Dear Gibson,

You’ve been on the outside as long as your were on the inside! Congrats! And congrats to me and your father for keeping you alive. Phew. Seriously, you’re out to kill yourself it seems. You crawl EVERYWHERE. The cats run scared from you now.

You are beyond mobile. Though you don’t do the traditional hands-n-knees baby crawl, you don’t have to because you get around everywhere just fine. And I mean everywhere. The baby gates are used almost constantly now. I have to keep you out of the kitchen because you will overturn the cats water dish onto the floor, then throw yourself into the puddle you created and try to swim in it. Which is adorable, but changing you out of your wet clothes, into dry clothes, giving the cats more water and cleaning the floor before getting back to whatever it was I was doing before the event is quite a lot. So baby gates it is.

I also think you like the taste of the cats’ dry food. You sure seem to like putting it in your mouth. I wonder how much you’ve managed to actually consume when I wasn’t looking. Hopefully you won’t get some weird cat food disease. *sigh*

You eat solids everyday. But sometimes it seems like you get tired of chewing halfway through a meal. Even though you’re still hungry, you just decide that you’re done with this chewing thing. I try to avoid giving you a bottle when there’s real food to be had. But sometimes you just seem to want the bottle because it’s easier for you. I wish I could tell you that life will be easy and you can always take the easier path…but alas. Same goes for food. Though you did flip out for some broccoli with the tiniest bit of butter melted over it the other day. I got video. It’s adorable.

Speaking of adorable, you are now capable of letting me know that you want me around. Why you only seem to want me around at 9 PM, midnight and 3 AM is beyond me. You call for me in the darkness, and it’s heart-wrenching. But the worst part is after you’ve had a bottle and your diaper is changed, instead of rolling over to fall asleep, you raise your arms and call “mama, mama” for me to pick you up.

Now I can’t leave the bedroom after we’ve finished the necessities. You’ll just cry and howl. So after each feeding and changing, I have to take you to the chair with me and cuddle you back to sleep. Most of the time it only takes a couple of minutes, and you’re out like a light. But this morning you wouldn’t fall back asleep after your 3 AM bottle. I put you in bed with your father while I took my shower. An hour later, you finally went back to sleep. What are we going to do with you, baby boy?

Mommy and me swim classes continue. You seem very comfortable in the water now. You float on your back with your ears in the water without compliant. You like to sit on the edge of the pool and “jump” into the water with me. You are fine being submerged for a few seconds. You’re one of the most laid back kids in the class these days. I suppose six months of exposure helped with that. Can you actually swim? Not so much. But you are happy when we go to class, and you’re getting exercise. So is Mom for that matter.

In other news, your father reports that you’re enjoying Storytime at the library more and more. You’re starting to notice the pattern of the hour. You grasp the shakey eggs and bells during music time. And you’re starting to interact more with the other kids in the class. I know he’s right because I can see it when I’m home with you. You crawl right up to the toy basket and pull out whatever catches your eye. You will take things apart, and you’ve started using toys together.

Last night, you took your Sophie giraffe teether and another teether and tapped them together in your crib while we read our bedtime stories. (Because your two front teeth are still coming in.) You’re learning! You’re growing! And you’re a handful! You go for your nine month well baby visit this Friday. I bet you weigh 25 pounds. We’ll find out soon enough.

You turn 10 months next week and that is when you’ll meet your paternal grandmother for the first time. She’ll be spending your first Christmas with you! I don’t know who’s more excited about it. Just remember to call her Nana like we practiced.

Mommy’s Little Brawler