the Littlest Sullivan: 9 months old

Ryan -

today you are 9 months old. Not only that, but you are 39 weeks old. As of today, I have held you in my arms for the exact same amount of time as I held you in my tummy. I am not sure which 39 weeks went by faster, but I can assure you that they both FLEW by.

"the first time ever I saw your face..."

It seems like it has been a lifetime since I was pregnant. Maybe it even seems that being pregnant was just a dream. I had the perfect pregnancy with you. I have so many friends that are pregnant and have had so much morning sickness, and other, more serious pregnancy issues. I never had any of that with you. I was so incredibly fortunate. I also had the perfect delivery with you...I was only in "real" labor for 5 hours, only had to push for 45 minutes. I had no pain, other than contractions in my left side lower back. It seemed surreal. I have told your daddy that sometimes I feel like someone played a trick on me and that I really didn't deliver a baby that day because it was just so easy...they just had a baby hiding under the table and had me go through the motions before grabbing you and popping you up in the air for me to see. I know that it isn't true, but that is just how great you were to deliver.

You are growing and learning so much so fast!! At 9 months old you can:

Say mama

Say dada

You are trying to say Grimm...you say "EM"

Say "ROAR" when we ask you "What do you say to a lion?"

Wave hello when we say "What do you say to a little fish?....Hello little fish!"

Crawl (very very VERY fast)

Pull up on your own

Cruise along the furniture

Give sloppy kisses

You can stand on your own for a few seconds before falling.

Daddy figured out that MA means MORE!

You eat bread and puffs all by yourself on your highchair or stroller tray.

You love your brother, Tonka, and he lets you climb all over him and pull his ears.

brother Tonka

Lucky girl to have such loving big brothers!

You have 5 teeth...I noticed just last night that you broke a 5th tooth through on the bottom!

You are ticklish on your legs, tummy and feet.

You eat real food - fruits, vegetables, and grains...I haven't made baby food in over a month!

Your favorite foods are mango, green beans, squash muffin, and pasta with sauce.

You love to be read to. Daddy reads you Goodnight Moon every night before bed.

Your Great-Aunt Sheila gave you a book for Easter that you LOVE LOVE LOVE! It is called Where is Hoppity Hop Bunny, and you lift flaps to look for a bunny. The animals under the flaps have soft noses, fuzzy ears, and shiny bows, and you know exactly where to touch to feel the different textures. You love to lift the flaps yourself and reach out to pet the animals.

Your favorite book is still What Do You Say? and you are learning what a cow and a cat say.

Playing with mommy

Maybe a future in singing??

You love to take things out of baskets and try to put them back where they belong.

You wear 9 month clothes.

You use a sippy cup and LOVE water or apple juice.

You sleep through the night some nights, and others you get up only once.

You are starting to understand the word "NO"....you hear it enough...

You will crawl to follow mommy or daddy if we put you down and tell you to "come on".

You take one nap a day now, but it is a long one! Usually 3 hours. And you will also doze in the car if you and mommy go out to run errands later in the day.

You are a very easy baby. If you are upset or crying, it is easy to tell what you need or want, and easy to fix. You will sit in the floor and entertain yourself with books or toys for a while. You love to play!

Playing by yourself

People talk to you wherever you go, and you are typically very happy to smile and wave at them.

You are not perfect, but I don't think there are many babies out there that could be much better than you are. There are so many parents who struggle with premies, disabilities, health issues, or even getting pregnant in the first place. But we were blessed with beautiful you, and we thank God every day for all that he has given us. I often ask you "where did you come from?" because it is as if one day you just appeared when I wasn't looking.

First time swinging in the park!

Daddy played the Easter Bunny at church - what a great daddy!

Daddy taking you sliding in the park

First time on a slide in the park!

You and I are together all day everyday, and when there is a rare occasion that you are not with me, I miss you! Daddy puts you to bed every night (because you will not let me lay you down in the crib without waking up!) and by the time I go to bed, I feel like I have not seen you in forever. So I tiptoe into your room each night and smile at you while you sleep for just a moment before heading to bed myself.

I love you more than anything, and I have said since the day you were born that I would do anything to protect you. It doesn't matter what I have to do, or whose feelings will get hurt - you are my number one priority. Your daddy and I promise to raise you the absolute best way we know how, even if it may be off the beaten path a bit.

Somehow, it's like I blinked and you went from this.....