My Baby Elias,

How is it possible that you are 9 months?  I know each month I begin my letter to you in the same way.  But it is just so true.  Every month I am surprised at how quickly time has passed and by how quickly you are growing and changing.  Every day with you brings something new. 

This month you have perfected the art of pulling up (at least on to things that do not fall easily) and are able to cruise along some furniture.  You are a very fast crawler.  I am often surprised at how you are able to keep up with Caleb while we are at "work."  I think you are able to somewhat begin to understand the word "no."  Everytime I say "no" to something you do, you start to cry.  You throw a tantrum anytime something is taken from you.

You have no new teeth to speak of, and I can't feel any that seem ready to appear soon.  You weigh in at about 18 pounds and are too squirmy to try to get an accurate height.

This month you are even more prone to dramatics.  You have your highs and your lows, rarely are you in the middle.  I have never, in all of my years of caring for children, seen a baby who hated being dressed, having his diaper changed, being fed, or basically anything necessary as much as you do. 

It has come to this:

Being Dressed
I take getting you dressed in stages.  First I wrestle with you until I am able to get your diaper "on."  Usually this requires an adjustment once we have allowed for a time out.  After getting your diaper on, I quickly sit you up and hand you whatever object is closest that isn't a toy, usually a bottle of lotion.  You seem to love lotion bottles...I am not really sure why.  Then I quickly lay you down again, with the bottle in hand and wrestle you into your clothing.  This usually involves another time out.  If there are multiple pieces of clothing, we take multiple time outs in the same fashion.

Diaper Changes
I have to brib you for you to even remotely cooperate at diaper changes.  I keep a tin full of "treats" next to the changing table and before I start, I give you a "treat."  I hate feeling like I am treating you like Fluke or Aaliyah, but there really is no other way.  Any toy I give you is instantly and angrily thrown to the floor or purposefully dropped behind the dresser that your changing pad sits on.   

Being Fed
Before setting you into your high chair, I dump a large quantity of crunkies on the tray.  I hate giving you crunkies.  I can't imagine they are good for you.  They are like cheetos....yuck.  But they are the ONLY thing that keeps you happy in your high chair (and even their power is starting to fade).  While you eat them, I sneek in bites of real food as best as I can.  Your favorite foods are yogurt and sweet potatoes. 

In spite of all of this, Elias you bring so much joy.  You have so many highs, too.  I have never heard a baby laugh as much as you do at certain things.  You love it when Collette, your cousin, plays with you.  You LOVE to chase the vacuum cleaner.  You love to kiss and snuggle.  You love splashing and making a huge mess during bath time.  You like to chase Caleb around the house and giggle as he crawls away from you.  You like to try to go out the doggy door with Fluke and Aaliyah and you burst into laugher when we are outside and you can see them fighting.

Who knows, maybe someday this will pay off.  Maybe someday I will be watching you in some amazing play on Broadway and I will think to myself, "that is why God created him that way!" Or maybe not...

With love.

Mommy