Nine Months

The biggest change for Ike in the last month has been his advancement in motor skills. He has transitioned from army crawling to regular crawling. I'm even putting him in a diaper derby (a crawling race) this weekend in Jackson Hole! In addition to his crawling, he pulls himself into a standing position whenever the opportunity presents itself. He has, on rare occasion, taken a step or two with the support of a table or couch, though I think this has been fairly incidental. Today he even stood on his own for a very brief second.

It's become very difficult to change Ike's diaper as he just cannot be still. He just wants to gogogogogogo, even though the vast majority of the things he wants to see are things that he is already familiar with. It turns out the footstool for the glider will never get boring.

Ike's obsession with his father has been rekindled this month. He will go to just about any length to be with his dad. Last night Eric and his dad were in our backyard making landscaping plans, and Ike could see them through the window. He was nearly going berserk trying to get their attention. Considering that as a general rule Ike doesn't make a lot of noise, it was a hilarious scene.

Ike loves to be around other people still, and he is a hoot to have around in church. He especially loves children. This past Sunday he stood on our knees for quite a long time so that he could lean forward better examine the children in the pew in front of us. He may also have attempted to steal some toys.

He doesn't like it when I sweep or vacuum, presumably because that means I am taking away all of the good treats he's been planning to eat. I'm pretty sure Ike's motto is, "Cheerios found on the floor are better than those on my high chair tray."

Ike has become immeasurably more fun in the last month. I don't think I ever would have imagined how much happiness I derive from playing with my little guy.