9 months

your ninth month of life has been fun. i think each new month is my favorite.

you chose today, your bday to start crawling forward!!! you've been going backwards and sideways for a long time. today you just took off like you've been doing it for ages. so cute! you've also been pulling up on everything like crazy. ottomans, tables, mama's legs...whatever! daddy and i are both so proud of you. i'm sure our life is only getting more crazy from here.

you talk a lot. you laugh a lot. you point and smile and giggle. your daddy is quickly becoming your most favorite person. if he puts you down and walks away, you cry and cry. i'll take this chance to remind you that boys are supposed to be "mama's boys". i do and will continue to fully expect you to conform to that stereotype. i'll also teach you this very important saying, "if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." keep that in mind, my love.

you still give super sweet kisses. sometimes you even give them without being asked for one. cutie! you love to kiss my nose. which, you know is a nose, btw. when asked, "where is mama's nose?" you point to it with your little finger. smart guy!

your nine month stats:
weight: 18.6 lbs - 50%
height: 28 3/4 inches - 50%
head circumference: 18 1/4 inches -75%

totally in awe of your daddy. you watch him wherever he goes.

gettin' ready to move forward!

following in the footsteps of your cousin, gray, you love playing with spoons and tupperware.

you're starting early in your love for electronics. if my computer is open, you're going for it.

we've spent some good time at mamo's and you are completely in love with her.

bathtime is still fun. especially now that you get to sit up all by yourself. such a big boy!

we love you and are looking forward to a lifetime more of this!

making the dirty clean

it's often the cleaning you don't automatically notice that makes me feel better. things like taking everything off my kitchen counters, cleaning and polishing the granite. really cleaning the backsplash. sweeping the baseboards. dusting the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. putting outgrown baby clothes into categorized bins. dusting the blinds and cleaning the windows.

those are just a few of the things i've been doing today.

however, my couch still looks like it did yesterday:

why is the putting away of clean, folded clothes always the hardest part?!

plus...

solitaire on my computer is quite obviously rigged and i HATE IT!

ugh.

today has just been one of those days.

ugh.

i was mad when md woke up at 8am, his usual time. i sucked it up and we had a great morning except for his crankiness and my less-than-abundant amount of patience. he seemed tired all morning until i finally laid him down at his regular nap time. then he cried and cried and whined and whined until i went in to spank (ha. yeah right) him, rewrap him and give him his sassi. michael followed me in and rocked him to sleep. he slept only a little more than an hour.

all through his lunch, he gagged on green bean casserole and swatted at the spoon. he ate some chicken from my ravioli but refused to ever swallow it. i was severely annoyed.

at nap time no. 2, he cried and cried and cried again until his daddy went in and again got him to sleep (he's just waking again, btw, 43 mins later...).

i'm on edge and i don't necessarily think it's from him. it's just one of those days i guess. i feel like venting to you, oh blog of mine, and i can't even vent properly. i can't...i don't even have the clear thoughts spoken to type here with my hands and in my mind...see?!

ugh.

"to do"...done.

the first thing on my very long "to do" list is this:

• mail presents to bevan & claire and frank & danielle

i can proudly say that it's done. the embarrassing part is that the presents i mailed are christmas presents.

yes, i am aware that christmas is in december and that it is now almost may.

whatever.

bucket o' fun

sometimes the toy box is just way more fun than the toys.

so fun, in fact, that when michael does finally decide to reach for a toy (a plastic egg his aunt mush put in his easter basket) he keeps a hold of the bucket with his leg.

"try and take it. see what happens."

8 months old

well, today you are 8, EIGHT!, months old. i can't believe it. i think each new month with you is my favorite.

right now you are so super duper fun! you laugh a lot. you smile all the time. you sit so well and are in the beginning stages of crawling. if you see a toy you want, or your mama, you lean over and reach as far as you can without falling over. sometimes, you go all the way to your belly and finally kick your legs out behind you. ah! so sweet. sometimes i sit you in a certain spot only to return and find you a foot or two away. hmmm...wonder how you do that you little scooter you.

although you've loved it for some time, you've finally figured out what your jumparoo is for. well, almost. you're not full out jumping yet, but you finally have some leg bounce and sway going.

you got a new highchair from our friends, mike and angela, just a couple of weeks ago. you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner there. you're most favorite thing to do in that chair though, is throw things to the floor and then look for them. fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, a fruit/veggie mix for lunch, and a meat/veggie dinner with a veggie side for dinner. you can eat. plus-you love to sample what we're eating or eat your puffs all by yourself. when you're hungry and whiny you say, "mama...mama...."

you've been waving bye-bye for a while now and it's just so stinkin' awesome! of course, you never do it when i'm trying to show you off. you pooter.

if you want someone special, you reach your little arms towards them as far as you can. melts my heart into a big ol' puddle, i'll tell you what.

your sleep schedule seems to change quite a bit and that drives me crazy. don't you know i thrive on schedules and consistency?! geez. for now, you have returned to napping twice a day. 10:30am and 2:30pm each for 1.5-2 hours. unless, of course, your dad is watching you. then you sleep for like...oh, i don't know...a year. seriously, if you're gonna nap for 3.5 hours for your second nap of the day, do it when i'm home and can nap with you. don't let daddy think i have the easiest day on the planet. i thought you were supposed to be on my side. anyway, you still have a bath before bed each night unless something totally messes with the schedule and you're up really late. i put you down at 8pm and you sleep until about 8am, still waking at 5am to eat. i think i could probably train you to cut out that feeding, but it's my favorite. you nurse longer than you do during the day and then you cuddle with me while i hold you in the rocking chair. gosh, i love you son.

you show excitement by clenching your fists, tightening your whole body and letting go with a ...war cry?...low, belly shriek?...grunt...i don't even know what to call it. it's great! you're great! :)

i almost forgot your kiss! for a couple of months now you kiss on request. aunt sarah compares it to a little birdie asking for food from it's mama. it's open mouth but oh so sweet. occasionally you'll kiss me without me asking for it. sigh...be still my heart.

happy 8 months baby, i love you!

proud of your new "elevated" position in the house.

and tonight, in honor of your 8 month bday, some birthday suit pics of your first independent sitting bath in the kitchen sink.

look at those arm muscles. seriously, what baby has muscles like that?!

the money shot.

8 months in your rocker. gettin' big!

you're so cute when you're excited!

mommy...the tower on which to crawl.

michael is getting closer and closer to crawling. when put on all fours he does that cute little rocking thing. his little hiney is so sweet bouncing in the air. just in the past few days, though, if i'm sitting near him, he leans over to me, grabs my leg and starts crawling until he's nearly in my lap. it's exciting and scary both to know that he's so close to being mobile! yikes!


more exciting than scary for both of us, i think.

this little piggie went...

straight into michael's mouth!

he eats his feet at every opportunity right now. so cute!

simmering on the stove...

sauce.

our friends mike and angela (an italian girl from new york) are here for a visit. they're moving to san antonio soon and are staying with us while looking for a house. as "payment" for staying with us, angela is cooking for us.

in this pot? a bunch of sauce along with sausage and meatballs. i can't help but think of my littlest sister right now. she'd die for this stuff! i'm gonna freeze some for later, mandy. you should come for a visit!

joining our meal will be a delicious salad and homemade garlic bread. dinner cannot come soon enough. yumm...