9 Months

 Dear Jack,

Nine months is quite the milestone.

You have been out of the womb for as long as you were in.

You my friend have always been your own sort of fellow.  You do things a little differently than your average Joe.  I love this about you.  From the way you were born (face up instead of face down) to your out of order developing (walking before crawling), I think you may challenge us to re-evaluate why we do things the way we do.  You've never been very bendy.  When you fall down, Jack, it is more like a tree coming down in the forest (TIMBER!!!) than the typical baby plop down.  Besides the obvious painful consequences, this also creates a problem when you drop a toy.  No worries though, the day after you turned 8 months, you figured out that you could have just as much fun with a dropped toy if you just kicked it all over the house.  We can't believe what a fantastic soccer player you are.

First Spaghetti = a huge hit

Working the saucy face

On Sunday, April 22nd, you ran your first race (the Run Through Redlands 5K) with Mama and your friend Asa and his Mama Aimee.  We love going for runs together and we had such a good time at this race.  Mama had a PR while pushing an extra 40 lb. in the stroller.  You did such a good job too.

This month, you were VERY mobile.  In your ideal world, you would be hanging onto our hands and walking all over the house all day long.  We do our best until our backs start cramping, but we will be thrilled when you learn how to crawl or walk on your own.  Your new found mobility has aided you in exploring the world around you.  You are very curious about doors (how they open and close), machines when they are running (laundry, dish washer, and especially the bread machine), and most importantly the light fixtures.

Checking out the laundry machine with Daddy

Light : the first word that you clearly understand
When we say, "Jack where is the light?"  you instantly scan the ceiling to find it.  We think you're brilliant because of this.  :)

Here you are checking out the light before a morning run with Mama, Aimee, and Asa

We're pretty sure you'll be a music lover.
You spend lots of time each day "practicing" the piano.  Daddy thought it would be a good idea to start practicing on your knees as a training step towards crawling.  What a great idea.

We have VERY few pictures of you and I, friend.
I tend to be the one who snaps most of the pictures which means you have some amazing shots of you with Daddy.  But this day, was super special because we got several wonderful pictures together.  You're such a sweet and silly boy and you make me laugh all day long.  Life is so joyous, spending my time with you.

This is the most common view in our household these days

Go, Jack, Go!!

"Brrrrrrr"

Seriously, Mom, avert thine eyes!  We found out at Jack's 9 month appointment today that all the snot constantly running down his face is not a result of teething but is a case of allergies.  I feel so sad for you, Jack, that you will have to join us in this seasonal suffering.  Alas.

I think you knew today was a blog update day because you worked extra hard to do some special things.  After dinner, you decided it was high time to finally get on your hands and knees (hip, hip, hooray!).  At one point, you actually crawled a few feet forward.  It was epic.  Won't be long now, my friend.

Other fun milestones this month:

You've started clapping your hands

We've lowered your crib mattress because of your ability to pull up on the furniture

You cruise around holding onto the living room furniture

You started showing an interest in animals

Your cousin, Josie Grace Miller was born on May 1st

Unfortunately, ever since Mama and Daddy got food poisoning the night before Easter, you have added SEVERAL feedings to your night schedule.  You used to only wake at 10 pm and 5 am to eat (super easy), now you go down for the night around 7:15 pm and then are up at 10 pm, 12 am, 2 am, and 5 am to eat.  Needless to say, Mama is a walking zombie and ready for a change.  Stay tuned for a very challenging month for everyone involved.

We love you, Jack,

Mama and Daddy

Hmm... you mean, this thing moves?

Jack demonstrating his favorite word: "light"

Jack has always been a "growler"