9 Months.

Rylie,

OH. MY. GOODNESS. Today, you are nine months old.

You have changed so much in the past month. Actually, you’ve even managed to drastically change in the last week. The days of laying you in the middle of the living room floor, walking away for a brief minute, and returning to find you in the exact same spot, are gone! You are extremely active and keep mommy and daddy going at all times. You haven’t really mastered perfect crawling yet, but you scoot on your stomach and can even go from your belly to a sitting position and back down again. We are constantly saying, “Where’s Rylie?” And when we peek around the corner, you are confidently sitting by yourself in some corner or quickly scooting yourself across the living room, in attempts to complete your next conquest…which usually includes chasing after Griffey’s girlfriend. Yesterday, I walked in the house to find you and daddy playing peek-a-boo! Apparently, you scooted over to the window and hid behind the drape. Daddy said that you, all of a sudden, started pulling the drape back and forth and each time, you had a new look of excitement all over your face…such fun you and daddy were having! I laughed and found tears welling up in my eyes. You are such a happy baby and that makes me so proud.

Basically, the only thing standing between you and complete mobility is learning to walk. And I have a feeling that you may learn before you even turn one year old. You often stick your booty straight in the air and stand with your feet and hands planted firmly on the ground. It’s quite amusing! And because you are already pulling yourself up to a standing position, we had to move your mattress down a level. Just last night, I watched you pull yourself up by the rail of your crib, purposely drop your binkus on the floor, and lean as far over as possible to see where it went. And after picking my jaw up off the floor, I couldn’t help but laugh. And that made you laugh. And then we laughed together. And then…you started bouncing up and down. And it was then that I realized that the mattress must go down another level.

For some strange reason, it has become quite the hassle to feed and change you. You used to contently lie on the changing table and patiently wait until mommy was finished changing your diaper and dressing you. But no…that is not the case anymore! YouMustGetUpNOW! No time for this. No waiting. Period! You have better things to do. Like play with spatulas and random pieces of Tupperware. And dinner time has turned into at least a ten minute ordeal because you are most amused by how many things you can grab around you and stick in your mouth while at the same time, attempting to still get a spoonful of a veggie or fruit- leaving quite the mess for mommy to pick up later. But regardless of how much extra effort it takes for me and daddy to get you fed, you’re still very much adored!

Rylie, you simply melt my heart. And as I will continue to grow more in love with you every single day, you will continue to grow and change and get older. And I promise…I’m okay with that. I look forward to the days when you can run in our room and climb into bed with us, or when you can tell me stories about your awesome day, when you and I can get manicures and pedicures together, and when we can make cookies together for the Holidays…oh, what great times we have to look forward to!

I can't wait...

Love,
Mommy