Nine months! Wow...

Amazing. C is nine months old today.

This past month, he has started crawling on his hands and knees, and pulling himself up and standing up to furniture-- sometimes even with just one hand!

Something tells me he could be taking his first steps by the end of the year...sooo not ready for that...

We had to buy an artificial Christmas tree this year instead of our usual live tree. I was just too worried about C trying to eat the pine needles on the floor and me not being able to keep up with keeping the carpet pine-needle-free. We also have the tree up on the boys' folding toddler table so C can't reach the branches.

Oh, C has also figured out how to climb up stairs and delights in trying to climb up to the podium at church.

He traveled really well a couple weeks ago when we traveled for Thanksgiving; only had a hard time two or three times when he was sleepy and wanted to be held but we had to keep driving so eventually he would stop crying and fall asleep in his carseat.

I've noticed, with this one, that he doesn't get nearly as hysterical as either of his older brothers when he has to cry it out; he's figured out the self-soothing much better and much earlier than my other boys. I still typically will hold him at night until he falls asleep; but there have been several nights where we'll just lay him between us in the bed and he'll just make soothing noises to himself and drift off to sleep.

The only time he gets really mad at bedtime is when he thinks he wants to stay up and play even though I can tell he's sleepy; but I will hug him to my chest and pin his arms down and he'll carry on for up to five minutes but eventually relax, make noises, and finally sleep. He stays asleep much better this way than if I let him nurse to sleep; if he nurses to sleep, he's awake and fussing again within the hour and then I will hold him to my chest until he falls sleep again.

He is still the happiest baby I know. I call him my "little ray of sunshine." I think even his brothers are cheered up by his smiles and laughter whenever they're having a bad day. Definitely glad we decided to go for Baby #3 sooner rather than later, since we got so lucky :)