Month Nine

Dear Henry,

It's been almost two weeks since you turned 9 months old.  We had your doctor's appointment last week and you now weigh a whopping 16 pounds 8.5 ounces and stand 27.25 inches tall.  You're not the biggest kid on the block, but they haven't found a way to measure awesome yet, and I know you'd tip the scales in that category.

This last month has been HUGE!  There is so much to cover!  Let's start with this:

YOU ARE BEGINNING TO WAVE HELLO AND GOODBYE!  It's not consistent, but it is consistently adorable when you do it!

You are now able to get yourself to a sitting position from laying down, which means you are now able to PULL UP TO STAND AT ANY TIME.  Not only are you pulling up, but you are starting to climb on things.  You have decided that your walker is more interesting from the outside.  This is both amazing and terrifying!  Because of this new-found skill, we have had to lower your crib so that we don't awaken with a KERTHUNK to find you sitting on the floor of your bedroom.  I know that day is coming, but I'd like to delay it as long as possible.

This was supposed to be a nap.

You are completely able to get up on your hands and knees and have become quite the crawler.  To keep you contained, we have erected a wall between the living room and the entryway.  Depending on what the future holds, this wall may be expanded.  We have also discovered that you are a little bit afraid of a small red stuffed puppy that plays music.  At the moment, he may be sitting guard at the doorway between the living room and dining room.  It is not our most shining parenting moment, but it is working as a virtual gate.

You are beginning to LOVE Thomas the Tank Engine.  When you hear the steam whistle at the beginning of an episode, you stop what you are doing and turn to listen to the theme song.  You don't care much about the episode itself, but when the theme song plays again at the end, you stop and pay attention like it's your job.

You are also developing a love of books!  Your favorites are "Five Little Monkeys" and "Peek-A-Boo Forest."  You will lift flaps and turn pages while we read to you.  And when we're done, we start all over again.

You are starting to eat cereal puffs and small chunks of soft food.  I'll occasionally let you gnaw on a banana, too.  Your hands are not the most cooperative, but you are getting better about getting the pieces into your mouth on your own.  You are not too proud to let someone else feed you chunks, and you open your mouth like a little baby bird.  I have to admit that I never thought I'd be as proud of a developing rotary chewing pattern as I am of yours.

Speaking of your mouth, the copious amounts of drool and telltale little white dots on either side of your bottom front teeth are giving away the fact that you are getting teeth number seven and eight.

On a holiday note, this past month saw your FIRST HALLOWEEN!  You dressed up as Batman - or rather, we dressed you up as Batman.  We carved pumpkins a couple days beforehand.  I was going to let you play in the pumpkin guts while we took care of the sharp knifey parts, but then I realized that pumpkin guts have pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin seeds are...well, they are one of nature's finest choking hazards.  So instead, we mashed up a banana and let you play with that.  I don't think the substitution bothered you, but I was picking mashed banana off of your high chair straps for a couple of weeks.

 Dad wanted me to tell you that he always look forward to Saturday mornings with you.  After getting up together, you two go down to the living room and play.  After an hour or so, you're usually ready for your first nap of the day, so Dad will begin the endless trek of walking laps around the house while he sings hits from the Stephan Jenkins songbook, until you finally pass out.  And then you nap on his chest while he watches some TV.  It's all terribly adorable.

Doodles, over these last few months, there have been moments when we are hanging out or driving in the car, and you will be jabbering away or studying something very intently, and I will think to myself, "MAN, I can't WAIT to meet you!"  Which might seem like a funny thing to think, because I'm your Mama.  Of course I already know you.  But I can't wait for you to tell me stories about your day.  Or jokes you learned at school.  I can't wait to know what goes on in your head when you flip something back and forth.  And back and forth.  And back and forth.

But for now, I will relish every last snuggle and delight in every last baby giggle.  Because I know that soon enough, my little squishy Doodles will grow up and I will meet the little boy you will become.  And he will be awesome.  And I can't WAIT to meet him.

Love,
Mama