9 months

I say it with all my babies no matter how cliche it is, and I'll say it with this one as well. Derek, you have been out as long as you were in! You are nine months old now! You have the cutest little personality. You have this sweet little giggle, you love to come over to mom when I sit on the floor and just bury your head into me, I'm not sure why you do it, but I am going to think it's your way of saying you love me. You have two teeth now and you still love to eat! Sometimes you get a little testy with what we give you. You desperately want more finger foods and foods you can eat independently, but because you only have two teeth, our options are limited. I always know when it's been awhile since I've given you finger foods because you swat your baby food away until I give you something you can pick up and put in your mouth. After a few bites of that you are ready again for the baby food. It's been fun to watch how you communicate what you want.

You weight 16 lbs (7th percentile
You are in the 1st percentile for height
and 60th percentile for head circumference.

You might be little, but oh are you precious! The whole family adores you! Well, almost the whole family. Haley is pretty neutral when it comes to you, but we found out this month that she is fantastic at feeding you! She's so gentle and slow and you seem to love it! It's not really her favorite thing to do, but she likes being a helper, so she'll do it after a little coaxing. I hope you never lose your contagious smile and your easy going demeanor. We love you, Little Bear!

8 Months

Derek is such a happy boy. I've said it once and I'll say it over and over, this baby is so dang happy all the time! He is so patient and can so easily entertain himself! He really is what I prayed for with our third baby. He's growing all the time and he is exploring more and more. He LOVES food! He might be a little guy, but don't underestimate his appetite. That boy can eat! He sleeps really well, but he does like to get up with the sun, just like his sisters. He's crawling faster and faster all the time and he tries so hard to keep up with his sisters. Kinley still loves him and loves carrying him around and loves making him laugh. We love you cute boy!

7 Months

Derek is seven months old and is getting so wiggly! It's been so fun watching him grow. He loves watching Kinley and Haley run around. You can see in his eyes that he is chomping at the bit to try and keep up with them. He's learned to sit himself up and he is loving all the new foods he is trying. We're still working on getting him to pinch with his thumb and index finger, right now he grabs everything he can tries to put it all in his mouth at once. He is very much a boy and we love having him around.