The big news at 9 months?  Josiah is walking! 

It is the sweetest thing ever to see him toddling about.  He loves for us to clap and cheer for him as he takes more and more steps.  Of course, I know that my life is about to get infinitely more complicated as walking = chasing. 

He has eight teeth and two more are trying to make an appearance!  Loves to eat.  Likes most everything we feed him.  He is easy to please.

Still does not sleep through the night. What in the honking world?  If you are old enough to have "advanced maternal age" on your OB medical chart, you should not be pulling all-nighters. 

It kills you to see them grow up.  But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. - Unknown

Edited to add:  21lbs and 11oz.  29.5 inches.

Has mastered crawling.  Pulls self up to standing and coasts around furniture.  Has stood alone momentarily.

Five teeth with three more on the way!  Ouch.  He has been our earliest teether.  The girls didn't have their first tooth until nine months.

He enjoys eating.  Likes most everything he tries.  Gerber puffs and yogurt bites are now a staple.

Sleeps through the night more than he doesn't.  We'll have a couple good nights and then a bad night.  Teething may be to blame. 

The kids are moving all their belongings to higher ground.  Look out world, Josiah is mobile!

Reaching new heights here. 

Baby proofing has begun.

In other news, we're also sleeping through the night.  It's uh-mazing what a night's sleep will do for you. 

Love Pinterest!  I'm committed to actually trying some of the things I pin each month.  The theme of this edition of "pinning and doing" is parenting.

You've got to check this one out!  This mom traced her children's hands, chose a special bible verse to pray over them, and laminated it.  She keeps them in her bible as tangible reminders to pray.  LOVE LOVE LOVE!  Working on this for my kids. 

This is so fun!  We have done several of the things on her list as service projects for our family.  You'll for sure be inspired!

This is just a great series to read!  Gives us lots to think about and kinda reinforces the things we already do as parents. 

I saw all these photos on pinterest of babies taking bubble baths outside.  They made the most precious pics and seeing how I have a baby I thought I'd recreate the scene and insert my babe. 

My bright idea:

The Chief is wondering if I have any more "bright ideas". 

P.S. This kids loves the water.  Hates the bubbles. 

20 lbs and 27 inches

(What a chubster!)

Rolls, scoots, and semi-crawls anywhere he wants to go.  Starting to pull up and stand while holding onto something. 

He is our only blue/green eye baby (taking after daddy).  Three siblings have very dark brown eyes (like momma) and one has hazel eyes (like grandfather). 

He has three teeth with one more trying hard to make an appearance. 

Likes eating but not baby food.  If he is going to eat a banana, he doesn't want it from a jar.  He wants the real thing! 

Waves bye-bye.  

His favorite toy is his little rubber baseball.

On average he sleeps five to six hours without waking at night.  What a relief after nursing him every three hours around the clock!  He slept a whopping eight hours last night!  Woot!  Woot!  We're getting there, baby! 

Happy 1/2 birthday sweet boy! 

There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep. 
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

...different flowers from the same garden.  ~Author Unknown

This is my baby (named after my dad):

This is my dad as a baby:

Namesake look-alikes.

Growing and changing so fast.

More sitting, more jabbering, more teething (two teeth, so far)...

Crawls/scoots in reverse.  Baby can't get it in drive.  Yet.

Pics in the grass means grass in the mouth. 

Boy, n.:  a noise with dirt on it.