9 months!

Dear Owen,

You are nine months old, three quarters of a year.  This weekend, you will have been on the outside for longer than you were on the inside, which we think is a fun little factoid.  You are, as you always have been, the happiest and most animated little guy.  You love to babble (da-da-da being your favorite sound to make) all the time.  You smile and laugh just about every time you meet someone.  You are so happy to sit and play both independently and with someone else playing with you.

You still prefer to army crawl, which we theorize is because of our slippery hardwood floors and tile.  You can crawl on hands and knees but you scoot on your belly much faster.  You can pull up on furniture and you love to climb up on us to stand.  You can stand at your activity table for 20+ minutes at a time just playing with everything.

We spent a week in Florida this month for your first trip outside of the state of Texas.  You did so well on both plane rides.  We had a challenging experience on the way because it was just me alone with you and it involved a major Mommy mistake when you fell out of your stroller at the TSA checkpoint at Love Field.  You had a pretty big goose egg on your head but you shook it off and were a little trooper on the way to Orlando.

We had a great time in Florida and you spent some time with Aunt Linda and Great Grandma Shirl.  Uncle Preston was also there for our entire trip.  We went to the pier, the beach and we got in the pool at Gram's house for a couple of brief swims.  The weather was really nice and we even wore some shorts and short sleeves for a few days while we were there.

We drove to San Antonio for a weekend and you stayed with Grandpa River and Grandma Bean overnight while Daddy and I went to Austin and ran a half marathon.  The weather was great and you spent most of the time outside in the yard and on the swing.

You had a little more separation anxiety this month and you do have a strong preference for being with Daddy and me, but you are still well behaved when you are with everyone else.  I can't know what you are feeling since you don't have the words to tell us just yet, but I can only imagine that you are a tough little man.  You have been battling ear stuff since November and had another round of antibiotics this month.

Days with a baby who is in transition to becoming a toddler have their challenging moments.  You fight like crazy when we have to change your diaper or clothes.  It is like wrestling with a little bear!  You don't have the understanding to know what I mean when I say "no" when you are bound and determined to pick up the floor lamp or play with a cord that you shouldn't be.  You get frustrated and impatient when you are ready to take the next bite (especially of Greek yogurt or applesauce) and sometimes scream at us.  But mostly, you are a joy to be around.  You laugh and smile with ease and only cry if you are hurting and/or frustrated.  You are learning so much about the world around you because you are curious and observe everything.  You are easy to take just about anywhere when you are well-napped.  You still sleep at night like a little champ, which we greatly appreciate, and you take two decent naps a day.  I'm hoping we can get things resolved with your ears soon because I hope you aren't in too much pain!  I hope you are always this happy as time goes on.

(your nine month shoot was a blur, you are a wild man!)

Love,
Mommy

Stats and Milestones:

Height and Weight: from 9 mo appointment on 2/3- 30 inches, 25 lbs and 4 oz

Diaper Size:  size 5 

Clothing Size: 18 months with a couple of 12 month holdovers and 24 month/2T in some stuff

First time leaving the state of TX: 1/23, flight to Orlando

First time meeting Great Grandma Shirl:  1/24

You sleep from around 7-7.  You usually nap between 8-9 and again in the afternoon from 1:30-3:30 on most days.  

You are army crawling (occasionally you'll use all fours) all over the place and you pull up to stand.  You love to climb up people and our ottoman.   

Nicknames:  Owen Bear, Mr. Bear, Beary-Boo, Mr. O, The Baby, Beary

Things you love:  mealtime, your backyard and especially your swing, bathtime, swimming, when Daddy gets home from work

Things you don't love:  diaper changes and getting dressed; when we don't feed you fast enough for your liking; being told no