We had another fun-filled day! David started it off by playing with his cousins. First, inside and then after his first nap they played outside in the warm sunshine.

Then, Daddy came to Ma and Big Daddy's house after deer hunting at our family farm in Alabama all weekend. He brought his 4-wheeler and took David for a ride.

Finally, tonight we celebrated David's Aunt Laureen's birthday. I know David's not in this picture, but I just love it and had to share.

David jumped in the picture, but was so happy and wiggly he blocked out his aunt!

What a fun afternoon we had today!! The weather was absolutely beautiful- sunny and 65 degrees!

We started our fun off with a wagon ride around, and around, and around Ma and Big Daddy's house. David absolutely loves to ride in this wagon. He reclines back and props his arms up on the rails like he has been doing it for years. He loved listening to the various birds call, looking for the airplanes overhead, and always keeping tabs on Bogie, who was walking with us.

Then we played in the warm, soft grass. David crawled so much he had grass stains, albeit very slight, on the knees of his jeans. He tried to eat the grass and an occasional leaf, but reconsidered each time when told, "No, no".

Finally, David woke up from his afternoon nap to find that his cousins, Ricky and Cate, came over to play and spend the night. He was very happy to see them! They all took turns riding with Big Daddy on his old Ford tractor. This tractor looks much different from the big, blue one at our farm, so David let the big kids go first so he could see how to do it. Then, it was his turn:

The weather was perfect this afternoon for a quick photo shoot with David, and sometimes Bogie.

David loves to kick his feet. Mostly it's when he's happy, but he also does it when he gets angry, usually because he's been told something is off limits. Also, he has started pointing. But, not in the most traditional fashion. He uses his whole hand(s), palm up, and raises it up in the direction of the object. I was lucky to get both of these funny, little quirks in the same video! Here he is sitting on some boxes (yes! he has tons of toys and yet finds the non-toys are the best toys) kicking his feet and pointing at the pictures on the wall behind me.

9 Months Old!

I can't believe my little baby boy is 9 months old today! Time continues to fly by faster and faster each day it seems. He is such a happy boy and always on the move...

He is learning how to "cruise" the furniture:

Thankfully (for both of us) it didn't take David long to figure out how to sit on the floor from a standing position without bumping his head. As I mentioned in a previous post, for a short time, David was having difficulty perfecting his dismount. It was so traumatic for the two of us that I jokingly wondered if they make helmets for babies. Well, I received a catalog in the mail today and on the very last page there it was- The Baby/Toddler Helmet. We won't be needing that.

Over the last few days David started doing a very strange, new trick that I have found hard to explain. He moves his mouth to make a popping sound with his lips. It looks like he's talking, but there's no sound coming out! It is so funny and cracks me up every time!

David's latest trick is giving "five". Just stick out your hand and he will give you lots of them. Here he is with his Big Daddy earlier today.

Today David attended his cousin Cate's ballet recital. This wasn't his first, but the first one that I was worried about how to keep him entertained the entire time. But, he was such a good boy the whole time! We were able to sit in our seat through Cate's dance, which was about half way through the program. We then made our way to the back of the auditorium for the remainder of the show. This was not because he was acting up, but just for a change of scenery and perhaps to head off any unhappiness that might erupt. He never fussed or complained or wanted to get down and crawl. He had a great time listening to the music, occasionally watching the dancers, and wondering why everyone would start clapping all of a sudden.

Cate did a wonderful job in her program. David gave her some flowers, a little, stuffed puppy dog, and a special note which he signed (with a little help from Mama).

Sitting with Cate on her special day.

He sure does love both of his big cousins!

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days.....

Today started out with a fun visit from David's Great Aunt Rhonda. He had a wonderful time showing her all his new tricks since she saw him a month ago. They had such a good time, David was looking for her for about 30 minutes after she left!

Then, tonight during bath time it happened- David's first, real, blood-drawing accident. He loves to pull up on the side of the tub and touch my hands with his wet hands. He has done it many, many times and never has difficulty with it. But, this time his legs were getting tired and gave out on his way up. He slipped and bumped his chin on the side. His teeth went into his upper gums. I immediately pulled him out, wrapped his towel around him, and consoled him as best I could. I have never seen him cry the way he did tonight. It broke my heart. There was blood coming out of his mouth. He was still screaming as I quickly located the Tylenol. The medicine dropper helped distract him from his injury long enough to get some of the pain killer in his mouth. He slowly stopped crying and eventually was able to get back in the tub to finish his bath.
We snuggled extra long as I put him to sleep tonight. It brought comfort to both of us.

