9 months old

Stephen is 9 months old today! It's so fun watching him grow and develop into a little boy. My favorites right now are hearing him laugh and having him reach for me. I love his hugs and kisses. Sometimes if I say "Give Mama a kiss," he will. He's still very much into putting everything in his mouth.
Stephen has always chewed on his fingers and thumb but was never really a thumb sucker...that changed a couple weeks ago. Now he is frequently seen with his thumb in his mouth. It does help him go to sleep at naptime. Instead of crying if he doesn't want to sleep, he just lays there sucking on his thumb until he goes to sleep.
He enjoys standing in front of the window and looking outside. Stephen loves sitting in the shopping cart; however, he has discovered that he can turn around and stand up (while buckled in!). This definitely makes our shopping experience a little more exciting. He can be a little chatterbox at times, but he isn't saying "mama" or "dada" yet. His favorite sound is "oh." When I weighed him yesterday, he was 18 lbs. 9 oz. I'm looking forward to watching my little monkey as he continues to grow and discover the world around him.

Stephen Joseph - 9 months old