9 month update!

First of all, since Garrett is at the tail end of the wave of babies born last August/September, I always feel like it takes FOREVER to get to each new month! Silly, I know... Anyway, here goes!
(Also, remember that this takes the place of me making him a baby book. There's more info in these posts than anyone really ever wants to know, except for the grandparents maybe...)

Wow, 9 months. His time in the womb and out of the womb is the same now. I can't decide which felt longer.

STATS: 23 pounds, ____ inches (his 9 month dr. appt. is at the end of the month because of a conflict we had...I'll get actual stats then and edit this post.)

You still wear 12 and 18 month clothes, although some of your 12 month onesies are getting too small.

EATING: You are nursing 4 times a day now. Your new foods this month are: cauliflower, kiwi, cantaloupe, watermelon, quinoa, blueberries, black beans (all of which you liked), and a failed attempt at cheddar cheese. You are almost off all of your purees. The only purees you get are ones we're trying to finish up from the freezer and pureed fruit that Mommy puts in your oatmeal for breakfast.

SLEEPING: Your new best bedtime is 8:00pm. Most of the month, you slept between 6:30 and 7am (I waited until close to 7 to go get you), but the past two days, you've slept past 7! I've had to wake you up at 7:15. I wonder if you'll have a later wake-up time since I tweaked your failing black-out curtains by sewing a black sheet to the back of them.

You still take two naps, but they're not as long as last month. Usually, you'll sleep between 1.5 and 2 hours for each nap.

NEW STUFF:

• You got your first haircut this month (all four long strands of your newborn hair).

• You have a 3rd tooth! It's one of your top teeth, but it's not one of the middle ones. It's the one to your left of those center teeth. So weird.
• You have been "swimming." ...not really...you just sat in a very tiny pool of water. You look nak3d here, but you have on a cloth diaper!

• You have become more adventurous in your crawling and maneuvering. You climbed up all of the stairs yesterday (with Mommy right behind you). 
• You have figured out how to open a door toward you and scoot backwards to get out of the door's way until it has opened wide enough. Yikes. Time to get some gates for the stairs.
• You still throw a fit when I stop reading to you in the mornings. Good grief. I'm glad you like books and all, but...

• Your favorite toys are the stackable rings. You crawl around with one in each hand all the time. Just last week in small group, Valerie and Brylee taught you how to actually stack the rings back up. Since then, you have been doing pretty well with stacking them yourself! I was shocked when I saw this. I finally caught it on video. 

• You don't wave or clap yet, but I'm pretty sure you say, "Hi!" Whenever the phone rings, you want to be part of the conversation, and you'll say, "Ha!" which is how you say, "Hi." Sometimes, I've even heard you say, "Ha, mama!" So, yes, you speak in complete sentences at 9 months old. You're SO advanced. (har har)

• You give High Fives!
• You give hugs on command...sometimes. It's the cutest thing. You're not the snuggliest guy, so when you do give hugs or snuggles, the world stops and I soak it all in!
• You babble a lot, and it sounds like you have conversations...especially with other babies. It kind of sounds like, "doi doi doi..." So cute!
• You have a friend at the church nursery. You followed him around, hit each other, and crawled through a tunnel after he did. I love how much you learn from being around other babies.
• You go to a neighborhood play group that just started up, and are making new friends.
• You pull up on everything, and are becoming more confident each day with standing. You haven't stood solo yet, though.
• This is really cool: You still have independent playtime for 30 minutes a day (sometimes twice a day). At the end, you actually help me clean up! I say, "May I have it?" and you hand me the toy I'm pointing to! It takes a lot of patience on my part, but it's so worth it. 

This has been a busy month! I'm sure there's more, but that's plenty for now!

Dear son,

You are fearless and know what you want. I love that you are challenging boundaries because it means that you are thinking for yourself. I have no idea what this next month holds for you, but I can't wait to see what you learn! Thank you for making me a Mommy. I am honored.

Love,

Mommy