Nine

You're NINE whopping months old, little mister.  75% of the way to your first birthday...have mercy!

What's up, little buddy?

At long last, you are in your own room.  You  love it.  You go down for naps so easily in your crib.  You've gotten yourself into a nice little routine with a mid-morning nap, a late afternoon nap, and an 8 o'clock bedtime.  You are still not sleeping through the night, but you wake up predictably between 12:30 and 1:30 and then between 4:30 and 5:30.  You are up for the day between 8 and 8:30.  Like Sissy, you've found a lovey.  You selected your brightly colored minky blanket.  You love cuddling up with it when you're tired.  I often find you wrapped up in your blanket while you sleep.

Thanks to the grandparents and to the fact that you have two siblings, your room is well stocked with toys.

Your favorite seems to be the push popper, though it seems to be a love-hate relationship.  You alternate between fascination and frustration as you swing that puppy around.  It's very entertaining to watch. Speaking of puppies, you adore Penny.  You will make a beeline for her when you see her come in the door. Fortunately for you, Penny is a very patient puppy.  She tolerates your grabby hands with a resigned patience.  It may be mostly because she gets amply rewarded for her good behavior around you.  Plus, she knows she can escape to Auntie Linda's when she grows tired of your chubby little hands.  Either way, you both get some joy out of the relationship.  

You took your first step on New Year's Eve.  It bears repeating, have mercy!  You don't yet love walking.  I think it is mostly due to the fact that immediately after your very first step, you took a header into the tile floor.  You were quite miffed, to say the least.  But, you have taken a step or two here and there.  You will, however, walk for miles as long as you are holding onto someone or something.

You still have 7 teeth.  It seems like you have been trying to get that last tooth for-flippin'-ever!  I'm sure you're tired of it, too.  I was so sure that it was coming in this past week, but no dice.  You love to put those seven chompers to good use, though.  You have a healthy appetite and a healthy interest in food.  Some of your new favorites are Mema's vegetable beef soup, carrots, chicken, graham crackers and yogurt. You also love chocolate cake donuts thanks to Sissy who generously decided to share hers on the way to church last week.

It must be the donuts that are helping you maintain that robust tummy and thighs.  You weigh 18 pounds, 2 ounces which puts you in the 26th percentile.  Bless your sweet little heart, you are 26 1/4 inches tall which doesn't even put you on the chart for height even though you grew an inch and a half.  So, you've lost percentile points in weight and height, but, little man, you continue to gain in head circumference.  You are up to the 95th percentile for brains after growing another 3/4 of an inch!  No wonder it's so hard to get those onesies over your sweet little head.

I wish I had a dollar for every person who told me while I was pregnant how sweet on me you would be.  I think I finally understand how John feels about our girls - and how they feel about him.  You light up when you see me, and it melts my heart every time.  Little buddy, we are so thankful God put you in our family!