9 months old

I've been meaning to do his 9 month update but between work and baby (and now me and daddy) being sick I just haven't managed.

But he's growing so much!

-Crawling ... he really started a while back, but it's a funny belly scooting type ... funny thing is that he really gets going fast even though he doesn't have the proper form going on. He does get the proper form starting out, but then he gets so excited to move that he lets his legs go and kind of drags himself like army style. He especially loves chasing balls around!

-More than crawling, he LOVES standing up/walking. He will try to pull himself up on anythingso I always gotta make sure he doesn't topple over or pull whatever he's pulling down on himself. Sometimes I just wish he would sit still and play tho ....

-Been trying to teach him to say please for things he wants, cause he's been starting to freak out and cry if he can't get something he wants ... just trying to show him that if he wants something he doesn't have to make a big deal ... so far no luck ... but it seems like it has taught him how to clap. Which leads to ...

-Clapping and dancing. He LOVES music and certain songs Grandma sings to him or videos we show him he will bounce up and down to, or clap to ... its so adorable ... he also sometimes claps for himself ... sometimes ... when he does something good ... like we clap for him after he finishes all his food ... and he claps along with us ... he also does this funny leg tapping thing when we sing for him or listen to music. Just one leg bounces to the music ... its just funny.

-Been trying out some self-feeding ... some cheese, bread, fruit, etc. I'm not brave enough to give him the puree or yogurt that we feed him cause I know he'll make a huge mess and I'm not ready for that yet. He does this quirky thing when he picks up the food from the tray or my hand. He does this with toys too, but he doesn't grab it with his whole hand, or his thumb and forefinger. He does this funny thing with just his forefinger. He rolls it back and forth a little, then brings it into his hand and of course that makes it hard for him to get the piece of food into his mouth .. .but it's just so funny. He does it with toys too ... just rolls them around with his forefinger before picking it up. Weird baby.

-Feeding continues to go well. Now I don't puree his veggies completely and leave some soft lumps in there to get him used to the whole 'chewing' concept so he doesn't choke. He LOOOOOOOOVES food which is awesome cause when we go eat out he will sit (relatively) still in his stroller as long as I am feeding him parts of chicken, some bread, etc. He loves sharing our food with us and seems to know when he is being fed his 'puree' instead of 'big ppl food'.

-Has 3 teeth now! The 2 on the bottom, one on top and his 4th one it juuuust starting to show like it's getting ready to come out.

-Getting so skilled at 'multitasking' ... he does one thing with one hand while doing something else with the other. No specific example comes to mind but when I see it it just amazes me.

-He tries so hard to talk these days. Dada now dominates most of it ... somehow he does seem to understand it relates to daddy somehow cause it comes out a lot when he's tired or fussy and wants to go to dad. Which is a little sad, but he likes daddy more than mommy. It's understandable I guess ... I spend less time with him and since I started getting belly problems I just can't hold him as much as he would like so a lot of time with me is spent playing alongside each other instead of playing dakko games like does with dad. Dad also lets him sleep on his tummy during nap time and I just can't do it anymore. waaaaaaaaaaaa. But he still loves mommy ... I guess it's all about his mood.

He's such a sweet baby and I really feel like he's growing up too fast! Course I want him to start walking soon before Little Boss comes around, but looking at recent pics of him I just don't see a baby anymore ... he's such a grown-up little boy! So smart and sweet and just the best son EVER!!

Some recent pics ... I haven't taken many recently ... gotta take some more ...

Newest toy! I've always wanted one of these 'playbox' thingies with multiple activities ... I was so excited for this!!!

With him moving around so much we bought him a playpen for his 9 month birthday. He fell off the bed again cause he gets over the pillows now so I needed it for when I am alone in the house ... bathroom, laundry ... etc etc ...

My most recent pic of him. I saw this and couldn't get over how 'grown up' he looked! He doesn't look like a little baby anymore!!!