9 Months!

Benjamin turned 9 months old on November 3rd.  9 MONTHS!!  Wow, where has the time gone?

He had his well baby check-up this morning so here are his updates.

Height:  30 inches (90th percentile)  He's grown 3 inches in 3 months!!!

Weight: 23lbs 6 ounces (90th percentile)  He's gained 4 pounds in 3 months!!!

Likes:  Your latest love is pulling up.  Pulling up on everything.  You also now love climbing the stairs.  You still love being outside, wrestling/playing with Daddy, reading books, singing songs with mama, your bathtime, going to church, playing the piano with mama, kicking and hitting your soccer ball, and playing with all your toys.  You adore your Floppy as always, still like your paci and now crawl up mom and dad like a koala bear after your bottle (yep, we love it!)  You also love the phone and get soooo excited to hear people talk to you on speakerphone.....then you usually grab the phone and beep at them by pushing the buttons!

 those blue eyes sure love him some pie!  See his little tooth too?!

 he loooves playtime

 he could pull up on things all day and night if I let him!

he was loving talking to his Auntie Amanda

storytime is awesome!

Dislikes:  You're a little better at getting your face wiped after meals.  You still can get fussy while you're getting your shirt on but usually only when you're tired.  You don't like when you can't figure something out, you get so frustrated.  You are very stubborn and if you don't want to eat something you will refuse to open your mouth, though many times you just want to feed yourself instead of being fed. 

Eating:  You love food!  This month we've found you especially love Uncle Ben's casserole (go figure!)  Something about the chicken, rice and stuffing makes you inhale it like a crazy man.  You still love fruit, bread, cheese, oatmeal, cheerios, puffs, peas, meat, rice, and you had a few bites of ice cream.  You grab things really well now and have always had great hand/mouth coordination, ha :-)  You usually have a bottle 4 times a day for 24-26 ounces of formula.  You've mastered your sippy cup!

 Daddy and mealtime are 2 of his favorite!

 oh Dad, you're so goofy....must be where I get it from!

Sleeping:  We've had a few rough days this month but it's due in part to a little cold you had.  You adapt really well to being "out and about" during your naptime and nap great in the carseat.  Most nights you still sleep from 8 or 8:30pm until about 5am to eat, then sleep until 7:30 or 8.  The fall time change has messed you up a little bit on your schedule so we're trying to adjust.

Personality:  You are FUN!  You are BUSY!  You are LOVEABLE!  You are CRAZY!  You've grown so much in the last month.  You're so aware of things and are always on the go exploring everything.  You do pretty well with strangers though you can sometimes be a little shy and prefer mama or dada (especially if you can see us)  You love to have us laugh at you, you love to have us eat your belly or throw your Floppy in the air.  You're not a cuddle bug but you definitely have your times when you want mama to sing you to sleep or want to hug us.  You are stubborn (I have NO idea where you got this from)  We're going to have our hands full in the years to come I'm sure.  You're loud and busy and cute.  

 this happy baby brings us SO MUCH JOY!

Highlights:  The milestones just keep coming!!  You are now crawling faster and faster and staying up on your knees without fail.  You've also learned how to climb the stairs and have climbed our 14 stairs pretty quickly.  You pull up on everything and have now learned how to move your feet while pulling up to get across a couch.  You're babbling/talking more and more and your bottom two teeth are getting bigger, but no other teeth so far.  You went on a few adventures this month with Poppy & GongGong during their visit, you had your first trick or treating fun, and have had your crib lowered because you're so tall and learned how to pull up!

 Pulling up ready to takeoff!

 Hmmm, there's the phone.....let's go get it!

 one step at a time, I can do this!

 so close, just keep going!

 target is within sight!

SUCCESS!  This guy is busy, busy, busy.

I'm pretty sure we love you more every day Benjamin, even though we don't think it's possible!  I want time to stop so I can cherish how adorable you are, yet I love each new morning because I get to greet such a happy baby and see what you'll learn.  We are enjoying this stage so much and can't believe how much you're growing.  We're smitten......love you Benjamin :-)