9 Months

You're growing up so fast, and now you're 9 months old.  You're getting big enough that the toddler is starting to emerge and the baby is starting to fade.  You officially weigh over 20 pounds and are 29.5 inches long.  You love getting into everything you can crawl to and you are curious about everything.   You pull up on all of the furniture, especially when there is a remote or phone you think you can reach. You are very uncertain when you let go, so you usually grab hold again.  You're getting better at moving from a standing position back to sitting, and you usually only do that when you want to crawl somewhere else to get into something else.  Stairs?  Not a problem.  You go up with ease.  Coming down is a bit harder, so you just wait at the top and fuss until someone comes to get you.

You don't have to wait long for help when you fuss, because your siblings are extremely attentive.  I am pretty sure they've conditioned you to expect someone to come get you when you make your grunting/fussy noise.  You love your siblings though.  You like to sit and watch them play, and you always want to be where they are.  They don't always like that, because you're starting to get into their stuff, but most of the time, they let you tag along.  In fact, we're pretty sure you can say "Bear-Bear," which is what we call Barrett sometimes. 

You've learned to say momma, and you've got it down now.  As soon as I walk in the door, you just repeat it until I come to hold you for a few minutes.  You're not super clingy though, unless you're tired, and then I can't put you down. When you are tired, you're doing a better job of falling asleep on your own.  That is great, but it also means you're not falling asleep in my arms as much.  So, when you do, I go all paparazzi on you.

One of your most endearing traits is the way you smile.  You still squish up your nose and squint your eyes.  It's your little squish face smile.  I am sure you'll outgrow it at some point when you realize you don't have to put so much work into your smile, so I'll take as many pictures as I can of it right now and laugh right along with you. 

I almost forgot to mention that you now have 2 teeth.  They came in less than a week apart right after you were getting over being sick.  You're smile was cute anyway, but now it's even cuter with the little pearly whites peaking out of the bottom of your mouth.

Another exciting month is ahead of us as you begin to eat more solid foods and continue to increase your crawling speed.  Audrey told me just today that she wishes she had a baby that couldn't move anywhere still.  I guess it was nice when I didn't have to watch you like hawk, but at the same time, it is so fun to watch you grow!