9 Months

Jude, our baby, turned nine months old two weeks ago. And if you're mathematically inclined, that also means that Jude will be 10 months old in two weeks' time. This growing-up-quickly-and-not-so-much-a-baby thing must stop. Did you hear me, Jude?

Our nine month pictures aren't great because they were taking inside and the dude just doesn't like to hold still. Much like his sister, he's a crazy monkey. Except this time around, we have a crazy BOY monkey on our hands. Which means that, when excited, he is prone to flailing, squealing, hitting, head-butting and the like. But really, he's such a sweet guy.

A friend, my sweet Candace, recently asked what his personality is like. So here goes:

• Jude is joyful. He smiles a lot, and has a very high-pitched squeal to match his excitement. It can be a bit embarrassing at times, seeing how his squeal is pretty feminine, but I'm sure that will all change in due time.
• Jude is adaptable. Sure, he does best when he's on his routine, but he rolls with the punches so much better than our first child. Or better yet, his mom and dad have learned how to roll with the punches with the passage of time.
• Jude loves to explore. He is interested in everything around him, and his one-legged crab-walk crawl is a hoot to watch. He takes his surroundings in, loves to put things in his mouth, which keeps us on our toes.
• Jude is generally pretty content. He's not necessarily calm or chill, but he isn't phased by much.
• Jude is currently a mama's boy. I find this to be endearing and taxing at the same time. We'll see how this plays out as he grows and matures.

Stats:
Weight: 20 lbs.
Height: ? Good luck getting this kid to hold still to measure him.

This picture really reminds me that Jude is losing his baby-ness.

Obviously, we are so in love with our little guy. And why wouldn't be? He's pretty great, minus the still-not-sleeping-through-the-night factor. That has to change soon, right? Jude now has three teeth; two on the bottom and one on the top. He eats everything (dog hair included) in his sight and is just four pounds away from outweighing his big sis.

Can you see those teeth?