9 Months Already?!

Time is flying! How can Blake be 9 months old? On a side note, they say give yourself 9 months to get the baby weight off, since it took you 9 months to put it on. I'm still carrying 15 pounds of baby weight, so I need to get my tush in gear. Back to the baby talk.

Stats:
Weight: 20 lbs (exactly!)
Height: 28 3/8 inches
50th Percentile across the board

My darling little baby is mobile (God help us!). He's not crawling, per se, but he is doing army maneuvers like he's on a serious mission. Which he usually is. His MO is to get to any possible item that is not baby friendly. Oh, is that something I could choke on? I must have it! Could I be electrocuted? I must put it in my mouth! Will I bonk myself in the head with it? Then I must hold it and swing it around! He is really close to full-on hands and knees crawling. He gets up on all fours and rocks a lot now. And close behind that will be the pulling up. He's already shown interest in that activity. What do I have to say about this? SLOW DOWN! You don't need to do it all at once, sweetheart. Take your time and just slowly master one thing at a time. Hmm. I don't think I'll get my way on this one. He is determined to be in the action.

I have set up the Superyard in the livingroom as a means of limited freedom. He can move around in there with a variety of baby safe toys. And at first, that was acceptable to him. But now, when I place him in "his" space, he gets a bit irked with me about it. And big brothers only want to be in there with him (or throw their toys over the top to him, since he likes them so much). Today I took a 2-minute potty break and came back in the livingroom to find both of them in there with him. Keep in mind, there is no opening in this pen. So I asked how they had gotten in there. George had slid over the top off of the couch arm, and Joshua had scooted in there underneath the bottom (while someone held it up for him). So there were 3 kids, an exersaucer, and various toys in this tiny little space. It was hilarious, and had I been thinking I would have snapped a photo. And in my mind I projected myself forward a few years and could only shudder at the idea of the kinds of mischief that will be carried out so stealthily and swiftly by my curious and ingenious offspring.

Blake seems to like most foods at this point. I try to get 3 solid meals a day in him, but it usually ends up being 2. He has only just been introduced to finger foods, and delights in doing it himself (go figure). I need to step up my game in the feeding department - I would like for him to get the same standard of nutrition that I gave his brothers during their first year. But it is really tough.

Blake is a spitfire, but he is also delightful, silly, smart, fiercely curious, independent, sweet, and so cute I can hardly stand it. He is a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed blessing. We are so grateful to have him in our lives (even though he has made things significantly more challenging!). Babyhood is racing by at an alarming rate. I'm trying to cherish the moments and hold on to the memories (and document them, though I have failed miserably to make note of his milestones - oh, the guilt!), but all too soon he will be racing around here trying to keep up with his big brothers. *sigh*