9 Months

Dear Nolan,

You are 9 months old!!! In a few short days you'll have been "outside" longer than you were "inside." I have to say, it seems like we've been enjoying you here much longer than my pregnancy lasted so that's a good thing. It shows that we are definitely relishing every little thing.

We had your well-baby check up on May 25th, about a week shy of 9 months. You weighed in at 18 pounds 4 ounces and measured 28" long. That puts you in the 18th %ile which is a small drop from your last check-up at 8 months. The doctor isn't concerned though because you were sick a LOT between 6-9 months and plus babies your age are so active! We expect you to have a decent gain between now and one year with the increase of more table foods!

Speaking of being active, you are officially a crawler!! On May 23rd you made it all the way across the room without falling on your belly. You love your new-found freedom but luckily you still stay pretty close to momma. You haven't wandered out of my site yet. You have also been pulling yourself up since the beginning of the month. At first you would do it then look at someone and wait for them to say "big boy!" or something... it was so cute. Now you do it all the time! In the bath tub, on our legs, on the tv stand, etc. Sitting is no longer fun. :)

Other cute things that you are up to include: clapping when you are excited about something, patting my back when I hug you and pat yours, babbling "dadadadada", and you blink your eyes and crinkle your nose and smile all the time. We aren't sure what that one is all about though! You also dance and "sing" to music... or just if you are in a good mood. I think my favorite thing to do is just sit back and watch you be you. I love catching your eye when you're up to something, or watching you watch the big kids and seeing you take it all in. I love seeing the little rotten gleam in your eye when you take off for something you aren't supposed to have. Or the look you get when you see a "puppy!"

This month was a big one for you in terms of "firsts!" We celebrated our first Mother's Day together. You woke me up with breakfast in bed, we went out with your aunt and cousins for brunch, you gave me a card and a sapphire necklace (which you then broke the next day!), we saw your grandma's, and we ended the day with a trip to Mommy's favorite ice cream place with my friend and your little buddy. It was perfect. :)

You got your first pair of shoes! We went to Stride Rite at Easton and picked out some sandals for this summer. You are cruising all over the place now, so we knew you'd need some outdoors especially. They have a soft sole and you don't seem to mind wearing them at all!

Your second tooth came in on May 10th. The bottom two are just about even now and perfectly adorable. :)

We had a playdate in the park with your best buddy and supported our friends at the Race for the Cure. You even wore pink!

We took you to the circus, and you loved it! You watched and clapped and bounced up and down. It was adorable.

You started feeding yourself things like puffs and baby cheese curls. You still have trouble with slippery things but it's so fun to watch you!

We also bought a zoo membership and took you to the zoo! You LOVED the monkeys/apes/orangutans. You "talked" to one of them for a good 5 minutes. He was down at your level and you just babbled on and on... too cute. You also took a ride on the carousel (I don't think you liked it too much). We are looking forward to many more zoo trips this summer!

You took your first dip in the outdoor pool. It was a little cold still!

And finally, you got your first haircut! Mommy is still a little sad because you look so much older. I know you feel better though because we were always getting it out of your eyes. You're so handsome!

Before:

After:

This month was busy, busy, busy... just like you are! I know we're going to continue to have so much fun together as you grow. This age is fun... exhausting, but fun. You keep us on our toes and we love every second of it. :)

You are my whole world little man. I love you to the moon and back,
Momma