.9 Months Old.

To My Baby,

Last weekend you were nine months old. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed, and how big you have gotten. I sometimes forget, until I see pictures like this:

Then I remember, and my heart feels a little torn. I miss your tiniest moments, when you were so sweet and still and could fit in the palm of my hand....almost. And then you wave at me, say "mama," and try your hardest to take one step at a time, and I find I can't wait for the months to fly by just so I can see what you'll do next. Super Bowl Sunday, while playing with one of your favorite toys- a piece of trash- you attempted what I'm going to say amounts to an actual step. Or maybe a half step.....

This month you are 19 pounds, 4 ounces, and measuring 28 inches. Both of those put you in around the 60th percentile. Your head, on the other hand, is a little on the large side.....like 85th percentile large side. Sorry, baby.....ask Auntie Skyler what it means to have a "five-head" and you'll understand what I'm talking about. 

Some things I know about you this month: 

1) You are on strike. You have decided, pretty much each day, that you no longer like foods you used to like. First it was pasta. I thought at first you were just being a bit of a diva, but we've now progressed to a point of ridiculousness. Tonight? You refused all your favorites: chicken, eggs, cheese, puffs, and bread. Dinner was applesauce, strawberry yogurt, and kiwi. Whatever it takes, I guess! The oddest part of it is that while you're in the highchair, you spit all the good things out, but when you hit the floor, you are glad to consume dirt, leaves, garbage, old food, bugs, and any number of items I would rather spit out than ingest. Where's the logic in that?

2) You LOVE the bath. Seriously. LOVE IT. You may be in the worst mood ever, but when your bare buns hit that bath water, it's like a brand-new you. Works wonders. Your buddha belly turns into a little drum, and you start squealing like a crazy person. 

3) You have decided on a "lovey." It's probably the least fancy blanket in your entire bunch of blankets, but it's the one you love. Fortunately, Great Grandma bought you two of them, so we've always got a back-up. :) At night, as soon as you see or touch that lovey, you are pretty much out. It's amazing and magical!

4) Tonight, you met your arch nemesis. Rewind the tape about two weeks and that's when you started acting very clingy, weepy, and overly dramatic. Seriously....I can hardly even bend over to pick something up without you starting to cry out of fear that I'm planning to put you down. It's maddening (in a completely lovable way, of course....). This evening, I received a phone call at 7pm, just prior to the pre-bath meltdown, so in order to finish my conversation, I sat down on the floor next to you in the hopes that is would assuage your crabby-clingy-ness. Oddly, when I got down to your level, the whining continued, but you were no longer looking at me. After hanging up the phone, I turned to look over my shoulder to see what you'd been eying with a mixture of fear and loathing on your face, and here is what I saw:

Silly girl. The dustbuster hasn't been turned on for something in the neighborhood of three or four days, but she remembers it from last time, and she didn't like it. It got even worse when I took it down from the shelf and put it on the floor to show her that it wouldn't bite. Bad move- now not only does she think it's an evil machine out to suck little babies' toes off, but she thinks I'm somehow it's master.

Your daddy and I love you deeply. We are so impressed with how smart you are, and how much you love us, whether you realize it or not. :) Even more, though, we are amazed at how it is that we can possibly love you more each day than the day before- more than we ever imagined would be possible.

We love you, Micah!