9 Months Old

Dear Miles, 
You're 9 months old. In just 3 short months, your first year is going to be done. I cannot believe it! At times it seems like we've always had you, but then again it also feels like you were just born!!! This past month has been so much fun. Most of it was spent at home, and it's been so nice having a routine here at home. Some of my favorite things about you right now are the way we lock eyes and smile - then you always lean in for me to kiss your forehead; the way you have to be doing what Carter and Daddy are doing - no matter how crazy it is - you're right there; the fact that you are my sidekick when it's just the two of us; and the way you "bob" (rock) your body back and forth when you are happy / excited / hear music playing :) You're absolutely precious. You have taught me so much about being a mama, and for that I'm grateful! 

Here's your 9 month picture: 

Here's you and your dog. 

Here's a picture of you and your brother (2 years 6 mos):

He loves his chair. You also love his chair. Every now and then - on very special occasions - he will share his chair with you for a very small amount of time. You think you are big stuff when this happens. 

The other day I heard you two playing in the playroom. I heard Carter say "No, Miles. No, Miles. My tars (cars)." I could tell that he then snatched them away from you. You yelled at him a little bit. Then he said "Miles, be patient!" This made me laugh. You two are learning to play together, and it's such a neat thing to watch. Please do as he says and "be patient," we are all new to this. 

Here are some of the things we did this month: 

• You got to see your very first SNOW! Luckily, Daddy was home that day and got to play with us. We had such a fun snow day. We went sledding around the yard.

You preferred the view from inside...

• You got to see some of your second cousins - Silas, Lia, and Ava. We went to the zoo with them when you were REALLY little. You enjoyed them more this time. 
• We went to the Early Works Children's Museum in Huntsville. You really enjoyed it there! 

• You got your first hair cut! 

It was fairly traumatic...

...but turned out so cute!

• You helped me take Carter to his first dentist appointment. 

Here are some things you are doing now: 

• You weigh 20lbs. 1oz. and you're 30 inches long!
• You nurse about 4-5 times a day.
• You eat lots of baby food (everything except peas, and I don't blame you for that!), and you've started eating cheerios, puffs, yogurt melts, and even some small bites of soft food like green beans and peaches. 
• You have 4 teeth!
• Speaking of teeth....teething has been ugly around here. We got you a new "Sophie the giraffe" teether, and you LOVE IT! We named it Melvin, from Madagascar, and because "we are boys" in this house...."Sophie" was not going to fly... Melvin follows us everywhere!!!

• You sleep about 10 hours every night, then nurse (around 5), then sleep another 2 or so...
• You take two naps a day. Morning nap is usually about an hour and a half and afternoon nap is usually 2-3 hours. 

• You are getting better with a sippy cup. You've still got a long way to go, but you have started to grasp the concept. You generally just gnaw on it like a teether.
• You are pulling up on EVERYTHING! Your favorite toy is probably your music table because you can stand at it and play.  
• You are crawling EVERYWHERE - you will not be stopped. You really prefer the most difficult route - over legs, over cars, under chairs, etc...
• You are starting to be interested in "cruising" around coffee tables, but it's hard to get your feet to cooperate. 
• You love to read! Your favorite books are Pat the Bunny and the Farm book that has lots of flaps :) 
• You are talking more. You say "dadadadada" Guess who loves that? :)
• You steal toys from your brother. It DRIVES HIM CRAZY. You just love him so much! You want to be playing with everything he plays with. I love to sneak peaks of the two of you playing by yourselves. 
• You like to look out of windows. There's so much to see out there. Just wait til Spring - we can actually enjoy it out there again - I know I can't wait!

• You and your brother LOVE wagon rides! You guys get to face each other, and you make each other laugh. It's precious.

Here is your typical schedule...

5:00am - Nurse then back to sleep
7:00am - Wake up / Nurse / Breakfast Babyfood (fruit or oatmeal) then Play
8:45 - 9am - Naptime (1-2 hours)

11:00am - Nurse then Play
11:30 - Lunch Babyfood (veggie) when brother eats then play
1:00 pm - Nurse & Naptime (2-3 hours)
4:00-5pm - Mealtime (Nurse & Fruit or Veggie) then Waketime
6:00pm - "2nd Supper" when we eat :)

7:30pm - Bathtime (on bath nights) / Nurse / Bed
REPEAT...

I know I tell you this all the time, but "I love you punkin!" I can't wait to see how you grow and change next month! 

Love,
Mommy

PS. This is what your brother did when he was 9 months old.