Nine Months Old

Little Sack of Sugar,

Somehow you keep getting cuter with each passing month. That little tongue is adorable.

A few highlights this month:

• You started crawling with your stomach off the ground just after Thanksgiving weekend. Up to this point you have been army crawling but you are now crawling full-speed ahead. 
• You said you first word: "Dada." We hear streams of "dada" and "dat." It's super cute. 
• You push your little walker across the living room like a pro. When you first started, you pushed it and then you weren't sure what to do next. You leaned really far and went up on your tip-toes until you couldn't lean any further without taking a step, and then you were off. It was pretty adorable. You are now a pro. We got you a wood push toy for Christmas and you love it.
• You went from crawling to scaling furniture in a week. You pull yourself up and move around the couch, chairs, our legs, etc.
• You wave bye-bye by moving your arm up and down. You sometimes need help but often do it on your own when people wave at you and say "bye bye."
• You have this cute little falsetto voice. We hear lots of "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh" like you're trying to express your feelings or tell us something.
• You love baths. Once I start running the water, you start squirmy and reach for it. You love splashing in the water.
• You like Cheerios, teething biscuits, rice rusks, bananas, sippy cups (with water), baby food, bottles, and stealing a sip of water from Mom's cup every so often.
• You like brushing your teeth but you don't want Mom to do it - you want to "brush" them yourself. 
• You continue to resist cuddles unless it's the middle of the night and you wake up crying or you are in pain.
• You had your first accident involving blood. You were standing on my lap and I was holding you on my lap trying to snap your jammies and you dove forward and hit your mouth on the arm of the glidder. You cut open the part of your mouth that is between your lips and your gums (on the top). There was a lot of blood and you were in a lot of pain. It gave me a bit of a scare but you were okay. It didn't need stitches, thankfully. 
• You are not afraid of the vacuum at all and actually follow me around (crawling or scaling furniture) while I vacuum because you are so interested in it. 
• At your 9-month wellness check, you weighed 17 pounds (you're in the 7th percentile for weight), and you are 28 1/2 inches tall (you're in the 53rd percentile for height). 
• You went on your second plane ride. We went to Utah for Christmas this year. You were a champ on the plane - quite the charmer too. 

You are so much fun and such a joy. We love you!