Life with 3 little boys ages 4 and under = absolute insanity. Unfortunately for the littlest Ritchie brother, that means that my monthly blog updates have slowly evolved into quarterly updates. I'm sorry baby boy. I really am. Maybe if you and your brothers could 1) all nap at the same time 2) cook your own dinner and 3) do your own laundry, I might have a little more time to get these done on time! ;)
So while it may be late, here's a little bit about YOU, sweet Brooks...in a quarterly update covering 7, 8, and 9 months!
A month ago I dragged you and your two big brothers to the doctors office after a little "mishap" on our backyard playset (more on that another day.) While we were waiting for x-rays (ugh, boys) one of the nurses turned to me and asked "is he ALWAYS this happy!?" My answer, without hesitation, was YES. You are THE happiest baby. Always quick with a smile. Content as can be. And such a trooper when you get dragged from here to there...swimming lessons, t-ball games, Costco runs...you name it!
{7 months}
Sleep has been a touchy subject in our house these past few months, but I think that we're finally making some headway. You go down for the night around 7:00PM and generally sleep until around 5:30-6:30AM before waking for a bottle. For months we battled your internal alarm clock (hello, 4:00AM) so the added sleep time feels pretty amazing. Maybe for our 10 month update we could shoot for a 12 hour night??
At the 8 month mark you were still a very unreliable sitter and preferred to be sprawled out on the floor more than anything else. A lot has changed in the past month, however. You are a rock-solid sitter and are a master army crawler. You move from point A to point B with relative ease and are SO quick! When you started crawling I told your daddy "Most of me is excited for him, but a part of me is saying "Oh, shit. What are we going to do now!?"" Needless to say, chasing around a crazy 4 year old, a 3 year old in a walking boot, and a newly mobile, curious 9 month old has kept us on our toes!
{8 months}
You know only one volume when it comes to talking - LOUD. We've been working hard on Ma-Ma and Da-Da, but you prefer to shout Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba and screech at the top of your lungs more than anything else. Whatever it takes to be heard in this crazy house, I suppose!
Much like your brothers before you, you LOVE to eat. Your diet consists mainly of formula and baby food, but we recently started adding in "big kid food" like bananas, steamed broccoli, hamburger and chicken. You're a big, big fan.
At some point in the last month or so you hit a HUGE growth spurt. Your cheeks (and thighs) filled out and you're officially wearing sizes that correspond with/surpass your age. You're rocking 9 month pjs, 12 month onesies, and size 3 diapers.
Nothing makes me happier than watching the relationship between you and your brothers grow. They know just how to make you laugh, rush to your side when you are sad, smother you with kisses and fight over whose turn it is to fart (aka blow raspberries) on your belly. We frequently hear your giggles coming from your rear-facing carseat as they sing and make silly faces at you from the back row. Your smile when you see them is one of the best. For real.
{9 Months}
Odds and Ends: That red hair of yours. Oh my. You are bound be a feisty one. You had your first swimming pool experience and absolutely LOVED it. That smile of yours? It is the spitting image of your big sister's. And speaking of smiles, the ones that you give first thing in the morning are the absolute sweetest. You love to jump, jump, jump....whether your in your jumper or just being held. You find it, you eat it. Its a dangerous game you like to play. You love to snuggle up with your blue nigh-night at bedtime and are definitely a tummy sleeper. You love to clap those chubby little hands of yours. <3 span="">
Sweet, sweet Brooks...our baby days with you are passing much too quickly. You're learning new things every day, and I can only imagine that you'll running around with H and Maxo before we know it. These posts are the perfect reminder that we need to enjoy these days (as chaotic as they may be) while they last! We love you like crazy and can't wait to see what the next month (or 3) brings!
