3/4 of a year old!!

Daniel was 9-months-old on the 16th of July, and he is growing up so fast! Right around the time he turned 8 months, he started doing several things that he had been wanting desperately to do.

At 7 months he learned how to go from a lying to sitting position. He was very happy about that because it meant he no longer had to deal with the frustration of flopping onto his stomach to reach a toy and then not being able to get back up!

Soon afterward, he began working hard at crawling. He would get one leg under him and sort of push off, then he would pull with one arm while pushing with one foot (a sort-of modified army crawl). It didn't get him very far very quickly, and that often frustrated him.

About a week after Daniel turned 8 months, he started really crawling. It was slow at first, but he gained momentum rapidly, and now he quickly crawls all over the place. Yes, now we are in trouble. =) Rebekah is hard-pressed to keep him out of her things, and Nathan and I have to keep a close eye-out to make sure he doesn't get himself into dangerous situations. Daniel, however, is absolutely loving his newfound mobility!

Daniel with "Aunty Meghan," a fellow MK

Around the time he started crawling, Daniel also began pulling up on furniture, etc. Now he is beginning to cruise, and is testing different ways of getting back down on the ground once he has pulled himself up! He also pulls up in his pack 'n play immediately after we put him down. That has been a challenge because during our travels, Daniel almost always sleeps in the same room with us. If he stands up and sees us, he will never go to sleep!

He has been clapping and giving high-fives for a couple of months now, and gets a big kick out of both of those. He also waves hi/bye when the mood strikes him (or if someone waves to him long enough)! I'm pretty sure that he also gives kisses at times too, although it's still a little hard to tell whether he's actually being affectionate or just slobbering. =)

Kisses for cousin Ethan!

Thanks to Cheerioes, Daniel has mastered his pincer grasp, and has gotten really good at helping those Cheerioes find their way into his mouth. =) He loves food, and seems antsy to eat whatever we are eating at a given time - whether it is suitable for him at this point or not!

Daniel has his four front teeth now, but those don't allow for much chewing! He loves his baby food though, and will just about eat as much as I let him have. He's eating all sorts of cereals, fruits and vegetables now. For the most part, he likes whatever I give him. He did seem to have a bit of an allergic reaction to beets though - they gave him a bad diaper rash, so we'll leave beets alone for awhile.

Tea time with Rebekah and Aunty Deepa

Horray for ice cream!

Along with Daniel's physical developments, it is fun to watch him develop mentally as well.

We mentioned in a previous post that we are teaching him baby sign language and that he has begun using the sign for "more." He will do that fairly consistently now, and will also make the sign for "please" on occasion.

Daniel enjoys books almost as much as his sister. One of his favorite "car toys" is a cloth book that crinkles and is chewable. A great thing for a 9-month-old! Often when I am reading to Rebekah, he will come over just because he wants to be with us. I'll pull him onto my lap, and he will sit and listen to the story, looking at the pictures while I read.

Daniel makes lots of different sounds, but the only thing that might be a word so far is "dada." However, he watches our mouths closely. You should see the concentration on his little face! If we emphasize a word to him or repeat a word a couple of times, he will try to form his mouth to make the beginning sound of the word. He really wants to communicate! I'm sure it won't be too long....

Daniel is at a wonderfully fun stage of life, but it is also a stage where we must start disciplining him. Never a fun thing, but necessary. Now that he is crawling, he is learning what his boundaries are - what he can touch and what he can't; where he can go and where he can't, etc. And now that he can pull up in his bed, he is learning that he has to stay lying down when we put him to bed - especially since our whole family usually shares a room when we are traveling. If he stands up and sees us, he will never go to sleep! It's amazing how quickly a few light slaps on the hand can teach a crawler where his limits are!

Exploring the contents of the duffel bag