Julian's Blueprint: 9 months

This little big guy is 9 months already and the life of our party at home. We love him so much. When he's excited he kicks his legs straight out in unison over and over like he's swimming and trying to keep afloat. He has found the volume button on his voice and will squawk reeeeeally loudly until he captures our full attention. He will usually calm right down if you offer a hand for holding or give him a big smile that lets him know you are right there. He's a bouncy guy, always jumping and bouncing in his high chair or anywhere, always moving those arms and legs. His bobble head is always bobbing back and forth. Speaking of moving, Julian is now doing a sort of a worm push-up crawl to launch himself forward and around. He's surprisingly fast, too! He has started investigating every nook and cranny of the house and can follow us from room to room to stay involved where the action is happening.
Julian loves to snuggle and can easily melt hearts by putting his head on your shoulder. When he wants to be held he will crawl to your feet and nuzzle his head into your shins or pat your feet with his hands. And when you finally pick him up he will give you nice pats on the back, as if to say "thanks dad!" or "you're doing a great job, mom!" I love receiving those little love pats every time I pick him up. He has such a sweet, soft and gentle side, this boy.
Julian loves his binky and can put it in his mouth all on his own now. This small and simple act saves mom and dad a lot of trips in to the nursery during the night. For bedtime, Mom nurses him to sleep while big sister and dad read books quietly in the other room. But sometimes he's not so sleepy and he and Bee giggle and chat themselves to sleep. Julian has almost slept through the night once or twice and mom is crossing her fingers that this becomes the new nightly norm.
This baby boy is certainly beautiful! His big blue eyes always attract comments when we are out in public and that full head of hair brings him a lot of attention too. I don't know if I'll ever be able to cut it ;). Julian would rather do pretty much anything other than be dressed. Getting clothes on this kid is like wrestling a piglet these days and he lets us know that he is not at all pleased with the situation. Gone are the days when he would lay still and play with an object while we change his diaper.
Julian has 4 teeth to date. However, he's still not a hug fan of eating solid foods. We are seeing some slight progress, but so far it's only a fluke when I get him to open up for a spoon. He does much better with tiny bits of whatever we are eating that he can feed himself. Julian is interested in balls and anything that moves, and music and rhythm. He loves peek-a-boo, splashing in the tub, swinging in the backyard, and being tickled by big sister on stroller rides. Julian is full of passion and puts his heart into everything he does. We couldn't be more proud to have him as our own.