Happy Nine Months Little Man!

Yesterday marked an exciting day in the Ninaber household.

Our little man turned 9 months old! And as of today, he has officially been on the outside world longer than the inside with me.

These last nine months have been an absolute whirlwind. I remember when I was pregnant thinking, "This is the longest nine months of my life" and thought the pregnancy would never end.

Alas, it did, and we were blessed with this wonderful baby boy. This baby though, has somehow changed in the past few weeks and has turned in to a toddling little man. He pulls himself up on anything and everything, crawls all over the place, and tires himself out by chasing the Roomba throughout the house (our robot vacuum).

He has three teeth, with three more about to pop through. But the funny thing is that the top teeth that have come through are the top sides, not the front. Makes for a pretty cute smile.

He loves to eat his cottage cheese, red peppers and celery, but he doesn't like cucumber ... surprise, surprise (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!).

His favourite words are "Ababa baba" (bottle) and "Mummm mum mum mum" (self explanatory!)

He loves his bath time.

He's quite the mommas boy, but when daddy walks in to the room, the smile that radiates from his chubby little cherub face is unreal. He loves his dad.

He looks just like his grandpa.

His best furry friend is Hank. Every morning when he wakes up, Hank walks in to his room with us. As soon as Ryder hears him, he will continue to look around the room until he finds him and once again, beams with his amazingly contagious smile. The two of them like to keep watch over the neighbourhood in the morning. I can already tell they will be best friends.

Only three more months and this munchkin will be celebrating his FIRST BIRTHDAY! Ahh. I'm hoping these next three months slow down, because I'm not quite sure I'm prepared or ready for that day.

If there's one thing I've learned in my first nine months of being a mom, it is to not wish the time away. I've done my best to enjoy each stage we are in, as already there are little things that I have begun to miss.

Already I miss his tiny little 8lb self, when he'd cuddle up on my chest and just slept.
I miss when I could change his bum without worrying that he'd flip over and get poop everywhere.
I miss putting him in his swing and he'd sleep throughout the day.
I miss him playing on his play mat ... and if I had to leave the room, I knew he'd still be in the exact same spot when I came back
I miss nursing him 8-12 times a day (believe it or not) and just getting to bond with him as he rubbed my arm or he'd stretch up and play with my face and hair. Then he'd give me the perfect little grin.

Now, I love hearing him laugh. It's contagious.
I love watching his spirit of adventure.
I love seeing his determination and how he doesn't give up.
I love the claps and smiles he gives when the people he loves walk in to the room.
I love that he doesn't play strange.
I love the hundreds of expressions he shows me everyday
I love being the first one to experience all of his "firsts"
I love being his mom.

Man, if I'm this sappy at his nine month birthday, heaven knows what I'll be like when he turns one.

Happy Nine Months, Little Man. Mumm mum mum mum loves you!