Dear Mason II,
Happy nine-month birthday!
Nine month statistics: Weight: 23 lbs. 5 oz. Length: 29.25 inches. Diaper Size: 4 Clothes: 12 - 18 months. All of your summer clothes are size 18 months which seems to be a little large, but I’m sure they will fit perfectly very soon.
It is with a little sadness that I realize today you have been outside in the world as long as you were growing inside me. Why did these nine months seem to go so much faster than the nine months of pregnancy?
You are an amazing baby! So much has happened in the last month I barely know where to begin. You are a mover and a shaker and a roller! The month started out with you rolling a little bit. Then, two weeks ago you were rolling everywhere! You would be playing with toys on one side of the room, I would look up and you would be on the opposite side of the room touching the CD cases. One day you rolled from the family room all the way into the kitchen. I caught you just as you were helping yourself to the dog bowls.
For the Easter holiday we went to Las Vegas. Another plane trip for you. This one wasn’t quite as good as the last one. You were pretty fussy on both legs of the trip. I think you just weren’t happy to be sitting in our lap or your car seat the entire time. By the time we left Vegas, you were crawling! Not full, fledged up on all fours, but you Army crawl really well. You dig your little toes into the ground and use your arms to pull yourself. It is so cool to watch. Now that we are home, you are into everything! You love to pull the books off the bookshelves in the family room. You have also figured out how to open the CD cases.
In addition to rolling and crawling, you are trying to sit up from a belly position and you make a few attempts at pulling yourself up on the furniture. When you are in your rolley chair in the kitchen, you can move yourself all the way down the hall and into the back bedrooms. One day we turned around and you were in the office playing with Post-Its notes.
Not only are you moving around this month, but your hand eye coordination is improving! You did your first sign this month. Two weeks ago at day care you refused to drink bottles again and Candice thought you were signing bye-bye at her all day. Turns out you were signing “milk” at her. J It made me so happy, not that you didn’t drink a bottle all day, but that you prefer me! Silly ‘ol mom.
You love to play with your toys. You pass them back and forth from hand to hand. You can also turn things over in your hands to inspect them. In December, when we gave you the pickle at the airport you immediately put it in your mouth. When we gave you a pickle this week, you just turned it over and over trying to figure out what it was. When your dad finally put it in your mouth, you didn’t like the taste so you took it out of your mouth and dropped it on the floor. You have a great handle on the palmer grasp, but have not tried the pincer grab yet. Perhaps, that is something that will happen this month.
Let’s see, you are eating all kinds of new foods this month: mango, egg yolks (which you had a reaction to), spinach, broccoli, carrots and you had some prune juice in Vegas. You don’t really care for the broccoli, but the carrot and spinach seem to be new favorites. You are still nursing approximately five times each day and you are drinking out of your sippy cup easily. We bought you a Nuby cup that requires you to bite the nipple to get the water out. It is also slim enough that you can hold it in your hands. You love to drink your water and bite the top of your cup.
I think you enjoying biting the cup so much because you are teething. Two new teeth this month! Typically the first to appear is the top center teeth, but you got one on the left side first, now the left center is coming in. Both have just broken through the gum line and look pretty sore. For the first time you seem to enjoy the freezable teething toy we bought months ago.
Another big milestone this month is your first haircut. Your dad needed a haircut and yours was so long, it really did need a trim. We took you to see Sivong who cuts our hair and she did a great job. She put a little tiger striped scarf around you and one on your dad and then went to town. For being a wiggly baby, I think she did a pretty good job. I was sad to see the hair be cut, but glad you are finally able to see again. It was really getting long. Of course, I saved a little baggie to put in your scrapbook.
In other news, we bought a new house last week. I’m sure I have mentioned that we have been looking. Well, we went to an open house and really liked the layout. Unfortunately, it was at the very top of our price range. We drove around the block and found a similar house (no upgraded kitchen) for $20,000 less. We put in an offer and it was accepted! We are settling on June 23rd. That gives us just over two months to sell our current house. Your dad and I have been running around like crazy chickens trying to get the current house in order. Tonight, your dad is replacing the paneling on the screened in patio. I have been busy getting the inside in order and I mowed the lawn yesterday. A friend from church is coming by next week to help us get the yard in decent shape. I hope all goes well and we can find a buyer at our price who will settle at the time we want. Otherwise, we may end up living in the Embassy Suites for a month or even worse, paying two house payments until this one sells! Eeek!
You seem to be finding your voice. You make all sorts of little excited noises, including a little clicking noise. You are also quite the dancer. You bounce up and down and laugh like crazy! Other people always comment on what a happy baby you are. No mama or dada just yet, but we have faith that it will happen soon.
I feel like there was more I wanted to say because it has been such an amazing month to see you grow. Unfortunately, this is about all I can remember for now. I wonder what the next month will bring?
Love,
Mama
P.S. You had the most adorable Easter hat that Aunt Betsy made for you. So cute!
