9 Months Old!!!

Yes, Mr. James is 9 months old today! Long gone are the days when he would sit and pose for a picture! I thought my new camera was perfect, but the slow shutter speed is making these "posed" shots much more difficult to attain! After several outtakes, I finally had to call in backup, aka "Dad." I truly could not have captured any of James AND the sign without extra hands! For those of you moms out there doing it solo, I salute you!

So, it seems that these were the best shots I could get! Boy, that child is fast! You can see the look of pure joy as he quickly tries to escape the confinement of sitting on a bed.

Nine Months Update:
James is a whopping 22.4 pounds! I'm not sure how tall he is. But I weighed him on our digital scale at home!
He eats a hearty three "squares" a day. His new favs are mashed avocado with banana and yogurt mixed with some tahini
He still has only two bottom teeth. But he does a very good job "chewing" with those!
This was a week of firsts...
He ate his first grilled cheese on Monday. After staring at the pieces for a good ten minutes and carefully watching me eat my own grilled cheese (while making grandiose UHHMMMMM faces), he ventured out and tried his own. It didn't take long for him to enjoy the cheesey, buttery goodness! Don't worry, I used non-salted, organic butter and cheese on whole grain bread!
He also took his first dip in the pool this week. We started out sitting on the side and dangling our feet in. Then, he stood on the first step. He really liked it and wanted to splash around in it. So, I think this weekend will be our first "real" dip in the pool.
He likes to shake his head "no." Only it doesn't necessarily mean that he's done eating or doesn't want something. I think he just likes the way it feels!
He is getting very brave when it comes to standing. He often pulls up on an object and does the one-handed hold for balance and occasionally does the NO hand hold. Consequently, several tumbles and tears have followed. Luckily, no major bruising (yet.)

It's hard to believe that nine whole months have gone by....
Being a full time mommy is a hard, rewarding, exhausting, overwhelming, gratifying, indescribable, fulfilling responsibility that leaves me worn out at the end of day. But, I wouldn't trade it for anything! For all you other Supermoms out there (you know who you are), I know you feel the same way!