We aren't sure why, but, this is how David reacts every time he watches the video of himself playing the turkey call. We've tried showing him other videos of himself, but he doesn't act the same way as he does here. SO cute!

The sunshine has finally returned and melted most of the snow. This afternoon, David sat in the front yard just playing with, and sometimes eating, the leaves and grass. He had a wonderful time! Bogie came to see what all the excitement was about shortly after. David was enjoying himself so much there was almost nothing I could do to get a picture of him looking up. This is the only one:

The weather was so nice, the four of us went for a walk around the neighborhood this evening. David just loved being outside, in the fresh air.

In preparation for turkey season, Ryan taught David how to use a turkey call today. He seems to be a natural:

Here's how David said, "Night, night" to Bogie tonight. It doesn't get any sweeter!

David is pulling up on everything now- the coffee table, the couch, his toy box, his Around We Go in the kitchen, Bogie's toy basket, the dinning room chairs... While the pulling up is easy for him, the getting back down is taking some time to learn. Most of the time he looks down at the floor between his legs and just stares. Eventually, more times than not, his legs give out and he falls to the floor bumping his head on the way down. Then, to add insult to injury (literally!), he falls backwards hitting the back of his head on the floor. Today I found myself wondering if they make a helmet for 8 1/2 month olds! I just don't know how much more of the head bumping I can take. David is a strong boy, though. He isn't fazed by most of bumps and tumbles. But, when they hurt, they HURT bad! He cries and it breaks my heart. I know it will only be a matter of time before he's got it all figured out. But for goodness sakes, I hope it gets here soon for the safety of his head and my heart.

Ever since the snow began to fall four days ago, we have been snowed in. But, you wouldn't know that unless you looked out the window. David has been having the best time playing around the house and, at times, being a bit mischievous. He spent a lot of time in the kitchen, today, crawling through the cabinet in our island.

(he closed the door on himself)

We did actually make it outside today for a quick trip to the grocery store. Ryan drove us, because I was too afraid to drive alone. There were still several slick, icy spots on the roads! I was very happy once we made it back home safe and sound.

Since we have baby-proofed the 1st floor, David is having a great time exploring every inch. There are just a number of things he is learning are off limits. One of them is Bogie's feeder. David located it today and enjoyed dipping his hands in the water bowl and checking to make sure Bogie ate all his food. Note the yellow spoon at his feet. David was delighted with himself as he crawled around with the spoon in one hand. But, when he discovered Bogie's bowls the spoon was old news.

After these pictures were taken, however, the fun ended. Much to his disappointment, David is no longer allowed to play with Bogie's feeder.

He is into everything and MUST be watched at all times. He has no fear and everything is a game.

He loves to look out the window into the backyard now that Bogie showed him how. Today, he watched as little birds searched for food in the snow and he was engrossed with the whole event.

More Snow

At about 10pm last night it started snowing- a lot! We woke up this morning to 5 1/2 inches of the fluffy, white stuff covering everything! So, we bundled up, much like the last time, and headed outside.

Ready for the snow:

Excited to be outside, for now:

Ma and Big Daddy gave us the sled my brother and I used growing up. Unfortunately, after the snow finished this morning it started sleeting. The snow wasn't great for sledding because it had a thick layer of ice on top. But, that was okay. Instead we took a few very cute picture of David sitting on the sled.

Then, Ryan gently pulled David through the snow while he sat on the sled. He liked it for a while. But, I think the cold started getting to him even though he had on three layers. It was cold! And soon it was time to go in and defrost by the fire.

Bogie had a great time in the snow with us. He acts like a little puppy even if we just get a dusting.

Annie, our goat, on the other hand doesn't share Bogie's sentiments. She greatly dislikes any kind of precipitation and it shows. She didn't come out of her house all day:

There it is!! With help from Ryan, I finally got a picture of David's first tooth. It's quite an adjustment to see a little tooth in his sweet grin now. He likes to feel his two new teeth with his fingers every now and then, but mostly he doesn't pay them any mind.