9 Months

I missed your 8 months letter.  I kept telling myself to sit down and write it, and the next thing I knew, you were 9 months!  I am not sure how that happened so quickly…but here we are.  Every day you have grown and changed, much to the excitement and dread of those in your home, but change has come none the less.  February 24th we celebrated you turning 9 months old.  That same day was the3 year anniversary of our move to North Carolina.  3 years!  Amazing.  I am so proud that you are our true Southern boy and that you will grow up right here, in the more conservative South, with values that are more true to what we teach you.  We didn’t celebrate this month alone either.  We had Mimi and Grampy with us as we have for all of your month birthdays, but this time we also had Uncle Adam and Aunt Jenny here with us as well.  They have made the move to North Carolina this week.  They have come to watch you grow.  To not miss out on you learning to walk, or CJ’s basketball games.  To take Abby shopping and watch Emmy dancing…to be a part of your lives, not from a distance, but on a weekly basis.  We are so blessed to have them here.

Tonight, in fact they were here visiting, late into the evening.  The other kids had gone to bed and Aunt Jenny fed you your bottle.  They watched you lay back after drinking it all up, unable to move from your fullness.  They laughed at your round belly.  Then you slowly got down to the ground and began to crawl around.  After awhile, you came toward Mommy on the couch, reached your hands up, grabbed onto the  couch and stood right up – just like a pro.  You were awfully proud of yourself.  We were all pretty proud too.  What a big man growing up that way.  You will be walking in no time!
Those 2 stubborn top teeth haven’t popped out yet.  They are big bubbles under the skin, but just won’t break through…not that Mommy is complaining any!  You have quite a bite without top teeth – I can’t imagine once they come through!
You love to give high 5s to everyone, and wave in a straight-arm, wide open hand sort of way.  You dive out of my arms whenever your Mimi or Grampy are near. You love to swing outside, pet dogs, dance with your Brobie, play with your rubber duck, take tubbies, watch your brother and sisters play, and EAT.  I am telling you, for the record, I have NEVER seen anyone eat like you do.  No, really.  You. Can. EAT!  And you do, all day long.  And it is really not that we are just feeding you to keep you quiet.  You are genuinely hungry.  All the time.  Your favorite foods are sweet potatoes, green peppers, oatmeal, rice cereal, applesauce, peas, green beans, spaghetti, blueberries, cantelope, and really, anything that you see us eating.  You still get a nighttime bottle with 6 oz of water with 2 scoops of formula.  The extra water has really helped your diaper problem, and we are so thankful to have stumbled upon that solution.
You love to sleep.  Not necessarily at all the right times, but you do love it.  You have been taking 3 naps a day still until this week when I have tried to cut out that third nap.  You get up at 7, sleep from 9-10:30/11, up and play, back down at 1:30-3:30/4, up until 7, then back down until 9 when I wake you up to play until 10 when we put you down for the night.  The problem is that by around 4 am you are UP!  No more sleeping for you!  Then Mommy keeps you in bed with me, nursing you and trying to get you to sleep until I give up around 6:30 or 7.  It has been ridiculous!  No more nighttime nap for you!  It is kind of sad, as you are so tired now in the evenings, but you go down now around 9 and get up around 7.  Much better schedule for all of us!
You have added a few words to your vocabulary.  Mama and Dada are staples now.  You can also say more (mo-mo), Grampy (Bump), & bottle (ba-ba).
That is all for this month, my little Brogie bear.  Mommy is loving everyday with you, watching you grow and learn more each day.
I love you,

Mommy

7 Months

Brogie,

On Christmas Eve you turned 7 months.  I really don’t feel like 7 months have passed, and I am wondering where the time went.  We celebrated you and Christmas.  We made you sit on Santa’s lap again.  Why do we do that to you?  You screamed just like last time we tried it and we all laughed.  Sorry.  I know someday it will be your little boy’s first Christmas and you will make sure that you have a picture of him on Santa’s lap.  It is a rite of passage or something.  At least you will not remember, and someday I know that you will like that fat guy in the red suit.
It is amazing how much you change month to month.  2 teeth now on the bottom, and you are working hard on the top ones.  You go through 4 or 5 bibs each day (at least) with all your drool.    Nothing is safe from the Brogie taste test.  You still DIVE after the food on your tray.  You love frozen peas and your puffs.  Your favorite foods are sweet potatoes and squash, applesauce, rice cereal and really anything else that we feed you.  You don’t do well with bananas – big time upset stomach and a rash on your face – so those are out for awhile.
Our days of leaving you alone on the bed with some toys while I clean or fold laundry are out.  You are roly poly and love to move around.  You now can get on your hands and knees and rock.  Your moving days are not far away, I am afraid!
My favorite development this month (beside that you say Mamamamama all the time.  Of course I pretend that you are talking to me!!!) happens when you see your brother or sisters.  Oh how you adore them!  If they don’t notice you, you yell, “HA!” which I am positive is your way of saying “hi” so they will look at you and talk to you.  It works every time.  They adore you too.
At your last Dr appointment you had only gained 1.5 lbs in the last 2 months.  Definitely slowing down.  You are now in the 87% for weight, but still in the 95% for height.  Tall like Daddy, I guess.
Your Nana is here for 2 weeks to visit with you.  She is hoping for lots of holding time, but you are a boy on the move.  I don’t know that you will hold still to snuggle with her much anymore.  She will still love watching you as much as she can.  I think you recognized her voice when you saw her again.  You made eye contact and watched her like you remembered who she was.  Uncle Andrew will be here in 2 weeks, then hopefully Uncle Adam and Aunt Jenny will be here after that.  Lots of family to love you.
But no one more than me.  You are my precious baby boy.  Keep growing strong, little man.
Love, Mommy

6 months

Brogie,

Today you celebrated your 6 month birthday with a huge milestone – your first tooth!  No wonder you have been so cranky lately!  You are becoming such a big boy, and I feel like the time has gone too quickly already.  Has half a year really passed since we delivered our precious little boy?  I know I say it often, but I sometimes feel like we got jipped with you.  You  were holding your head up in the hospital room.  You smiled so early.  At your 4 month Dr. appointment, you were already blowing raspberries, sitting up, rolling over – all things that she would look for at your next appointment.  This week you have learned how to clap and are eating anything that we will feed you.  When the kids run past you, you actually try to get down onto the floor.  I don’t know what you think you are going to do if I put you down, but I think that you might just try to keep up with them.  You can get on your hands and knees and rock back and forth.  I have a feeling that Christmas is going to be quite an experience with you this year!  Yesterday, you even tried to make the sign for “more” when I was showing you while you ate your dinner.  I am so proud of you, little man.  But the mommy part of me wants more time.  More time with you as a tiny baby.  More time to enjoy your giggles.  More time to sit and hold you.  Don’t grow too fast.  Let me watch and remember your joy at seeing your brother and sisters.  Your greedy giggle when you know it is time to nurse.  The way you jump out of your skin when you see your bottle at night.  How you make eye contact, just with me, and watch me to make sure that I notice you. You laying in your crib, waiting for us to come and get you, sitting up on your arms, kicking your feet up and down.  How nobody’s head is safe – if you see a head of hair you will grab it.  The way you dive after food.  How you growl like a bear.  You laugh so much and love to be tickled.
You are growing and changing daily.  You are amazing and precious.  We cannot even begin to imagine life without our Brogie bear.  Happy 6 months, sweet boy.