9 Months!

(Required comments: It is going so fast! This month has been so much fun!  Each month gets better than the last!)

Drew,

Holy moly, this month has been great.  Let's take it by some big categories, shall we?

Food- you are eating more and more big kid food.  It's probably a little late to start, but I'm just now getting confident enough that I'm not going to have to do the Heimlich with every goldfish.  You are eating lots of Gerber baby finger foods ("junk food"), Cheerios, gold fish, cut up fruit, veggies, string cheese, and even some chicken.  You have really started "chewing" (even though you still have just the two bottom teeth).  You seem to be phasing out of baby food--you just aren't interested if you can't put it in your mouth yourself.  You can do the "pincher" grasp, but sometimes you get so eager to get the food in your mouth you will just grab entire handfuls at once.

Movement- You LOVE being mobile!  If anyone picks you up it takes about 15 seconds before you start squirming to be put down.  You can pull up on everything, and have started to cruise some.  Doors and drawers are your most favorite, though you smash your fingers in both pretty frequently.  You will push anything that is on wheels, including your high chair.  And I feel for the person who helps you walk by holding your hands- you can do that for hours and throw MASSIVE fits whenever someone stops.

Sleep- You still sleep quite a bit, but you keep waking up way too early.  I'm not sure what you think you should do at 5:30AM, but apparently you feel like you need to get up and be productive.  I think it has something to do with being mobile and thinking that sounds more fun than going back to sleep.

Bath time- You are now a bath-a-day type of guy, mostly because the crawling allows you to get in the dirtiest of places in our house and you end up covered in dog hair.  You do seem to really like the bath these days, especially since you can pull up on the side of the tub. 
Favorite toys- You are very into toy cars and balls right now- I think because both move and give you something to crawl after.  I finally put in your ball pit for the time being, but I know it will make a return visit soon.  You have also really gotten into looking for things that go away.  I can often find you face down, searching for a missing ball or car under a piece of furniture.

And Sophie continues to be the very best thing you could ever have asked for.  As your dad said earlier this month, "they truly act like siblings."  Sometimes we will watch Sophie walk past you and very deliberately knock into you with her hip.  And you've been known to pull on her ears.  But you guys are just as likely to share a bone or a toy for a game of tug.  Sophie is always in your room when you go to bed and usually has her head over the tub during bath time.

Personality- You have the cutest little personality.  You are 100% independent.  You have never had any problem going to/staying with other people.  You will play quietly in your room for quite a while (although we are now getting to a spot where too much silence means you are probably chewing on electrical cables or something).  You have NO FEAR in the least as evidenced by the way you pull up on things and then just let go or crawl off the stairs.  If you don't like something, you don't hesitate to throw a fit to tell us that.  You talk and sing at volumes that increase daily.  Your dad and I like to congratulate each other on what a cute kid we made.  We love you.

Drew, you are the sunshine in our world.  Happy 9 months, buddy.

Love,
Mom and Dad