Walker is 9 Months

Baby had a busy month! Seemingly overnight he learned how to crawl and get into everything. He said his first word, and today I discovered two little teeth poking out of the bottom of his gums! He also had his first bath with his older siblings, and absolutely loved it.

This little guy is so observant! He notices and cares about little details. For instance, he studies every little knob on the shoe cabinet, and can find the one spot at the door where the rubber pulls up. He is so fascinated by everything going on, not wanting to miss out on anything—especially something with an interesting sound.

Crawling!

He figured out how to crawl around all over the house, so now he feels a lot more like he’s part of the family. He grins when he joins us under the table for dinner, or peeks into the kids room from the hall during bedtime, or pokes his head up visibly just outside the bathroom when the kids are brushing their teeth. He’s even started playing with his siblings, so excited if he can be on the rug with them.

Tastes

One thing I discovered this month is that baby has developed a taste for some interesting stuff—wires and paper! I had put him to sleep while reading a book, and when I returned he was awake with a bed full of pages he had ripped out of the book and was helping himself to a chewed up wad of page 20. I’ve had to try to keep the floors spotless or at least clear of paper he tries to chew.

Mama

It becomes more apparent every day that this boy loves his Mama. He likes to feel every detail of my face with his hand and caresses my hair before trying to eat it or pull on it. If I go to the bathroom, he will crawl all over the house to find me and complain by scratching at the door. He actually calls “Mama”! He’s the only child who has said mama first. He wakes me up by giving me giant wet kisses (or, you know, putting his mouth over my nose or cheek thinking it’s food). I spend a majority of my time feeding, holding, and playing with him—and I love it!

Look What I Can Do!

He has become so active! His little chubby thighs are melting away to reveal strong muscles. I’ve found him standing in his crib holding to the railing smiling at me a couple of times. He crawls everywhere and puts everything he finds in his mouth. Not only that, he is starting to cruise on the furniture, too! He can reach up to grab things from short shelves like the play kitchen dishes and the shoe cabinet. He even knocked over a giant potted plant I had on the floor of my bedroom!

Since he crawls away and rolls over like a pro, diaper changes and baths have been challenging as he wriggles away before you’re done. He HATES having his clothes changed, and prefers to be just in a diaper but I can’t let him crawl around like that in this cold. He was quite sick this month, but still such a happy baby.

Baby also eats solid foods now everyday. His favorite flavor seems to be apple cinnamon granola. My milk supply has been barely holding on, so it’s good that he enjoys some real food, too.

He is so gentle and lets you kiss and hug and squish him without complaint or wriggling or turning his face away. Last night my husband showed me what a “soft giggle” baby has, and we both agreed he has such a sweet spirit.