Nine and a half months!

Cole is growing and the months are flying by. Never before have I felt time move so quickly as I do now, watching my son change in so many ways as each day passes. He is almost 22 pounds and 27.5" long - and my arms now have the muscles to prove it! He talks a lot, squeals often, and has a belly laugh that will bring tears to your eyes. He loves to hold books, turning them over in his hands, knock down stacks of blocks, bang toys together, and put everything in his mouth. He really likes to pull on things, whether it's a windchime, the red stuffed monkey hanging in his room, or the star ribbon hanging from his fan. He's fascinated by what his hands can do! We go to the beach at least once a week, oftentimes more, and I think it might be his favorite place to be. He splashes in the water, digs in the sand with his hands, bangs shells together, tries to eat sand. He makes the most of each and every beach experience!

A friend told me to give him dark greens and an orange food every day so that he grows to like them both, so kale, broccoli, carrots, squash, and sweet potato are part of his daily diet. He squeals with delight when diced up bits of banana, tofu, avocado, or blueberry are dropped onto his tray. He loves to feed himself - just one of the ways he is showing us is independence. His army crawling is getting more and more speedy and efficient. One of these days soon, Cole will realize that it's a little less effort to get up on all fours and crawl rather than drag his lower extremities along the floor. Until then, dragging it is! 

He has become quite attached to Mom and Dad. Neither Jason nor I mind this a bit - how could we? When an adorable little human reaches for you or crawls lightening fast over to you because he wants you to pick him up, you feel very loved. My mom and stepfather have moved to Wilmington and are staying with us temporarily. I love that Cole will now be able to forge strong bonds with both of him, bonds he already has with my father, sister, and nephew. I feel so fortunate to have all of my family in one city. Luckily, Jason's family likes to come visit us and we travel to see them several times a year, so Cole will have close relationships with many special family members.