The most common phrase uttered by John this month was, "Lauren, he is changing so much." And Brooks is, he really is. He is becoming a rambunctious, silly, adrenalized, spirited, loud baby boy. He adds a bump or two to his head daily. He is into every drawer and every cabinet, pulling lamps off of tables, shredding magazines, ripping off bibs, and throwing whatever he can get those little hands on across the room, or car. On August 18th Brooks managed to escape from the exersaucer. What?! How is that even possible? I didn't see him in action, nor did I hear a peep from the little Houdini. Now where am I supposed to put him when I need a break from the baby tornado? As of late, I have been referring to him as "wild man" and he lives up to that name daily. If we already have our hands full now, I cannot imagine what life will look like when he is walking...
And speaking of walking, Brooks has been cruising with the help of the coffee table and couch. We also have been practicing taking steps with the help of mommy and daddy's fingers. On September 11th Brooks took his first steps with the push walker. He walked all the way across his room without any help! I could not believe it. He doesn't do it every time, though. When he becomes uninterested he plops down on his bottom and reverts back to the trusty crawl.
Thankfully, Brooks has been a much happier baby this month than the last. And to be honest, I think it's because he was teething because on August 18th his first tooth popped through (bottom right—his right). A couple of days later the left one broke through too. Oddly, during those days he didn't show any signs of discomfort or pain. He started biting the spoon with his new teefies on the 24th.
When he is fussy or crying I sing Old McDonald and it makes him stop every single time, without fail. Twinkle Twinkle, Itsy Bitsy, Hickory Dickory? Nope. The tears keep flowing. Old McDonald? SILENCE.
Brooks is still the most ticklish on his neck and thighs. I find this quite ironic seeing that John hates for his collarbone to be touched.
On August 26th, we got the first belly laugh out of Brooks. I'm talking a laugh-so-hard-face-turns-red-and-eyes-water laugh. It was the most amazing sound my ears have ever heard and brings the biggest smile to my face every time I watch the video. We usually get this laugh right before bath time in the evening when Brooks is super giddy and slightly delirious.
He still loves couch time. We get a lot of smiles and giggles from flopping around the couch, jumping on the cushions, and burying his head in the pillows. Brooks' favorite game is still, "where's Brooks?" where he lays down and pretends he is sleeping or hiding—and then pops his head up and smiles. It is so cute. His new favorite is getting his legs pulled out from under him while he tries to crawl and to be held upside down by his ankles. Maybe this is why he is so rowdy?
On August 15th we switched over to the 8-10 month "Moms on Call" schedule, which means we added two snack times, got rid of the 5:00 nap, and now rely on the sippy cup instead of the bottle throughout the day. Brooks transitioned well, but he can't quite get the hang of the sippy cup. He does well when I hold it for him, but he is having a hard time figuring out how to tilt the cup and his head back to get a swig of milk. He tilted his head back once, which resulted in him tipping backwards and hitting his head on the kitchen floor. Poor thing. So, I give him a bottle of 4 ounces after each nap. If he doesn't finish it, I put it in the sippy cup and we go from there throughout the day. It's working for us for the time being.
On the 16th of August, we met some friends at Cracker Barrel for breakfast and Brooks had his first taste of hashbrown casserole. We were brave and let him eat it without cutting it up and he did great. Since then, we have added a lot of finger foods to his snack and mealtimes. He eats everything from egg yolk and avocado to zucchini and string cheese. He has grown to love every fruit, vegetable, grain, and meat that we feed him. The kid loves food. End of story.
Another "I can't believe it" moment happened on September 1st while we were at my parents lakehouse. Brooks crawled up the entire set of stairs! Of course, daddy was behind him ready to catch him in case he fell, but he didn't--and he was so proud!
On September 3rd I cleaned out his dresser drawers and his closet. Out with the 6-month sizes and in with the 12-month. I got a little emotional. Okay, a lot emotional. It was on this day too that Brooks discovered how to blow raspberries on my legs and shoulder. He thought that it was hilarious! And my wet leg thanked him. He now gets a kick out of blowing raspberries on his highchair tray, which is funny. Sometimes he blows raspberries mid-air with food in his mouth, which is not funny.
This month we took a lot of trips to the park to swing and play on the playground. It is one of my most favorite dates with my boy to date.
Brooks is doing better when I walk out of the room. Sometimes he follows me (this includes to the bathroom—gone are the days of privacy), but sometimes he remains on his mat and plays by himself. I just listen to see if it gets really quiet. If it does, he is up to something, like chewing on a mechanical pencil or eating paper.
Brooks loves to wave "hi" and "bye" and LOVES to play in daddy's truck. I think that the highlight of his day is waiting in the driveway for daddy to get home. When he hears and sees John's truck turning the corner he starts squealing and grunting, shaking his legs, waving his arms, and reaching for him. It is so sweet and slightly comical.
And lastly, baby B is into imitating everything that we do. If we shake our head no, he shakes his head no. If we scream, he screams. If we scrunch up our nose, he scrunches up his nose. If we clap, he claps. If we stick out our tongue, he sticks out his tongue. I guess it's time to be on our best behavior! Wink wink.
We are having so much fun with our little man these days...and at the rate we are going, yes, it will keep getting better and better. Hard to imagine! Brooks, we pray for you every day and thank God for allowing us to be your parents. It is the most remarkable thing to watch you grow. We are slowly getting glimpses of your uniqueness—those amazing details and quirks the Lord has knit together. Happy nine months sweet angel! We love you so much.
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