Nine Months

Our little man turned nine months old today. We celebrated with a walk at the lake and lots of good family time. Rutherford is now able to pull himself up onto the coffee table, chairs, the sofa, etc. It's a little scary as he's super wobbly and sort of just falls over once he's done it, but man does it make it seem like walking is just around the corner.

We've noticed R is very attentive when it comes to affection. When Ned and I hug or give each even just a quick peck, R is watching us closely. It's morphed into a part of our nighttime routine: Ned settles into the glider with R's bottle, and I deliver a freshly pajama-ed and moisturized baby into his lap. Before the bottle, Ned and I give each other a few kisses, then we both kiss Rutherford and tell him how much we love him. He seems to be getting the hang of it and enjoying it more each night.

I love that he's learning to be sweet by watching us. I try really hard to stay in the moment with R, not to focus too much on the "Oh, I can't wait for this to happen," etc., as all of "this" is actually happening right now and I want to appreciate who and what he is at this moment - but man, when that little boy starts passing out hugs and kisses I don't think I'll be able to stand the cuteness, it might just kill me.