9 Months*

*This should have been posted in mid July. I know, I know...

Reed, you are NINE months old! I know I say this all the time, but you are growing up too fast! Just a few more months and you will be ONE!!

You are quickly shedding your babyness. You have started crawling everywhere. It is a really cute army crawl. First you were pushing with your feet and rolling, then you got up on your knees and rocked for a couple of days and then you took off! I try not to put you in white too much because your little belly drags the floor and shows me how dirty the floors are, even after I've just mopped. Ha!

You are also pulling up on furniture, toys, whatever! You have two teeth that came in within a few days of each other (on the bottom) and I think you will get some on top soon!

Look how big you are!
I could only get a couple of decent ones with the bunny. You just won't sit still! I remember when the bunny was a little bit bigger than you. That's definitely not the case now! You are wearing size 3 diapers but we are about to move up to size 4's. You are wearing some 6-12 month clothes but a lot of them are 9, 12 or 18 month sizes. You are able to wear several things of Will's and it tickles me to see you in them because you fill them out in length but they look a bit baggy in the sides. I guess your brother stretched them out!

The tear duct in your right eye is still blocked and draining lots of gunk. Dr. Rogers was thinking it would clear up by now but it hasn't so we will go see an opthomolagist next month. You scratched the outside of your left eye the day we took these pictures, so both of your eyes are

pitiful!

But Dr. Rogers was pleased with the rest of your development. You are pretty much on track with other babies your age and it is hard to believe you were a preemie!

You weighed 22lbs 2 oz (75th percentile)

Your length was 28.25 inches (50th percentile)

Your head circumference was 18 inches (?)

You are such a delight to be around! You usually sleep from 7:30 or 8:00 to when daddy wakes you around 6:30 to go to Ms. Honey's house or between 7 and 8:30 if we can sleep in. One Saturday you slept till 9:35! Will was at Gigi and Poppy's house so Mommy and Daddy slept till 9:35! It was blessed! You are taking 2-3 naps a day ranging from 45 min to 3 hours depending on what is going on.

You take four or five 7oz bottles of formula a day. Dr. Rogers said your iron was good and we could switch you to whole milk but I want to make sure you are eating more table food first. You usually have 2 containers of baby food at lunch and 2 at dinner and you are really starting to enjoy puffs and other finger foods. Your favorite baby food is pretty much anything orange. You tolerate peas and your dislike green beans and bananas. You ADORE Earth's Best Wheat teething biscuits but make a HUGE mess with them so I am selective about when I give them to you. You really seem to like yogurt, too. When I get it out for you Will usually asks for some so I give him the first one and you throw a fit while I stir your yogurt up.

You love to play! You are starting to play peek-a-boo with a blanket and you love getting into Will's toys (which he cannot stand!). You adore Ms. Honey which I am thankful for. You do ok in the church nursery but have nearly been kicked out a few times for crying. I think there is just too much stimulation in there for you to go to sleep and you get very cranky! There were several Sundays when I came to get you and you were in a room next door asleep in Mrs. Korbi's or Mrs. LaDonna's arms with the lights off.

You are saying "Hey!" sometimes and babbling mama and dada. I can't wait to hear you talk! You seem very reserved about people you don't know and are so joyous around those you do know. Even though you can't talk yet, you are able to communicate well. I know immediately when you don't like something because this is what you do:

You seem to be a little dramatic and a put-on but at least I can read you! When Will steals a toy from you or you are tired or hungry, you cry. But you also get over it very quickly!

I am so proud of how well you are doing just nine months from coming into the world! I love you very much and enjoy your sweet cuddles and the way you touch your little fingers to my face. Happy 9 month birthday, sweet boy!

Love,

Mommy