hayden - nine months

My Dear Little Buggity-Bug,

You will be nine months on Sunday. And the Christmas holiday is upon us, so I wanted to be sure to write before the day gets lost in the shuffle.

Hayden, my love, you become more beautiful everyday. Like your sister, I'm in constant awe that you little people could become more beautiful, appearance and personality, and that I can love the way I can. I'm not going to lie, I worried about how it could be possible to love another child the way I do your sister when I became pregnant with you. But as other mom's promised, my heart grew and I've never loved as fiercely as I do the two of you.

This past month you have developed so much! You have perfected your version of a crawl, are able to stand at a table and play, and have even started to try to pull yourself up to a stand. Soon you will crawl for real, cruise on the furniture and walk.

You started eating table food, which you love! I see you as a foodie in your future! You are certainly happy with vegetables and meats, and occasional fruits. You hum, and ask for more. But what's interesting is that you will pick up the very smallest bits of food between your two fingers, but you will not put the food in your mouth. It's so strange - you had the doctor baffled yesterday. There are some advantages to this as a mom, however, you need to learn how to do this.

Last night we gave you a Nuk training cup with formula and you took it like a champ! Yay! We may soon be a bottle free household, which is super exciting. It may also mean that you start weening yourself from the breast.

We had your nine month well check-up yesterday. You weigh just over 21 pounds, are 28.5 inches, and your little head is 17.5 inches. In the 75% across the board. You are growing like a little weed.

While you had no shots yesterday, they did prick your little finger and squeezed blood to test  your iron levels - which were great! But I have to report, not even a whimper out of you. You just watched with your big, brown curious eyes while the nurse made faces at you. I was a proud mama!

Well, my love, you are sleeping peacefully in your bed while your sister dances around me in her Tinkerbell costume, requesting "nook". I better hop to it before you rise.

I love you to pieces,
Mama