Nine Months Young

Will.  You.  Today.  Nine months young.  Nine months of laughter and giggles and tickling your back.  You are so happy. You smile all the time and grow a little more independent each day.  Your eyes are still blue, but brown around the pupil.  I find myself staring at them often, checking to see what color they've become.  You love your big brothers deeply and they love you just as much.  Few things bring me as much joy as watching the three of you together, laughing and playing like old friends.  You love your Daddy and your sweet face lights up when he comes home from work.  You already love "farm life" and are mesmerized by the cows grazing beside our house.  I am already quite certain a love for cattle is rooted in your heart and it won't be long before I catch you climbing the gate and running through the pasture.  And I think that's pretty wonderful and I am so happy to know you will be raised running through wide open spaces, learning to love and care for animals being taught things you could never learn in school.  I hope you'll always know how blessed you are to grow up here and to experience things that so many others never do.

You have four teeth now.  Your top teeth that took forever to appear, are so big already.  I love seeing your grin change nearly daily now.  You haven't eaten baby food for weeks now.  You love bananas, spaghetti, rice cakes, mashed potatoes and cereal.  You are no longer nursing and rarely drink an entire eight ounce bottle at one feeding during the day.  You are too busy to sit still and drink for more than five minutes and I find myself constantly offering you bottles during the day. You make up for it at when everyone else is sleeping, drinking several bottles during the night.  There are nights you drink four bottles, but average three a night.  I think you choose to fill your belly when all is quiet and you are too sleepy to do anything but lay there and drink.  There are no brothers to chase or toys to play with.  You drink slowly and then sweetly roll yourself over and begin snoring.  I'm sure others will think it's just awful that you are so needy during the night.  And I'm sure the experts would tell me to let you cry it out a few nights and you'll learn to eat during the day and sleep at night.  But don't you worry about that happening, sweetie.  Your sleep habits are a result of me, not you.  I've never really allowed you to put yourself back to sleep, choosing instead to cuddle you, feed you or whisper in your ear until you drift back to sleep. And while there are nights that I am tired and desperate for a good night's sleep, I wouldn't change a thing.  You'll be two in the blink of an eye, sleeping all night and full of independence.  And I'll be thinking back to the nights when you were a baby and wishing I could have those special moments back again.

You love music and constantly make noises by patting your mouth with your hands. A ball is your favorite toy and you crawl all over the house tossing it in front of you, picking it up and tossing it again.  You always pull your socks and shoes off and refuse to be still long enough to have your diaper changed or to be dressed.  Bath time now involves you splashing and giggling when the water hits your face.  You constantly drop things as soon as I hand them to you and then you stare at it until I pick up and hand it to you.  And then you drop it again. And again.  And again.  You can stand alone for several seconds before dropping to the floor.  You love opening cabinets and any drawers you can reach.  And to my horror, you have already been caught on more than one occasion playing happily in the toilet.

You are busy and determined and try every day to keep up with your big brothers.  I love watching you grow and learn new things.  You show me that the simplest things can bring the most joy.  Like singing "You Are My Sunshine" over and over. Or rocking you as I hold you as tight as I can and you grasp onto my necklace with your sweet fingers.  You make me so happy, so content, so grateful.  Thank you for sharing your days with me.  Thank you for loving me like you do.  Thank you for being overjoyed when you see me.  I promise you this, today on the day I celebrate your ninth month, I will always be overjoyed to see you too.  And I will always light up when you walk into the room.  Always. It's a promise I've made to your older brothers and my promise to you now. I love you.  I love you.  I love you.  More than you'll ever know.