Nine months in, nine months out!

Colby is nine months old!!! I can't believe he is nine months, the same amount of time I was pregnant with him! I remember feeling like being pregnant for nine months was such a long time, with its ups and downs, but since he was born the time has just flown by! He is my sunshine, he can brighten your day with a big smile and his baby blues!

Over the last few months he has hit soooo many milestones, from crawling to pulling himself up and standing, to eating solid food, cutting his two bottom teeth and top teeth, and saying his first official word. Last week on Thursday morning, he said Da Da when he looked over at Scott... his official first word. I'm not too bummed it wasn't Ma Ma, Chase said Da Da first, too... it's easier to say after all :-) And, today he and Chase were playing together and Chase was doing something just sooo amazing, I'm not sure what he was doing but you know everything Chase does is amazing to his little brother, and he looks at him and says "Whoa!" It was soooo cute!

This is an amazing age, and Colby is truly a joy. I've said this before but he really, truly is such a wonderful baby. He takes whatever his older brother dishes out and usually "takes it" with a smile on his face. He is laid back but also focused and curious, very similar to Chase but not as serious. When he's determined to crawl somewhere, get a specific toy, or get our attention, he goes for it and nothing can distract him! That is, of course, unless there is food around. I am happy to say that his good eating habits from early on have continued at his grand ol' age of 9 mos. He eats so well and is willing to try anything... he loves  bananas, melon, pineapple, cantelope, pancakes, muffins, blueberries, sweet potatoes, apples and applesauce, peas, potatoes, and just recently Scott introduced him to hot dogs which he absolutely loves (nitrate free of course :)! When he really likes something, he'll make the 'Mmmm' sound and lick his lips.

Bathtime is his absolutely favorite time of day. He loves taking a bath, he splashes around, grabs for toys and pulls himself up to a standing position in the bath -- he really has no fear in the bath or with anything else for that matter. I suspect he will love swimming... I hope to get him signed up for baby swim class at the Y soon... I think he will have a much better experience than Chase. Chase does not want to swim even now, he says, "I like swimming in the bath but not the big pool."

A few quirky things that he's into right now.. Colby loves swinging doors back and forth and closing them, he thinks it's pretty funny. He also likes playing with the door stops, we have those old-fashioned "boingy" ones and he loves pulling on them and making them "boing." He loves to turn on the floor lamp we have in the upstairs TV room, on and off, on and off. He also loves pulling on any kind of cords. We have to be careful with this because he'll go after anything that is plugged in and try and pull it out of the socket. He also loves our phone charger cords so we have to keep them out of his sight. He loves sitting with me in my closet helping me pick out my clothes! :),Really he sits in with me and plays with a few of my beaded necklaces and has a grand ol' time... He loves opening and closing drawers and cabinets. We also have to be careful with this, he's hit himself in the head a few times!!! Ouch! He was also really into pulling himself up on the granite around the fireplace, he never slipped but we decided it was time for the gate and now it's blocked off.

He is growing well and people just can't believe he is only 9 mos old; he's about 22 lbs. He's already wearing Chase's old 12 month clothes and almost fits into 18 month jeans! Totally different experience than with Chase! Chase was always a few months behind in the clothing department, he still wears 2T t-shirts and some 18-24 month old navy pants/jeans, although they are really short in length they still fit him around the waist!

Colby loves to smile and will smile if you just look in his direction and give him a smile or make a funny face. He also loves to giggle and will laugh at almost anything. He loves to watch Chase and will laugh at everything he does! He's also very ticklish and it's fun to tickle his protruding tummy and give him little kisses on his neck to tickle and get a giggle! And, he especially loves to giggle at me when I'm dancing, he just loves my dance moves! :-)  You can tell he's trying to communicate now, he will make all sorts of noises sometimes whining, I have to admit he does have his more challenging moments as all babies do but most of the time he's just trying to get your attention, or he is hungry or sleepy. 

His sleeping routine is okay. He still gets up 1-2x a night and needs a bottle but it's much better than the newborn days of getting up every 2  hours so I'm thankful he is where he is! Scott and I switch off Colby and Chase duty and haven't slept in the same room for awhile. I can't blame that all on the boys, my hubby has been known to snore, and not just a little bit but rather loudly... :-) We're hoping to tranistion Colby into his crib someday soon but for now the co-sleeper in our bedroom downstairs seems to work for us and our  current routine. Happy Nine Months, little Colby! You are a blessing to our family!