9 months!!

Loving the baby pool

Our youth group had a food fight Wed night after church...pretty awesome. And even better, they all were washed off by a firetruck! 

We got Jay out of Cubbies early so that he could watch. he was thrilled!

Dipping in a bucket of water to cool off

I thought he was so funny the way he propped his little hands up on the table

Goofing off

Walking Jake through the woods

Ever since Jake has made his new bedtime spot jay's room, the two have become a little team. It is pretty darn cute...and convenient.

posing by the creek while jake cools off

Fishing in the pond after supper, showing off their catch

Teaching Jay how to unhook a fish

And then for an unexpected adventure to recover a lost lure

Eli just sat on the chair and played with Jake

This is the best dog ever to put up with these two monkeys every day.

Eli turned 9 months yesterday and we had his well check today. Time has flown, as usual. I just can't believe he is 3 months from turning one year old. I know I talked about what an easy newborn he was and I loved that time but I feel like this is when the fun starts. He is so playful and is really one of us now. Wes and I were talking the other night about how we can't even remember when there wasn't four of us. It just seems like he's always been here. I love how complete he has made this family and the way all of us have such a unique bond with him. He is just perfect and I am so humbled that God gave such a perfect little one to us. He is far more than we deserve.

So here are his 9 month milestones:

- 20.5 lbs and 28.8in long (65% for both). Head circ is only 35% which was surprising to me because it looks so big but I guess that's just all the baldness!
- Makes several different sounds (ahh, mammmaa, dadada, bah, aaaay). None of them are real words yet but it doesn't take much to decipher what this bossy little baby means through his loudness and tone.
- He also "clicks" to us when he has something very important to say. He make such a sharp, loud sound it's like we have our very own pygmy baby.
- Sits, claps, comes to a sitting position, stands with support, and army crawls backwards. He is all over anything within reach. When he gets it he holds it, turns it, studies it...then eats it.
- The backwards crawling issue is very disheartening to him as he sees his target get further and further away and cannot, for the life of him, figure out why. He gives up so quickly. Today he crawled two times, didn't think he was doing it, fell over, and screamed. It seriously has to be any day now before he is an official crawler.
- Eating habits: right after he turned 8 months he dropped down to 3 bottles and only about 4 ounces each. He eats 2oz with oatmeal in the morning and then 2oz for supper in rice cereal. He eats any baby food we give him...other than my homemade sweet potatoes, which are absolutely repulsive to him...like he actually forced himself to throw up. I remember Jay doing the same thing with my carrots....these boys are so unappreciative!  And, just to clarify, he eats Gerber sweet potatoes like they are the last food on earth. Anyway, his favorite fruits are bananas, pears, peaches, and yogurt. For veggies he loves peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots. He loves puffs also.
- We are trying out sippy cups but he hasn't taken to any particular one. I am going to start pushing this harder over the next month. He isn't that attached to a bottle so I don't think this will be a hard transition.
- He is in 9-12 months clothes and size 3 diapers
- he loves peek a boo and "the itsy, bitsy spider"
- He loves jay's trucks and toy people/animals
- More than anything, he loves watching Jay bounce around and yell all day
- They have the most adorable laughing fits that will brighten even the most frustrating day
- He responds to his name and "no"
- he is starting to be fearful when he can't see me or Wes. The fits haven't started when we drop him off at church but I'm afraid that is coming soon
- His daily schedule:
  07 Wakes and eats 4 oz milk, then 3oz oatmeal/fruit
  09 Nap
  11 Lunch (6oz fruit and veg)
  13 4oz milk, then nap for 2hrs (sometimes longer)
  16 3oz yogurt
  17 3oz rice cereal and a veg
  19 4oz milk and bedtime
  Sleeps all night, like a sweetheart. btw, just realized I wrote that in military time...I revert back to my nursing habits every once in a while, forgive me. :)