9 months

*Updated, I forgot to add about sleeping and eating

Will turned 9 months about 2 weeks ago. I am really falling behind on blogging duties.. and Grandma is sure letting me know about it! He's down for a nap and I finally found the camera transfer cord, so I've got a few minutes to post an update. (I'm ignoring the dishes, laundry, and floors that are screaming my name. They've been greatly neglected lately too)

At the 9 month appt. the nurse called him Hercules because he is so strong. He weighed in at 25 lbs and 12 oz - 100th percentile- and 30 1/2 inches- also 100th %! I mean that's a big boy!

So... since turning 9 months, our boy has learned so many new things! The biggest milestone has been learning to pull up. He wants to do it ALL the time and on everything. I must gasp about 46 times a day. He scares me to death. Yesterday he fell and hit his head on a glider in the church nursery and had his first knot on the back of his head. Luckily, I was the one there when it happened- all the other workers were glad of that too! ;) He pulls up on his crib, the bookshelf, walls, mirror, windows, chairs, sofa, - you name it, he's on it. I think we're going to move the coffee table out for a while though. It's the only thing that really makes me nervous. He's very cautious actually, but sometimes his little hands slip and we've already bumped our face one too many times on it.

Second, while army crawling is still his preferred travel method, he has finally started doing some traditional crawling. He'll do it for a little bit, and then just drop to his belly when he decides he wants to get there faster.

"If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!" Clapping is another fun new discovery! He does it all the time, but rarely when you want him to. It's just the cutest thing ever.

Waving is starting to happen more frequently too. However, again not when you want him to usually. He waves his hand and says, "Haahhh!" I guess that's hi?

*Sleeping is better all the time, but we still have some tough nights. He doesn't like being put in his crib and needs to cry for a bit before we give him his paci again, roll him on his side, and pat his butt a couple of times. Some nights he'll wake up a couple times and then some nights (like last night!!) he will sleep all the way until 6am. The strangest thing has happened the past three nights- he has let me rock him to sleep. Yep, just laid his head on my chest and looked around until he drifted off to sleep. It's been so sweet. I haven't gotten to do that since he was itty bitty.

*Eating: He is nursing 3 times a day and gets a bottle at night. I'm trying to start the weaning process. I'm just ready and he has 4 teeth now- they do not feel good. At all. We've tried soy formula and think it upsets his tummy, so we are using Nutramigen. It's completely soy and dairy free. It tastes horrible, so we mix it with breastmilk. That means I am pumping every night before bed. I'm definitely ready to be done with that. He is eating 3 meals a day and a couple of snacks in between. He eats all veggies we eat (last night was carrots and broccoli), lots of fruit (yesterday he had his first strawberry), and sometimes we are weak and give him things he shouldn't have. Like the churro we got at Costco. He was really eyeing it, so I gave him a pinch from the middle that didn't have all the sugar on it.

*Talking still isn't really happening either. No mama, no dada, only "ba" and "uh" and "ha". I'm trying not stress about it, but it's hard when you hear other babies just chatting away. He's very vocal and screams and yells and laughs and grunts all day. Just not many consonant sounds. He doesn't have any signs down yet either. Of course, I'm sure the Babywise mom's baby knows them all. (after all, her kids are perfect) ;)

Here are some pics of my little crazy.

This is the best I could do. There's no keeping him in that chair now. Not sitting at least.

..I'm ready to get down...

...if I just can get to the floor...

.. and here I am, standing! Now I'm happy!

Baby butts drive me nuts. ;)

Oh, we have moved from the baby tub into the big boy tub! He LOVES it so much! He splashes and kicks and twists and flops and just laughs. He cries when I take him out. I can't wait to take him swimming this summer. It's going to be such fun for all of us.

Look how big those bottom teeth are! His top two teeth are in too, but we couldn't get a good shot of those.

Here he is, standing at the window in his room. It's one of his favorite places. He looks around and yells at the trees.

LOVE HIM