9 Months...

I must admit...sitting here thinking about Samuel's 9 month update is somewhat bittersweet. It's so fun seeing all the changes in our little man, but almost sad seeing how fast time is passing us by! I mean, seriously...How is it that we're just 3 short months away from a birthday party for our little miracle?! I can't believe our little man is 9 months old already...

With turning 9 months old, Samuel made sure to add a little excitement into the mix. Not only did he get to enjoy a visit with his Oma and Opa, but he also got to experience his very first visit to the ER at 3am. What started out as teething symptoms -- he has four teeth cutting all at once right now -- resulted in a double ear infection and sore throat. The poor kid! Of course, being the loving child that he is, he made sure to share it with us. Ha. James and I both ended up spending the week becoming best friends with Tylenol Flu while Sam recovered. Good times.

Aside from a little illness though, Samuel has been his normal, happy, crazy self. As of his 9 month check up, he's in the 60th percentile in both height and weight (20lb 4oz, 28 3/4 in) and is exactly where he should be developmentally. He is now exploring the world of cut up veggies, peek-a-boo, and many attempts at walking. Samuel apparently has the squirrel-like ability to store food in his cheeks, as we keep finding cut up cooked carrots in random places hours after dinner. Perhaps in the coming days, he will find interest in not only chewing on the veggies, but also swallowing them rather than storing them. Ha.

The best update of all is that we're on day two of successfully sleeping all night in the crib! I can't remember if I've talked about it before, but ever since our visit to Indy over Christmas break, Samuel has absolutely REFUSED to sleep in his crib. He was a champion with it before Christmas, but for whatever reason, that all changed when we arrived back in town. You would think we were putting him in prison -- or a bed of broken glass and nails -- with the way he would react the second we laid him in his bed. All of that resulted in nearly three months of co-sleeping, but hopefully that has officially ended! Don't get me wrong, I think we have all enjoyed our little stint of co-sleeping, but it made getting Sam to nap a bit more difficult and overall, I feel more comfortable with him in his bed. So here's to teeth marks on the wooden crib (since with becoming more comfortable with his crib, he has also found joy in sharpening his teeth on the wood) and a peaceful sleep for all.

With that being said, here are a few pictures from the last week at the Moore house...

Our little hoodlum trying to steal the Wii sensor bar...

Quality time with Oma...

Telling Opa a story...

One proud papa...

Who would've thought he was as sick as he was at this time -- just hours before our trip to the ER...

Yep...he definitely has Opa's ears...

The poor baby. What a rough night!

Oh, and don't let these photos deceive you. He may look content here with his new helmet, but let me tell you...the whole neighborhood heard him screaming when we attempted our first bike ride! Mr. Drama King, I tell you! :)

In the midst of all of Sam's toys, there's sweet Obadiah. I forgot to mention that he made sure not to feel excluded, as he took a trip to the puppy ER over the weekend, too! The poor boy scared the crap out of me when we found a lump the size of two tennis balls in his neck last Friday night! After thinking the worst, it turned out to (just) be a bad abscess that required a little minor surgery and antibiotics. Thank goodness! So Oba and Sam have both been on Amoxicillin over the last week...

And last, but not least...Samuel's 9 month chair pictures...

Getting a picture of him sitting nicely in the center of the chair is a thing of the past. Now it's standing on, or behind, or over the side, etc...

I love this sweet little boy of ours! He brings so much joy to our family -- so many smiles, laughs, and sounds with each new day. I absolutely love it!