Dear Austin,

Look at how long you are!  Your feet are hanging off of the lion mat with your long and muscular legs haha.

At 8 months, we really started feeding you more solids and at first it seemed like you had an aversion to some foods.  You weren’t a huge fan of the bananas or avocados which was so baffling because Mommy and Daddy love those foods.  You got to see your first College football games and I’m sorry but you may just be conflicted your whole life over which team to root for since Mommy is a Wolverines fan (Go blue!) and Daddy is a Buckeye fan (eww)!  You had your first experiences at the park where Ah Ma and Mommy would take you down the slide with us and you thought that was fun.

You also had another play date with your precious girlfriend, Aspen where you got a little touchy feely with her and both liked sticking your tongues out at each other.  When you are older though, the ladies might not like that but since you are just a baby, it’s OK for now.  Auntie Lynnly came to visit you this month too!

At 9 months and 39 weeks, you really started becoming super mobile.  You have nailed down the army crawl (can’t do all fours yet) and just love going everywhere.  You love crawling from the living room to the kitchen and from your bedroom to the bathroom.

We got rid of the small car seat that used to sit on top on your stroller and now you use a stroller for walks.  We also got you a bigger carseat that you will be using for years to come.  At your 9 month checkup you were almost 20 pounds and about 28 3/4 inches.  That was a good Dr visit since you didn’t have to get any shots.  And oh yea, two little white spots are forming in the bottom middle of your gums.  You haven’t showed true signs of teething yet except waking up in the middle of the night a few times but we do fear the worst is about to come…

This month you were sad to say goodbye to Ah Ma and Ah Gong but you will be seeing them again in November!

After they left, Auntie Theresa came to visit you for a few days and you had a lot of fun playing with her!  You also participated in Mommy’s IRLO Mashup Competition hosted by Tico and Tina (go Team Laundromat).

Lastly, one of your new favorite buddies is Kimochi Charles Cheever c/o Hullabalu!  You love that he’s a great size to grab at and has a little pocket that fits little toys with feelings (you like playing peek a boo with them).  You want people to know that if they want some unique stuffed animals for a little one in their lives, they should really check out the site.  😉  We can’t wait to see you grow up with him!

Lao Lao is back now and you warmed back up to her pretty quickly.  Up and to this point, we had been rocking you to sleep for naptime and bedtime.  But when Lao Lao came back we made a decision to sleep train you and stick to it this time (we tried at 6 months but it didn’t really work).  When we first started, we’d put you down and you’d cry and cry for about 30-40 minutes and it would break Mommy’s heart.  But in the end, I knew it was for the better.  Each day we did it you cried for a shorter and shorter amount of time and after about 2 weeks we are proud to say that you can put yourself to sleep!  All you need is your Spencer blankie and you can talk yourself to sleep in a matter of minutes without crying! Now, I have to say, I kind of miss rocking you, but I know it’s for the better.

We also did a 9 month family photo session that Mommy will be sharing soon.  We just have a few more weeks until we take you on your first flight (outside of my belly).  We’re both anxious and nervous to show you the rest of the world!

Love,
Mommy