. We listen to your Kindermusik songs in the car if you are getting fussy. They always calm you down. 

If something is stacked, it must be knocked down. Even when you were sick and pitiful, you heard me stacking your giraffe toy. You couldn't let him win so you mustered the energy to scoot over and knock him down. If a toy is already knocked down, it must be eaten. If it can't be eaten, it must be banged on the floor. If it can't be banged on the floor, it must be climbed, and so on and so on. You love pulling books off the shelf upstairs and pulling cookbooks off the kitchen island. Said books will all be relocated soon. 

Making you laugh is still the best. You love singing funny songs, peekaboo, finger games, tick tock, silly faces, dancing, tickles, etc. The best is when you laugh at videos of yourself laughing. You get especially tickled when you are sitting in your high chair. I don't know if it's just because you love eating so much or because you are a captive audience (probably both!) but we like to make you giggle over meals. You laughed and laughed and laughed for a few days while reading one particular book with pictures hidden under flaps.

True to form, you smile, laugh and babble all day at home, but you put on your game face when we are out and about. People comment on your focused gaze all the time. Your pediatrician said that you were staring so intently at her that she might start on fire. Someday we'll have to learn that it's not polite to stare. 

You hate startling noises. It's not so much the volume as it is the surprise element. You've lost it a few times at baseball games when the crowd spontaneously cheered - good thing we always have your baby headphones on hand. You got upset while mom and Schmeema were watching the Packers first game of the season. We had to damper our cheering until you went down for your nap. You fuss when we strap you into your car seat, but you are fine once you're all buckled in. You sometimes go through spells where all you want to do is make a very loud, high-pitched screech. These are not my favorite days. You have quite the grip - I'll probably never be able to wear my hair down again. 

It's fun to watch you make associations - both good and bad. For example, you often fuss during diaper changes now because you know it means nap/bed time is coming. When you hear Mom's phone ringing, you get excited because it means someone wants to FaceTime with you. When you heard that sound on the TV the other day, you turned to look thinking someone was calling you. You smile when you hear Dad's voice on the phone. If Dad whistles, you try to imitate that sound. When the number and letter of the day songs come on Sesame street, you light up and stop whatever you are doing to watch. You get excited when we use the sign language for "more" at dinner time. We are working on learning "more", "water/drink", and "all done."

You are more aware of our presence and relation to you every day. Of course this also means you can sometimes become more upset when we leave the room. But nothing is better than the huge smile on your face every time we come into view. Let's make a deal - I'll keep coming around if you keep smiling like that when I do.