9 Months!!

Dear Ben,

Hahahaha, I am writing this ON your 9 month birthday! Aren't you so proud? You don't care? Thought so!

During the last month you have started sleeping a tad better, and showing more of your personality. We put you to bed anywhere between 7:15 and 7:45. You will typically go until 3 or 4 am, get your paci, and you will sleep until 6-6:30. I await the day you sleep longer, but it is progress! You nap pretty well, especially if we work around your naps with our excursions. We have found that the better you nap, the better you sleep at night. Imagine that! You are about to get your own bed back, so I hope you continue this.

Another new thing- a tooth! Your first tooth finally popped through! You don't like to show it off, so we have no pics, but I promise it is there. Also, you are getting closer to crawling, though I think it is still a ways away. If we put you up in the "all fours" position, you stay up and rock. Why, even today, you moved your hands forward (then belly flopped and rolled to your back.). I saw you try to roll back to belly today, too.

Speaking of belly, holy moly, you love to eat! I mean, you're a hoss - in a good way. You don't have a lot of chub (definitely some chub), but you are a long, long, solid boy. Not sure of your stats, yet, as you don't head to the doc until August - part of the whole "finding a new pediatrician" thing we had to do. Right now, I guess 22lbs. At least. And 31-32 inches. We'll see in a couple of weeks. You have started some finger foods this month: puffs, of which you are a HUGE fan, yogurt melts, and green beans. I tried some beans, but you didn't care for those, yet. You have also have added some new purees to your repertoire: brussel sprouts, black beans, papaya, tofu, apricot, lentils, potatoes, and broccoli. You love the sweet stuff best!

You have become quite vocal. You have the "dadadadadada" sound down pat. You also do the "mamamama" and "nananana" sounds pretty well, too. But the funniest thing - you GROWL at us! You stick your arms out straight and growl. No idea why, but it is hilarious. Now days, if we growl at you, you growl right at us.

More new tricks this month is clapping. You LOVE to clap. You now associate the word with the action, which is fun. We are working with you on "so big.". You are getting there. You kind of stick one arm up in the air, then clap. It's cute.

You are such a smiley boy! You love to watch your sister - and she loves to make you laugh. It's funny to listen to her in the car, playing peek-a-boo with you, yelling "boo boo" (because sometimes I call you Benny Boo, or just Boo Boo...which I hate, but it keeps coming out) - anyways, you crack up laughing at her. She also introduced you to the awesomeness that are Legos, however, she only gave you 2 of them, and quickly snatched them back when she decided she needed them. It was the sweetest 20 minutes the two of you have had together. When you start crying, I try to get her to go sit with you, but she doesn't quite have the patience for you (Grandma always tells her that patience is a virtue, but she hasn't listened to that advice yet.) I heard her yelling at you once, "blehh. ehhh" and other random sounds, then she said, "Just a second, Ben. I'll be there in a minute." When I looked down to see if she was going over, she was laying on the tile floor, finger in her mouth, with her blankets. I really don't think she was going to be over in a minute. She does love you, though - gives you a kiss goodnight every single night.

It boggles my mind that you will be one whole year old in 3 months. It goes to fast. I will miss my baby snuggles when you are a busy toddler.

We love you, Ben!