Nine Months

On Saturday my baby boy will be nine months old.  Nine months seems like an age milestone.  It sounds so close to twelve months which is then one YEAR.  Oh my.  I'm not going to think about that yet.  For now, I am going to enjoy nine months and all the wonderful thing Lucas is doing right now. 

*Latest Development:  He is crawling!  As of yesterday, he moves slowly, but steadily and with determination.  He is still a little wobbly, but he can get from point A to point B effectively.  He is so proud of himself too because when you cheer him on, he breaks out into the biggest smile.  Which leads me to the next point...

* Changing Smile:  Lucas has two bottom teeth now.  They popped up only a few days apart from each other.  He was pretty fussy when that whole process was taking place, but now that they are in, he loves to wiggle his tongue over them to check them out.  It feels weird to be feeding him and feel the spoon scrape over his new teeth.   I think they just makes his smile even cuter.

* Healthy Appetite:  I think my boy is not going to be a picky eater.  He loves anything we've ever given him so far.  He does have some favorite vegetables, however, and green beans, squash and sweet potatoes top the list.  He has also discovered the world of Cheerios and Fruit Puffs, and is proficient at feeding himself.  When he wants more or another bite, his feet start kicking and his little fingers start wiggling.  Currently, we think we weighs about 20 pounds, but we'll get the official number when we go for his nine month appointment next week.

* Talking:  Lucas loves to babble.  Right now the only sounds (other than screams and squeals) are "da,da,da,da" and "ba,ba,ba,ba."  The other day he woke up from a nap in a grumpy mood (I suspect the teeth were the problem there) and he was just crying away.  I thought I could hear a very pitiful "maa, maa, maa" in there somewhere.  I'm going to assume he was crying out for "Mama!", but it is up for debate. :)

*Nicknames:  I love giving my kids nicknames (hence "Banana" and "Bee"), so we've been calling Lucas a varitey of nicknames over the last nine months to see what would stick.  So far, we call him Mr. Butters most often.  It started out as Butterball, but then got shortened to Butters, and then we added the title "Mr." to it and it just worked. 

*Pets Beware:  Ellie and Tundra have now been reminded of what curious little baby hands can do to their tails!  I think they had blocked out those memories from when the girls were infants.  Lucas loves to see our cats walk by.  And if they happen to be in really close proximity, he just goes nuts squealing and laughing and grunting.  The cats seem curious, but generally unimpressed by him, however.

I am so over the moon for this boy that I can hardly put how I feel into words.  He brings us so much happiness, entertainment, and pride.  And he helps make this family complete.

Mr. Butters on Easter Sunday 2010