Dear Jake,
I’m happy to say that you are humming LESS. It hasn’t completely stopped, but you seem to be keeping yourself occupied longer, and I couldn’t be happier about it. In fact, the other day I was busy trying to get laundry done and when I came back in the living room you were no where to be found. As usual, you had crawled to Max’s room and you were busy playing with his trashcan (that we’ve never even put trash in, so have at it). Max followed us into his room and told me he wanted to play in his room, so I opened the lid to the toy chest and just let the two of you do some damage. You two were in there as happy as can be for over an HOUR! BY YOURSELVES! PLAYING TOGETHER! NO HUMMING! It was awesome. I periodically peaked my head in to check on y’all and Max was digging every toy out of his toy box and giving it to you to chew on. I cannot tell you the joy I feel when I see you and Max playing together. It makes me so happy that you are already buddies. Max always wants to know where you are, or what you’re doing. When Max gets in trouble and gets put in timeout you always crawl straight to him to comfort him. Sometimes I think Max annoys you. He tries to grab you and pick you up and you get irritated because you are usually on a mission to put something in your mouth. You are always irritating Max by destroying his puzzle or his block tower. I know at some point I will probably end up refereeing, but you two play together pretty well so far. The sweetest thing is when Max does something and you just crack up. He makes you laugh a lot and it is just precious.
A few days ago I played in a volleyball tournament all day and Dada decided to try to give you baby food, and guess what happened? YOU ATE IT. So for the time being, you are eating some baby food! I am just going to try to get you to finish all the baby food I have sitting in the pantry so it won’t go to waste. You still want table food, but some of it is just too hard for you to eat. We’ll see how long it takes for you to decide you are tired of it.
You are getting so talkative! You are making lots of different sounds and now you say “mamama” when you see me and you come crawling towards me with a big smile on your face. You hold onto my skirt and pull yourself up and stand there looking at me and saying, “mamama” and waiting for me to pick you up. It is just the most precious thing ever.
I consider you a pretty independent baby. You can get your cup and drink whenever you are thirsty. You can feed yourself. You can pretty much get to anything you want. In the living room we have a wooden toy box and you crawl straight for it and lift the lid and proceed to dig through it and find stuff to chew on. Now that you can do so much stuff for yourself you seem to be happier. Max can still get away from you when you are trying to eat a book he is looking at by climbing into one of the chairs. For now, that is pretty much the only thing you can’t do, but wish you could. It’s so funny because you will try to hike your leg up on the ottoman, but you can’t get it high enough to climb up into the chair yet and sometimes you get frustrated. Especially if Max has something you really want. You love Max’s mickey mouse airplane toy. It has a place where you can sit on it and ride it and it also has a handle where you can stand and push it. This past month you started pushing it and walking with it. I was so excited to see you push it across the living room for the first time! I know you will be walking soon, but I am hopeful that you will wait and be my baby a little longer.
You and Max are so different in so many ways. When we go to McDonalds, Max is usually timid and won’t climb up to the top by himself. Maybe it’s because he got stuck up there when I was 8 months pregnant with you, but anyway, he is apprehensive. I know that when you get older you will be the one to try something new first and then reassure Max that it’s fun and not scary. I’m sure you will be a handful as a toddler, because you already are now! You are such a daredevil as it is that I can’t imagine the emergency room visits that lie ahead. It’s so amazing to see how different you and Max are and I just can’t tell you enough how much I am enjoying being your “mamama”.
Love,
Mama
9 Months
