9 Months Old!!!

Ethan is 9 months old today, and again, it is shocking how fast these months are flying by!  If I had to sum up the past month, I'd say it was a month of movement and teeth!  Ethan is crawling (quickly) everywhere that we will let him go, and he especially loves exploring where we'd rather him not... He is also pulling to stand very well, cruising furniture, and briefly (1-2 seconds) letting go and standing independently, although I don't think he realizes it yet.  He is also looking like he may be a climber... as he tries to crawl up onto/into the fireplace and attempts our basement steps.  He now has 4 teeth on bottom and 1 on top, with 3 other top teeth on the verge of eruption; this has made for some interesting nights, as our great sleeper isn't sleeping as much... However, despite the sleep interruption, it hasn't affected his wonderful, playful nature as you'll see in the pics below!  Today we headed out for an impromptu 9-month old photo shoot, and I had a hard time choosing just a few to share, but first a few candid shots from the past couple of weeks...

Waving or clapping, not sure, since he thinks they are the same...

YUM, this frozen bagel feels sooo good on my gums

Milli really wants to see how it makes her gums feel too...

Our lil lumberjack in his flannel and cords!

Is this really for me?

WOW, spaghetti is DELICIOUS!!

You can imagine the mess when he was finished...

Some days, my hair just seems to have a mind of it's own...

Ha! Playing in standing is so fun!

And now for the staged photos...

Here I come...

Mommy's favorite pic of the day!

This is way more fun than sitting in that gazebo!

He LOVED the swing (if you weren't sure by the crinkled nose grin)

Showing off those 4 bottom teeth

Mommy, you should really try this, it's great!

He was right!

Daddy helping him slide

Man, I love this playground thing!

OK, getting sleepy, enough with the camera!

Well, ok, 1 last smile, but that's it!

We really can't describe how much we love this little guy and the joy that he brings to each day; it's a wonderful reminder of God's perfect plan for our family!