Alexander at 9 months

Dear Alexander,

I can't believe how fast you've grown and changed in the past 9 months!  You are such a big boy!  Your well-baby stats: 26.11 lb. -- 31 inches long. -- head 18 3/4 inches. All off the chart.  I think that you're actually a little taller than that because last time we went to your ENT appt, they measured you on a fancier scale, and you measured 32 inches! 
You are wearing 24 months sized clothes and size 5 diapers day and night.  Everyone wants to know how old you are when we are out and about and comments on how pretty your blue eyes are.  If I could get a nickel for each comment, I could start you a nice college fund.  Maybe I should start carrying around a little collection jar?
I think you are a high-needs sleeper, like I am, which is a good thing.  You still take 2 or 3 naps a day.  If we are home, then you'll take 2 longer naps.  One in the morning and one in the afternoon is the usual pattern, but if we are gone all day, you'll take 3 shortish naps (45 mins. or so on the go) and then need to go to bed at about 7.
Today, for example, you took a nap the entire time your big sister Claire was at school (sleeping basically about 9:15-10:45), which is a good nap.  Then you slept from 2 pm - 5:45 when I decided to wake you up so you could nurse before I had leave for about an hour tonight. 
It's not uncommon for you to take a 3 or 4 hour nap, sometimes waking up about 30-60 minutes into your nap to nurse, then you go back to sleep.
At night you usually sleep from about 8 or 9 to about midnight or 1 when you wake up to nurse again.  Then you wake up around 4 to nurse again, but then usually sleep until you wake up for the morning at around 7:30 or so.  I tell people that you sleep through the night if they ask, because since you go right back to sleep, I consider it good enough!
As far as words go, you are quite a chatterbox, like your sister and Mommy! :)  You say all sorts of sounds like Mama, Dada, Pa, Ba, Ca, and Mah.
I have really enjoyed getting back into baby signs, and Claire totally digs them too.  You sign more when eating by roughly clapping your hands together and touch your mouth area when you want a drink.  I'm excited to see you progress in your language skills!
You drink quite well out of an open cup and were never offered a bottle, mainly because Mommy is too lazy to pump.  I hold the cup for you and you lean in and just take a little sip.  I'm thinking we won't do sippy cups unless we are on the go.  The dentist really looks down on sippies and hands out literature on how/why these are so bad for little teeth to have slow access to sugary drinks like juice all day.  So it's sippy boobs or water from a cup for you!
You love peek-a-boo and hand clap games like patty cake!  Sister loves to play these with you and tickle you as well.  You enjoy reading books with Claire and I and love to slap the pages and gnaw on the corners.
You are a great eater and love to eat food.  You have loved absolutely everything I've ever given you, but seem especially excited about meat!   We aren't doing baby food, because we waited until about 6 months (about 5 1/2 ish really).  You were ready!
You displayed all the signs of readiness!  You are so eager for the food and feed yourself quite well.  You have a great pincher grasp and can pick up little pieces of cereal like Kix and Cheerios quite well.  You also like to pick up little bits of cooked hamburger meat.
Of course you enjoy smearing food around on your tray, but you also eat most of the baby sized portions that I give you.  I usually have to cut you off.  You could easily be a baby who weans too early because you enjoy eating food so much!
Since I want you to nurse till at least the WHO (World Health Organization)  recommendation of 24 months, I am going to watch this!  Of course, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink, so we'll see where time takes us!
You also had ear tubes.  It was labeled as Eustachian tube dysfunction.  They did a quick outpatient procedure and all went good and well!  It was like nothing had happened!  You basically were totally healthy until Sept. when fall set in and started off during your baptism with a double ear infection, which you basically could not get rid of.  The ENT basically described it as just "bad luck!" 
You have 4 teeth!  The 2 tops and the 2 bottoms.  You were grinding them all the time when they first came in, but I'm glad that stage is over.  You also bit Mommy a few times while nursing, but everyone knows I'm way too cheap to every buy formula!  Besides, I won't stop holding you because you bite/nibble on my arm/hands, which you have done too.  I see it the same way.
Moving?  You are a big boy!  And you like to move!  You have been sitting good for quite some time.  I used to lay you on your back to play on the floor, and you would always roll onto your tummy to play right away since you were about 8 weeks old! 
Now I sit you up without even putting any pillows around you anymore, and have been doing so for about the past month or so.  You love to watch your sister run and play.  She is generally very kind by bringing you baby toys, which she now shuns, unless it's something new and interesting.  You are very patient and tolerant of all the love and affection she showers on you.
You love your Daddy and said DADA before MAMA!  Of course, Daddy would come home from work every day and would hold you and say, "SAY DADA!"  So his hard work paid off!  You also love to feel Daddy's stratchy face and it reminds me of the page in PAT THE BUNNY. :)
Your favorite toy seems to be this little piano with beads on the top.  I think you like it because it moves, and makes noise and lights up! :) 
Sometimes when Claire is not in the back seat and you and I are running errands, you seem fussier!  I think you miss having her in the back seat with you! :)
Favorite foods?  I think you really like taco meat, bananas, yogurt, and anything sweet.  Claire has fed you an MnM and Captain Crunch bites.   LOL!
We had your blood drawn at your well-baby the day before yesterday, and they already called with the results.  You are allergic to nothing!  Not at all of the basic food and seasonal allergies screen!  YAY!
Your hemoglobin was great, which they check at the 9 month visit.  You love meat, so that's good.
So back to moving, you can twist a great bit now, and have an awesome reach.  You aren't crawling yet, but you can scoot very slowly while sitting on your butt.  You can roll both ways now, but prefer sitting, and have even pulled yourself up a couple times.  You rock back and forth a lot while sitting.  I call this your "Rock and Roll" and I know before long you'll be pushing up on all fours and doing this because right now you've pushed yourself up a few times, and are doing a great job getting moving.
You are a very laid back baby, and have no separation anxiety yet.  You let others hold you in group settings like at church. 
Anyways, that's all about you at 9 month!  We call you our little buddy boy and we love you so much! :)
Love, Mommy