Daniel, Nine Months

Nine months, Daniel.  Three quarters of a year have already passed.  Amazing!!  This month was filled with lots of new things.

You began the month by finally figuring out how to move from your belly to a sitting position.  This is great when you’re playing on the floor, but you’re especially happy that you can sit up in your crib and play with your stuffed animals.  We’ve caught you trying to stand up a few times, so the crib has been lowered, and you’re now back in jail.   smile

You also moved your nap times back one hour.  You now stay up till 10am in the morning and nap again around 3pm – sleeping for at least an hour each time.  I was worried that the later nap would affect your bedtime, but you still go to bed at the same time, so we’ll go with it for now.  At the rate you’re going, I expect you to drop your second nap at/around twelve months.

Your Daddy and I love hearing you talk.  You’ve gotten really clear at saying Dada and Mama.  You make a Brrrr sound when you look at Brinkley, so I think you’re trying to say her name.  Overall, you’re talking lots more and seem to be trying to actually say things, not just babble.

So, let’s talk about your teeth.  This month you got four new teeth, all within two weeks!!  A top center one arrived first and then another top one arrived.  Then, a few days later we noticed that two more arrived on the bottom.  That brings the count to seven – four on the bottom and three on the top.  We can tell that your gums are still bugging you, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you have another one arriving soon.

You have figured out how to open/close and lift up/down.  This makes for endless minutes of entertainment, whether it be doors, drawers, toys or books.  You have a toy laptop that you’ll open and close, over and over and over again.  There’s also a push/ride toy that has a “trunk” of sorts.  You love to lift the lid up and let it fall down.  It’s even more entertaining if we put a toy in the trunk.  You’ll lift the lid, pull the toy out and let the lid fall down.

A couple weeks back, we noticed that you would lift your arm in greeting, so we started showing you how to wave.  You think it’s great and are getting better at it every day.  Most of the time you still wave with your whole arm, but once in a while that wrist gets going.  So far, you only seem to do it for Daddy and me and only as a greeting, not as a goodbye.

And finally, the big one – crawling.  You’ve finally done it!  All that grunting and complaining you did finally paid off.   wink  The first couple of days you preferred to scooch whenever possible.  Reaching a toy was not incentive enough and you would only crawl if you saw an item you weren’t supposed to have – shoes, cell phone, a dog, dog bed, etc.  Now, however, you crawl everywhere!  You’ve figured out that the crawling thing isn’t so bad and can get you places faster.  Thankfully, you usually make enough noise, so I’m able to tell where you are if you happen to be out of eyesight.   :)

I’m looking forward to what the next month will bring.  Will it be more teeth?  Standing?  Different foods?  Who knows, but I’m enjoying this adventure with you!

Love you bunches,

Mommy

Weight: 20lb, 11.5oz

Height: 29.25″