9 Months

 Dear Sam,

You are nine months old today!  That's just three months shy of celebrating your first year here with us.  You are at such a fun and sweet age, and even though you are busy and need lots of supervision, we're having a great time watching you get to know the world around you. 

At your check-up, you were 21 pounds 3 ounces and were 29 3/4 inches long.  You will catch your sister quickly at this rate!  You are now in 9-12 month or 12 month sleepers and one-piece outfits.  Shirts, onesies, and pants are 9 months or 6-12 months.  You got your first pair of shoes this month but didn't have to be measured since they were Robeez.  You still wear a size 3 diaper.

You love to eat!  Recently you tried to swipe hot dog off your buddy Aubrie's plate!  You won't have hot dog for awhile, so we've added lunch to your meal plan.  You now have 4 7-ounce bottles and 3 meals a day.  You are still eating Stage  2 foods, but we'll probably try some Stage 3 soon.  As far as table food, you've had puffs and banana and we'll continuing trying new things.  You drink water from a sippy cup as long as it doesn't have the valve.  If you have to work for it, you'd rather just chew on the cup.  You now have 6 teeth, and your eye teeth look like they should be popping through any time.

Sleeping remains basically the same.  You wake around 6 a.m., or earlier if you're teething.  You nap around 9 a.m. for 1.5-2 hours and at 1 p.m. for 1-2 hours.  Bedtime is at 7 or a little before.  There are many days when I think you'd go to bed earlier, so we may try that soon.  You usually start to nod off when I burp you after your bottle, and because you put yourself to sleep just fine, I don't rush to get you down before you fall asleep.  Your sleepy head on my shoulder is so sweet after a long day.  Sometimes you hum yourself to sleep when I'm rocking. 

Sam, you've got the army crawl down pat, and it gets you wherever you need to go.  You scoot with your arms and push with your legs.  You are up rocking on your hands and knees too, so it will be interesting to see if you stick with the army crawl or adopt a more traditional style.  You still like to check out everything, no matter the size or danger level.  I love to watch you investigating your treasures.  You make sure to see if it can be shaken or banged together with something else.  Your determination is a force to be reckoned with when you want something, and you are unbelievably strong.  You have started to fuss if we take something away that you are enjoying.

You are pretty happy to play with whatever you can get into, whether it's a toy or not, but you do have a few things that you really enjoy.  You like your activity table and are really having fun now that you can stand at it.  You also like the alphabet train, Silly Town, and the Learning Home.  Of course you also like Avery's toys, the remote, and anything else that can take your eye out.  You like to swing in the swing at home and at Jen-Jen's, and you also like to sit in the Cozy Coupe.  Avery is a constant source of entertainment and gets very upset when you don't smile and laugh at everything she does.  You love your family and your buddies at Jen-Jen's.  You are usually very happy, especially if you are able to move around and explore.  Duckie is your best buddy, and I love to see how much you love him.

Sam, life with you continues to become sweeter each day.  We are in the middle of Mommy's favorite time of the year, and we are so thankful that you are here to share it with us.  We love you to pieces!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy