Our sweetest Lucas,

You are now 9 months old!  (Actually, 9 months plus a week and a half because I’m late writing this.)  Each month I can’t believe how much you’ve changed.  First of all, you’re BIG!  You’re getting so long  (even wearing some 18 month size pants and outfits!).  You are also getting really heavy.  You’re just under 20 pounds now, and 29.5 inches tall, that makes you taller than 82% of kids your age, and in the 33% for weight… you’re still a tall and skinny Atkinson boy.  You love to be walked to sleep, and it’s getting harder and harder.   You now have 6 teeth.  That’s right.. SIX!   two on the bottom and 4 across the top.  The middle two on the top were your second set to come in, and now the ones on the sides of those are poking down through.     With these new teeth, you’ve started biting us- and it hurts!  We give you a firm NO! and pull you away, and then you get your feelings hurt and whine.  Then most of the time you get mad that you’re feelings were hurt, and try to bite again.  Hmmmm, is this a foreshadowing of times to come?

Also this month you’re doing the army crawl!  And you can move quite fast.   For a couple weeks you would only do a slide crawl with one shoulder tucked under you dragging across the floor, then roll the rest of the way.   But then, all of a sudden you mastered the full on army crawl, so now you can scoot yourself across the room on your belly before we even know it.  You usually aim for stuff you’re not suppose to have, like the xbox, or wireless router, or anything electronic that’s not for babies.     You also love to crawl to the edge of the carpet and then slap the wooden floor.   In fact, you love drumming on just about everything.   Daddy bought you some electric drums that you will play with for like 30 minutes at a time.   You also still love playing your piano.   It remains your favorite toy.

You’re still not interested in finger foods, you don’t like anything chunky and will gag and throw up if we give it to you.  You do like to play with noodles though, and will try to put them in your mouth, but then get mad when it’s time to swallow it.   The pediatrician says that it’s no big deal, because breastmilk is the best possible nurtrient-filled food you can be getting right now.  You will eat fruit or vegetable purees 2-3 times a day.   If it has a green color, you’re very leery of it.  Any vegetable (besides sweet potato) must be mixed with a fruit otherwise you won’t eat it.   But add some pear or prune in, and you’ll munch it down.      You’ve sipped out of mommy’s water cup now, and also sometimes I drop water into your mouth out of my straw like you’re a baby bird, you think it’s pretty funny.

Just this past weekend you had your first jam session with your Daddy, you played the tambourine while Daddy played the guitar.  You already have better rhthym than I have!    Last weekend we went to feed the ducks at a park near our house,  you loved that.  Also you’ve been to the farmer’s market a couple of times this month.

Oh! And you love to stand up (while holding on to something), you sometimes will pull to a stand, but prefer to have someone else stand you up.  You also love to have us hold your hands, and walk you around.   You love to turn light switches off.  Whenever we leave a room, I tell you to turn the light off, and you’ll stick out your middle finger and turn it off.  In fact, you love using your middle fingers for everything… you must have got that from your Aunt Katie!  You still make the funniest noises.  Our favorite one sounds like you’re growling and barking.   When you get really excited, you open your mouth wide and kick your legs and arms around.  It’s so funny!!    You will also give hugs and high fives whenever we ask.  Your girlfriend Rylie still comes to the house every weekday, and you guys are enjoying playing with each other more.   Your BFF is Elyse,  as much as you like seeing everyone else who comes to the house, she’s still your favorite.

Your nighttime sleeping is still a work in progress.  We start bedtime about 7:30pm, which involves jammies, and story time in your big red chair.  We still read Goodnight Moon first, and after books I nurse you to sleep.  I’ll hold you for an hour or so while Daddy and I watch a show or two, and then when it’s time to go to bed, I’ll lay you down in your crib.  You start off on your back, then you’ve started turning on your slide, then stomach, then side, then back, then stomach etc etc etc.   You’ll sleep in your crib for a couple hours, and then you’ll cry to be picked up.   For some strange reason your absolute favorite place to sleep is the living room floor, so Daddy will get you when you cry and you and him will move to the floor in the living room for the rest of the night.  You’ll sleep pretty solidly until 4 or 5, and then from there on out it’s hit or miss.  We’re up for the day about 5:45 or 6am for sure.   We’re hoping to transition you to sleeping in your crib all night in the next month.  Fingers crossed!

You are absolutely the smartest, cutest, most adorable sweet baby I know, we are so lucky to have you!