Nine Months Old!

January 29, 2010

Dear Riggins,

Another month has flown by, and just when I thought you couldn't get any sweeter or more fun, you have exceeded my dreams once again!  This month has held so much transformation toward independence, and you are even looking like more of a little boy than a baby these days.  Despite my efforts to squeeze you tighter, hold you closer, and stare at you longer, I just can't seem to soak you up and freeze you in time the way I would like.  And so, another letter for my memory's sake.

At nine months old, you weigh 19.8 pounds (41th percentile) and are 28 1/2 inches long (66th percentile); you are finally evening out from your string-bean-baby build and filling out a bit!  You wear size 6-9 month clothes, 12 month pajamas, and size 4 diapers.  You nurse 4-5 times per day, eat three solid meals and a snack each day, and drink water from a sippy cup.  This month you really branched out to finger foods, and you can now eat little bites of just about anything; your favorites are peas, oranges, graham crackers, and egg yolks.  I get such a kick out of watching you use your chubby little hands to pick up your food and shove it in your wide open mouth with such determination!

One challenge this month was that you decided it was fun to wake up around 5 a.m. each day.  We tried just about everything to no avail, and finally discussed the issue with your pediatrician.  The next day, with no intervention whatsoever, you started sleeping until 6:30.  I guess you heard us bad-mouthing you to your doctor and decided to shape up!  Whatever your reasons, we'll take it!  So you now sleep from about 6:30 or 7 pm til 6:30 am, which is perfectly fine with us.  You take a one-hour morning nap around 9 and a two-hour afternoon nap around 1.

The biggest development of the month is that you are now a crawling machine!  You began crawling on January 3rd, and within about a week you were able to get anywhere in the house you wanted to go.  You can also pull up, so the combination of the two new skills have allowed you to get into everything!  This has introduced the concepts of childproofing and "No, no, Riggins!" and we are hoping to strike a healthy balance between the two.  I just love the sound of your palms slapping the floor and the sight of your sweet face peeking around a corner.  A favorite memory of mine will be when I was sick with the stomach flu and was quarantined back in our bedroom.  I could hear you playing in the living room and missed you, so I called your name.  A few seconds later, I heard the sound of your palms slapping their way down the hall, and within a couple of minutes I saw your sweet face peek around the door and burst into a huge grin.  You crawled your way over to the bed and pulled up on the blankets, just squealing with glee.  Now that, my son, is good medicine!

Your big "first" this month was your first snow, and Mother Nature went over the top and gave you three snow days in three weeks!  Much to your ski slope-loving parents' delight, you were a big fan!  Your other first was laughing at something on your own accord, not because we were trying to get you giggling but because you genuinely thought something was funny.  Weber was drinking from your squirty bath toy, and you just thought it was the funniest thing you had ever seen!  You also began rolling your eyes this month, which is a funny new skill that I will only think is cute until it is accompanied by an attitude problem!

At nine months, you love clapping, twiddling your thumbs, petting Weber, taking a bath, going for runs and hikes with Daddy, rolling balls, snuggling in bed with us in the mornings, riding in the grocery cart, looking out the back door, playing peekaboo and patty cake, hanging upside down, and waving bye-bye (about 30 seconds after we've actually left).  You also really like your mama, and you've started to fuss occasionally when I leave your sight or put you down.  Apparently this is par for the course at this age!

As a mom, I'm entering a new stage of learning to create boundaries and expectations for you.  I am quickly realizing that this will largely be a matter of personal discipline and consistency on my part.  God has been teaching me that my goal when parenting you is not to impress others with your good behavior or to make my life easier through your obedience.  The goal is to raise a man who loves God and obeys Him.  I am so desperate for His grace and guidance in this journey of motherhood, and I pray that you will see that dependance on Him as you grow.

I love everything about you, my darling boy, and I am so proud to be your mother.

Love, Momma