Dear Jack: Nine Months

Dear Jack,

At nine months, you are starting to seem like such a big boy.  You want to do all things big, just like your brother, and you are continually meeting new milestones.

I worried about your brother not sharing with you, but I never worried about you taking his things.  I should have!  You are fascinated by everything Eliot has and want it.  Now!  If he is drinking in the car, you fight to take his straw.  You beg for his food like a puppy.

You are crawling great, pulling up on everything, cruising everywhere, and occasionally stand for a moment by yourself without holding onto anything.  I can't imagine you walking any time soon because your brother waited until right after a year, but I suppose you could....  Either way, you're well on your way.

As you become better at eating finger foods, your pallet is expanding.  You fought off pureed food for the most part, but now you like feeding yourself blackbeans, some rices, diced up bananas, and other similar foods.  You also love smoothies, so we get extra greens in you that way.  You are absolutely crazy for icecream.  If you see us giving your brother food, you look at him and then glare at us like you can't believe that we aren't being fair.

You continue to be passionate about water.  As I draw your bath water, you pull up on the side of the tub and scream like a middle school girl at a Justin Beiber concert.  If someone takes a shower, you try to break in on them in the bathroom and scoot your way in.  You are going to have so much fun this summer in the pool.

It is crazy to think that you have been with us on the outside as long as you were growing inside of me.  It seems so long ago that I was pregnant with you--and it felt like it lasted forever.  It seems like you have always been with us.  I'm so thankful for you, Jack-Jack.