(Not only have I been remiss in writing this post, but our 9-month photo shoot was a bit of a disaster! We’ll have another one of these around your 1 year birthday–so soon!–and then we’ll have to figure something else out, since we’ll be out of stickers!)
Vital Statistics: At your 9 month checkup you weighed in at 25.5 pounds, and now at almost 11 months you’re definitely over 26. You’re still in the 99+ percentile for weight but you seem to be slowing down a bit.
Developmental Milestones:
Oh, you are thisclose to crawling! Right now, you manage to go from sitting to propped up on three of your four limbs (similar to pigeon pose). Then when you try to get forward motion going, you go splat on your belly. The missing link seems to be understanding how to get on all fours from lying down (or sitting from lying down).
The big question is which will come first: crawling or walking? The other day you pulled up to standing next to some furniture for the first time, and if you had your way you would spend all day walking around grasping one of your parents’ fingers.
So much has happened in the past few months! You dance. You clap. You wave goodbye. You give big sloppy wet kisses. You laugh uproariously at your daddy’s hijinx and respond when mommy makes the (kind of crude udder) sign for “milk.” You also seem to understand the signs for “eat,” “water,” and “all done.” One of these days you are going to use a sign yourself and we are going to FREAK OUT with pride and probably startle you a bit.
Eating:
Our current strategy, which seems to work, is to put 3 or so foods in front of you at every meal and hope you eat one. You are a little fickle–some nights you will inhale a food, and the next you may refuse to touch it. Here are things that you sometimes eat:
Eggs, black beans, pears, banana, broccoli, shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella), orange slices, blueberries, strawberries, applesauce, peas, sweet potato fries, macaroni, oatmeal, puffs and yogurt drops.
Lately you’ve been insisting on using your own spoon, which is exciting and messy. Mostly messy.
Sleeping: Sigh. Baby steps. Some nights you sleep until 2am and only wake up twice a night. Some nights there are three or four wakeups. There’s always something to mess up our training: colds, new teeth, travel. It seems to be slowly trending better so there’s hope.
Likes: walking (with help); drinking water from your sippy cup; reading Wiggle Waggle, Peek-a-Who, and Jamberry; seeing yourself in the mirror; bathtime
Dislikes: cold weather, tummy time, not being allowed to play with computer cords, getting your snot sucked or nails clipped
New Friends: We went to Iowa! On a plane! You got to meet your cousins Isaac and Henry, your aunts Jenn and Rebekah, your uncles Joe and Nick, and your Great Grandpa and Barbara. You got to meet some of your daddy’s oldest friends and their kids. And of course spend time with all the family you first met when you were super little! You got your first taste of a major snowstorm, plane travel, and shopping at Hyvee. Hopefully we’ll get to go back soon!
In the past few months you also got to meet Henry Harold, who is so sweet, and Uncle Pat and Aunt Irene and their puppies, and friends Amy (and Dan again) and Charles. Over the holidays you visited both of your parents’ workplaces and met lots of nice people there, too. It’s been a full few months!
Adventures: Holidays! Lots of travel, by car and by plane and through rain and snow and sleet. You saw the trains at the Botanical Gardens, art at the VMFA in Richmond, ZooLights and the new baby panda at the zoo, planes and space shuttles at the Udvar-Hazy Center, your first concert and birthday party. And soon a new adventure: looking for a new house to buy! (Photos of EDB’s Adventures)
Grape Soda 
Jamberry! Frances loved that one too. He’s so adorable and big and DOING STUFF. Fun!