Nine Months Old

Holy cow. Seriously. Nine freakin' months old. And now, especially with the cooler weather, it feels like just last night I was sleepless because I had a baby that was waking up in the night...wait a minute--that really WAS last night! It seems Aiden has caught just a touch of the flu that is ravaging his daddy right now (we REALLY hope you get well soon, Mike--I miss my husband and he's only on the couch!), evidenced by sleepless nights, dry diapers, and no appetite. It got to the point that I took him to his pediatrician today, who told me that whatever he has isn't all that harsh (Aiden has no fever and is still in his unshakable good mood) and that we should watch him closely over the weekend, and then we'd re-evaluate at his 9-month check-up on Monday. Please note that the aforementioned illness is the direct cause of his rosy cheeks and lack of smiles in the photos!

A few things about Aiden at 9 months:
--He's 16.8 pounds--that's only a one-pound gain in the past three months! Dr. Brown calmed my fears a bit though and assured me that babies generally slow their growth during this period, so I shouldn't be concerned--especially since he's healthy and happy. And long and lean.
--Something Aunt Abby has discovered is that this kid has ticklish knees. It's hilarious! If you lightly touch them, he starts smiling and contorting to get away from you. I think his toes are even worse, though, because when I come at him ready to do "This Little Piggy," I can't even get the first sentence out anymore before he squirms away.
--Aiden is really starting to develop some speech patterns. He says "dadadadadada" when he's pissed off, "mamamamama" when he's whining, and says "Heh!" (I think it's his version of "Hi" or "Hey") to get your attention. Cracks me up every time.
--He is an old pro at clapping now; you just need to say "Pattycake," and out pops that goofy grin while he clasps his hands together.
--One of my favorite developments is that Aiden now "kisses" me. He'll stop what he's doing, smile broadly, and then lean forward and touch his face to mine; he either aims with his forehead, nose, or mouth. Doesn't matter to me--I know what he's trying to do! :)
--He's still fighting me on a couple of things--crawling, drinking from a sippy cup, and drinking anything other than formula. I'm not being pushy, though; he'll get there when he gets there.
--Aiden is now the proud owner of two bottom teeth! Dr. Brown, after his exam today, said the top ones should make an appearance any time now :)

Well, I could go into all the other issues that have plagued the Cotter household this week, but honestly, I'm tired of it and putting it behind me. Just know it has to do with more sickness, a leaking hot water tank, and WAY TOO MUCH TO DO at work. But it will all calm down soon...just in time for Christmas! I do want to thank those of you out there (and you know who you are) for your words of support; I really do appreciate them even if at the time you say them, I try to bite your head off.