Our little peanut is 9 months old! We just got back from Ryan's 9 month check up and found out that his "little peanut" nickname suits him quite well - he weighs 7 lbs, 10oz and is in the 6th percentile for weight! He is in the 33rd percentile for height though so he is still maintaining his "long and lean" body type. The doctor commented on what a steady growth pattern he is following...I'm pretty sure what she was getting at is that he's PERFECT!

How Ryan has managed to stay so slim is beyond me because he eats like there is no tomorrow! He eats solids 3 times a day and then snacks and snacks and snacks in between. It is amazing how much baby food we go through, and when we've served him a huge bowl full, that little mouth will still be wide open waiting for his next bite. He also likes EVERYTHING! I have never seen him turn down any type of food - vegetables, fruit, or meat purees are just gobbled down by our little guy. He also loves to self feed and has perfected that pincer grip as he eats bits of cheese, toast, pieces of meat, steamed veggies, and soft fruit. He must have inherited his daddy's fast metabolism because he should be huge the way he eats!

Ryan is still active and quite the busybody. His primary mode of transportation is doing the "army crawl" (that's daddy's boy!) by scooting himself flat on his belly. He started off very slow by crawling this way, but has really gotten pretty speedy. I had just commented about a week ago how he probably will never crawl the traditional way because he's so efficient this way, but of course, kids always have to prove their parents wrong, and he just started doing a traditional crawl on his hands and knees in the last few days (although he is not as fast this way so he still does his scoot when he's in a big hurry!). Ryan is also really into pulling himself up to a standing position. He tried to pull up on everything now - couches, ottomans, train tables (which is a great source of stress for his big brother), his activity table, open drawers, boxes, and really anything that is a few inches off the ground. He has started cruising while holding onto things a week or so ago. He is still pretty slow and unsteady, but give him another week, and I'm sure he'll be an expert!

If I would have written this entry a week ago, I would have said he was still pretty much the same physically - still bald and toothless (well, except for those two bottom teeth that have been hanging out in there by themselves for months!), but just a few days ago, Ryan woke up with FOUR teeth on the top. My poor baby! He had been a little fussy the day before, which is out of character for him, but when I saw his mouth the next morning it all made sense! His outer upper teeth seem to be coming in a little faster than the inner upper ones so it will be interesting to see what that sweet little smile will look like as they get farther down. I was thinking that he was teething at a much slower rate than Tyler did, but I guess he is trying to make up for lost time!

Ryan has really started babbling in the past month. His two favorite sounds were bababababa and mamamama. He was really into those for awhile into he found out something even cooler - he can make a really high pitched scream that gets him lots of attention! He has found that this shrill scream is appropriate in almost any situation - when he's hungry, happy, bored, tired, or just for fun when he's playing. He gets so proud of himself when he does his special scream and gets the happiest smile when he's done it. We are so happy to know our son has such healthy lungs:)! The other day, we were on a walk, and there was a couple in front of us walking their dog and out of nowhere, Ryan lets out his big scream, and the couple jumped, turned around, and said, "well, I guess he wants us out of his way!" We apologized for our bossy son and quickly passed them:) Today, the nurse in the immunization center put it best when she said, "Well, he has certainly found his voice, hasn't he?" What a cutie:)!

Ryan continues to be such a people person. He loves to flash smiles at loved ones or at strangers passing by (although, I have to say, when I walk into a room instead of smiling at me, he actually giggles with excitement...what a way to melt a Mommy's heart!). He has won over anyone lucky enough to spend time with him. One day, a young girl who had been watching him at church's nursery told us, "Ryan is the perfect baby. If every baby were like him, there would be a lot more babies in the world!" Ha ha! Of course, we have known that all along, but it's always nice to hear that other people think so too:)!

So, I have added new pictures to his 8 month album and written his 9 month journal entry. My next job is to get some new video of the little guy up for everyone to see! We got a new video camera a few months ago, and I haven't been able to get the videos to upload onto our computer, but I think I've FINALLY got it. Unfortunately, naptime is over so I'll have to work on getting them on his site in the next day or two!

Love,
Shawn & Danielle (proud parents of TWO boys!)