9 months old!

I just looked at pictures of sweet John Matthew on his birthday. So sweet. So special. I was instantly in love. The next few months were kind of hazy, but here we are at 9 months! And I'm still so much in love. He is so sweet. And fun. Even when he's complaining about his teeth hurting. He just wants a little extra TLC. Otherwise he goes with the flow. Sometimes he wakes up just talking. I'll walk in and he's sitting up in his crib just chilling out. And he's pretty good in the stroller. He just sits and looks around.

The perfect kiss:

Speaking of teething, he did get his first two teeth this month. Bottom two are in. Top 4 teeth are making his gums all puffy and bulgy. And he's been taking shorter naps. When I go in to get him he's kneeling up chewing on the crib railing, bawling.

Jack loves to drink from a cup. I haven't gotten him to suck on a sippy cup yet but he likes it when we let him drink from our cups. When he sees me get out the water pitcher and start pouring it in a cup he starts flapping his arms and grunting until we give him a drink.

It's not really a grunt. It's more like a panting sound. But it's a sound that means he wants something. While I was cooking in the kitchen I heard him make that sound behind me while he was sitting in his high chair. I knew he had dropped his toy. And I am definitely not the mother who can tell what their baby needs by their different cries. I've never been able to do that. So I was pretty proud of myself.

I took Jane and Jack outside and blew some bubbles. Jack responded like he was wanting a cup of water. And he was getting pretty upset when I wouldn't give him a bubble to play with.

Jack is getting hurt a little less often these days. He's figured out how to fall onto his bum, how to pick up things while standing, and how to get down to crawl. It's really lessened the amount of bumps and bruises.

He also started "cruising" recently. He can make his way between objects that are close together. And he can walk along the length of the couches under one condition. He has to be moving towards his right. If I try to entice him to head towards his left his feet just stay planted on the ground until he gives up and crawls. So cute.

See, he wants to come to the camera but he can't move left!

If Jack is done eating or doesn't like what I have sprinkled onto his high chair tray he'll sweep his hand back and forth across the tray until all the food has disappeared. It took me a couple times to realize all those Cheerios and beans on the floor weren't dropped accidentally.

Maybe he does that to get back at us for putting him in a pink bib.