Derek at 9 Months

This is such a fun age. Derek is such a little charmer! He's a very happy baby, most of the time, and loves to smile, play peek-a-boo, and laugh. He's quite the performer and loves the attention he attracts. I took him to my work Christmas party and he would hold up his hands and growl, wait for everyone to laugh, and then repeat.

He has another tooth coming in. It hasn't cut yet but it will any day now.

He hasn't taken any more steps on his own yet. He seems a bit tentative now after that first attempt where he fell forward. He cruises around using the furniture though.

He pulls himself up to standing. He loves to go to the piano, reach up, and play.

He stands by himself for short periods of time. I expect him to take off running soon.

He says Mama and Dada with intention. I also think he says "nanana" for nurse and "nononono" for no. He babbles a lot, loves to sing, growl, and yell. He's a very vocal boy. It's adorable.

He's very wiggly and active. He jumps. He looks at his cousins running around and you can see the envy in his eyes. He wants, so badly, to run around with them! He recognizes people and gets excited to see his family and friends. What a precious feeling that is, to see how excited he gets to see me.

I think he's just the cutest. Having him in our family is such a blessing.