BWE-9 months

• You are crawling!  A lot!  All over the place!  It has been fabulous for you, Daddy, and Mommy.  You are so much happier and you can get where you want to go, like under the table, to the front door, and wherever Mommy and Daddy are.  Right now, we are loving it mostly because you are much less fussy.  Here's to no more getting stuck on your tummy in the middle of the floor and flailing your arms and legs!  

• You have four teeth now: 2 on top and 2 on the bottom.  You are enjoying lots of solid food these days, like green beans, rice, broccoli, bread, potatoes, sweet potatoes, Cheerios, pears, and carrots.  You even had some nibbles from Mommy's waffle fries at Chick-fil-A yesterday.  Maybe this is normal, but you would rather have real people food or really smooth baby food, but don't even think about giving you that textured baby food.  You become very tight-lipped when that stuff comes toward you on a spoon.

•  You don't really care for any kid shows unless you are really sleepy (because that is the only time you are still) with one exception: the Fresh Beat Band.  Thank you Burleys for introducing us to this show!  We downloaded 2 episodes on Itunes and for 20 minutes two times a day, you are totally still and will not take your eyes off the laptop screen.  I usually let you watch right after or before a meal.  I leave you with your finger foods and I can get some dishes washed, clothes folded, and sometimes I just sit down and watch with you.  You really love the songs and sometimes you will just look up at me and grin from ear to ear.  You also swing your head back and forth, wave one arm over your head, and clap.  
• 

We are loving this phase of you.  You are so expressive with your face and we are really seeing your personality come out.  You can play with us or by yourself for extended periods of time, and you enjoying playing with the simplest items.  When I fold clothes on the floor, you love to help me take everything out of the basket and then you play with the hangers.  You also love boxes and Kleenex.  If I really need to make a phone call, I hand you a paper napkin and you go to town shredding it.  You give Mommy and Daddy hugs, kisses, and pats on the back.  I know when you are tired because you will crawl right over to me, reach up to be held, and you will lay your head down on my shoulder.

We love you more every day and as always, our greatest desire is to teach you about Jesus and for the Holy Spirit to work in your heart so that one day you will make the decision to become a child of God.

Our life...in bullets

I saw that someone else did a list of what's going and I thought, well I should do that too!

Here goes:

• Beck is crawling!  It happened overnight...literally.  He has been on the verge for a long time.  I have a friend who is a physical therapist.  She worked with him in the nursery last Wednesday and told me what to do and Saturday night, he crawled.  I am so excited because it has made him so much happier during the day.  He's not moving fast, but he can get where he wants to get and that's all that matters.  
• I rearranged the den to give Beck more room and I'm loving the arrangement.  Everything has a place and it's not in the middle of where we need to walk.  We have an open floor plan and we bought sectional to help separate some spaces.  Well I swung that sucker around and now we are back top openness.  Beck doesn't freak out when I go to the kitchen because he can see me and I can get so much more done!
• We are still working to get our licensing completed for DSS.  We had a class last Saturday (all.day.long) and we have another one this Saturday (all.day.long).  Thankfully, last Saturday we ended the day with a family dinner at Gigi's house (Jeff's mom) and this Saturday we have a family dinner at Mimi and Poppie's house (my parents).  
• Speaking of DSS/fostering stuff, we are now the proud owners of 2 cribs.  Infertile Myrtle me has 2 cribs!!!  Who would have thunk it! 
• We have been celebrating birthdays like crazy.  Shout-outs to Carrie (AC), Alex, Emily, Jason and Camryn.  We love you ladies and gent!
• And finally, Beck is also doing the following things: clapping and swinging his head back and forth (think Stevie Wonder) to music; sometimes he will even throw his hand in the ay-er (and wave it from here to thay-er); he will hold his bottle until he gets sleepy and then he needs to play with his hair; he has FOUR teeth-two on top and two on the bottom. I am thoroughly enjoying this age.  He plays so well with or without me, but my favorite thing is still when he first wakes up in the morning and I get him out of his crib.  He still lays his sweet little head full of curls up on my shoulder and squeezes the backs of my arms.