New tricks and more new tricks!

Well, it sounds like I might be talking about the family pet, but no ... it's our little 9 month old. I can barely keep up with all the changes he is going through right now.

One of the best (for me) is that since New Year's Eve he has only been waking up once a night (maybe he made his own resolution?). Thank heavens - I am really enjoying getting 4-6 hours of sleep straight at night.

What else has he been up to? Well, let's just say about everything! He had a well-child checkup and is at 19lbs. I guess he's slowed down a little in the height and weight department. As for his head size, Dr. Phillips said, "well, we know he's always had a big head." Which was funny to me because after Clara, John Michael seems to just have a "normal" sized head.

Two days ago, JM decided he should start pulling up on things other than his popcorn tin and activity table. Here's a shot of one of the things he chose:

And yes, that little hand is going bang, bang, bang on the top of the dollhouse! He was so funny after he got himself up there. He had been playing on the floor for almost an hour at this point, so he was really tired. He started getting upset, but was still standing up at the dollhouse. I went over to see what was the problem. Nothing seemed to be wrong, but his legs were looking shaky. I tried to get him to sit down, after prying his fingers free from the roof of the house (nothing wrong with that grip). Finally, I got him to sit down in front of the dollhouse, but he was still just as upset sitting down. So I stood him back up (on those shaky legs again). He stopped screaming, so I guess he was happier! He's very determined to stand for as long as he can. He doesn't really have to be doing anything, it's just like he wants to win the prize for the longest standing!

He surprised us that same day with another new trick. Gracie, Clara and I were reading a book on the couch and I guess John Michael was feeling a little left out on the floor. Suddenly there was a little fussing noise and then - Surprise! Two little blue eyes appeared over the edge of the coffee table. He was very proud of himself!

Finally, one last new pull-up trick. Yes, it's been a long time coming but he got frustrated enough at "nap" time the other day to finally stand up in his crib. Needless to say, it wasn't really much of a "nap."

I actually got some video of this next new thing, so enjoy!



And the last new thing .... will be posted tomorrow! Gracie is going to help me with it. She said she would type if I tell her the letters to use. I suggested maybe I could type & she could tell me what to say!