He's Walking!!!

I missed writing his nine month update! I hate it, because I love looking back over the posts and remembering what he was doing at any given month. But what can I say? Our life got a little crazy... No use crying over spilt milk, right? So here we go for this month's news:

HE'S WALKING!!!!!!

I can not tell you how amazing that is! He started taking a few shuffling steps (as he was falling) at about 9 1/2 months, and then the week before his 10-month birthday he took a few steps on purpose! We were at grandma's house, and he was unloading the tupperware cabinet, and wanted to take a lid to his John Deere tractor - he looked, he thought, and then he did it - it was 3 steps, and he made it to the tractor still standing. I was in shock! I even said - "Oh my God, he just walked" - I said it before it hit me, because hearing it made me tear up. But I didn't cry! I did good :-)

It's been about 2 weeks, and he's walking, walking, walking. He can make it all the way across our living room at home (which is HUGE). He can stop, pick up a toy, stand up, and keep going. When he wants to get somewhere, he tries walking first. I can get him to hold onto my pinky finger, and he'll walk forever - from the kitchen into the bedroom and back. It's just the craziest thing - this little baby, walking! I am so proud of him!!

He's also starting to talk. His first word was "Bye Bye". He said it about 3 weeks ago when we were getting in the car from aunt Mona's house, and she was on the porch waving bye to him. He said it again a few days later, and a few times since - clear as can be! He also says "mamamama" when he wants me, and "nananana" when he wants Nana. He doesn't have the right number of syllables, but he gets the idea!

He can wave, and clap, and he plays games. The other day he was blowing bubbles on my stomach. His laugh is the best sound I've ever heard! He has 5 teeth: two bottom, three top. I think he's about to get more, because he's been a little fuss bucket the last few days! It's either his teeth or all of those aches and pains from his learning-to-walk falls... Either way, I don't mind too much, because I get to hold him all day, which hasn't happened since he was itty bitty! I love that little guy!

He's figured out how to use the (baby) slide at the playground - he can climb the steps up all by himself, crawl over to the slide, and fling himself down, head first, arms out front like he's flying. He just laughs and laughs - I swear, he's fearless! I put him down at the playground, and off he goes! He doesn't need me at all! It's just amazing to see.

He's so intense when he's learning something, too. So focused. He'll spend forever trying to work something out - the other day he kept trying to put an acorn cap onto a stick. He sat there, still and quiet, for a good five minutes. Grandma taught him how to pick up a toy pig and put it into his tractor, and he just watched and watched and watched her before he tried it, like he was trying to wrap his head around it. He got a barn for Christmas, and the little chicken sits in the nest behind the doors. He knows where that chicken goes, too, because when we were finished playing with it yesterday he put the chicken back in the nest and shut the door, even though it had been a good five minutes since he'd taken the chicken out! He was helping me wipe the floor down yesterday, too - I gave him a rag and he watched me, looked at the rag, looked at me again, and finally figured it out. Such a smart kid! I'm so, so blessed!!

He loves eating oranges. He still nurses to sleep. He has started sitting in my lap - he'll walk on over to me, climb into my lap, turn around, and plop down. It doesn't matter what we're doing - he just likes sitting in my lap. (He sits in Dontae's lap, too - our 110 pound Rottweiler. He'll sit between his two front paws and snuggle back against Dontae's chest, and reach back to pat the dog's head. So cute!). He's getting better about reading, and we can make it though most books without him trying to chew on the pages (the baby, of course, not the dog!). His favorite book now is an animal book that just has pictures of animals you would find on a farm, then in the rainforest, the woods, and the African plains. He'll turn the pages and point to an animal, and I'll tell him what it is and make animal noises. At least to the animals I know - does anyone know what a Sloth sound like? :-) But I do a pretty good job. The pig always makes him laugh, and he also likes the snake (who ssssslithers up and tickles his tummy) and the lion (who rrrrooooaaarrrs and tickles him with his claws).

So anyway - that's the update on my little guy! Thank you to all of you who have been there for us during the past few months! I appreciate all of you, and your love for him is such a blessing in his life (and mine!). We couldn't do it without you! It's amazing how much joy one little person can bring to the world, isn't it?!