9 months old

Happy 9 month birthday Baby Cole!! We are 3/4 of the way to your first birthday - WOW! Let's see what we have to report for the past month:

• It has been a tough month. You were sick and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. We thought ear infection, tried drops. Then something else seemed to be going on. We did find out, in the process, that you're allergic to penicillin drugs. Ugh! It was not a fun way to discover.
• Sleeping - as much as I raved about your sleeping last month, you have not been cooperative in this area this month. You've been up every night and have cried and screamed a lot. Daddy & I are tired but surviving. We are hoping that one day you'll figure it out again. (fingers and toes crossed! Mommy's getting pretty cranky.)
• Looking at last month, I'm not sure you've really gained any weight. You have been difficult in eating. You don't want pureed foods any more, you want to feed yourself. And things you LOVED, you now want nothing to do with. I swear, without yogurt, pinto beans, graham crackers and oatmeal, you'd starve.
• You're working on your standing really hard. You still have no interest in crawling or rolling over but you do want to jump ahead and start walking so you can run after Eli.
• Speaking of, you guys are cuter and cuter together all the time. I love when you both start belly laughing and there is just so much happy in the house.
• You're getting more and more vocal. You babble, blow bubbles and just jabber a lot. You seem so happy doing it.
• You've got 4 teeth and we wonder if you're getting more. Disrupted sleep, changes in eating patterns and gallons of drool, it's a distinct possibility.
• As hard as the past month seems to have been (I'm sure in my sleep deprived state, my memory is worse than reality), you get sweeter and cuter every day. You light up when you see one of us and show me that, even in all my frustrations and stress, you love your Mommy like no other.
• We're so lucky that you're here to complete our perfect family. Perfect is relative and different for every person but my two sweet boys and wonderful Daddy = perfect for me!