9 Months

Dear Benjamin,

You are 9 months old now, and what a big month you have had!

You have gained 2 lbs, making you 19 lbs, 12 oz (45%)

and you are 30' 4" in height, 95% buddy!

Those stats are especially great to hear because of how I have had to start supplementing with formula, after every feeding now. It has been a big change for me, since I never gave Bekah formula, but I have a feeling you resemble your daddy more than your sister, in the eating department, and I just can't keep up!

So, I nurse you 3 times a day, 6, 10:30 and 2:30. I give you 4-6 oz after the 10:30 time and the 2:30 time. It was this month that you dropped the 5ish nursing time and went to 4 times a day.

You eat breakfast around 8ish, lunch around 12ish, and dinner around 5:30. At 7, I give you an 8 oz bottle. It was a hard decision, whether or not I should drop that last feeding, but I never had much by the end of the day anyways, and nursing, making a bottle, making dinner, giving a bath, bedtime routine, all of that, during our last month in Houston, while packing, saying goodbye and traveling, just felt like too much, so I dropped it and you were all too happy to take that 8 oz bottle!

Washing bottles all day long though, that's a change! But Bekah likes giving you a bottle sometimes, as well as anyone else around, which is a sweet way to bond with others, especially since you are a mama's boy these days!

You nap at 8:30 and then, at 12:30, and sometimes go for a 3rd nap, but we are "in transition" there, and I can see ( happily!) that your 3rd nap will soon a thing of the past, freeing us all up in the afternoons to do things and play!

One of my favorite things about you is the way you are so wide in your cheeks and the lower part of your sweet face, it reminds me so much of your daddy! When you make this expression, I just melt!

And yay, I got it on camera!

This month has involved alot of movement, like pulling up on things! You think you are so cool!

You love to play peek a boo, and anything done with a silly voice and lots of smiles is sooo much fun for you!

Here you are in your crib, and as I said, you are getting closer to just having 2 naps. And up until this month, soothing yourself and needing that passy really has made sleeping tricky for you. But it was this month, around the 15th, that it sort of all feel into place and I can totally just "drop you off" in your crib and you scrunch up your sleep sack, pull it up to your face, turn over on your side, and you happily sooth yourself to sleep! ( with the passy of course!) My daddy and I think it is AMAZING of you to do this! We hardly ever have to help you sleep anymore, and for anyone who has had to listen to me "vent" about this, they know, it's been a long time comin! : )

 

Solids are just as fun as ever, and because of the move, I have been giving you a good variety of store bought baby food, which you have really enjoyed!

It's been really fun too, to hear you make new sounds, like

googoo and gaga!

Here are your two teeth, getting bigger!

You are still a very good player like your sister,

and speaking of Bekah, she likes to arrange pillows around you , just in case you fall over : ).

Very sweet of her : ).

It was a busy month for you , and you had to be quite flexible, with the packing, moving, celebrating and all the visitors! You did great Benjamin and I appreciate how easy to please you are and how just how darn happy you make us all, despite the stressful time of moving and saying goodbye!

Everyone wanted to make sure they spent some time with you before we moved away, like MayMay and Grandpa. Even Charlie, since we would be leaving him behind with them.

We did move this month, but even more important than that, it was your Baptism month!

With all our out of town trips, daddy's busy work schedule and our move coming up, it was looking bleary, whether or not, there would be a Sunday for us to have you baptised! But our prayers were answered when we were told that Father's Day would be the next Baptsim Day at our church!

Pretty perfect if I do say so myself!

You were your usually laid back and very interested self up there, even pulling at daddy's sleeve part of the time, to get his attention. Don't blame you, it was Father's Day!

We were so happy to have him baptised at a church that we have truly fallen in love with. I wish we could stay there forever, and watch our kids grow up in such an amazing Christ centered community. Having such an important day take place at Christ the King was certainly very special to us, for many, many reasons!

My dear friend Courtney gave me the great advice to try to remember to live in the moment of that beautiful day, and I am happy to say, I really did enjoy myself and wasn't caught up in the busyness of it all! Thanks again Courtney for those wise words!

The verse we chose for you:

"Finally brothers, whatever is  true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things."

Phillipians 4:8

Love the way he is looking up at our pastor, as if to say, "Why'd you just do that buddy?" He didn't get upset, but he seemed to want "some answers!"

How blessed we were to have the support of our family,  both sides were represented!

Uncle Jeff, Aunt Rani, Grandpa, Gramommy, MayMay and

even Aunt Sarah flew in from St Louis, they love you so much Benjamin!

And speaking of the sweetest thing!

Your Godparents, Mikey and Kristen Seamans, came in for the big day as well!

I honestly couldn't believe that they made the drive for you, but then again, they are just that great, I am not surprised that they would be so unbelievably supportive!

After the church service, we came back to the house for lunch.

Fun times with the Seamans, once again!

Isn't Connor the cutest? I overheard someone at church referring to someone as their "god brother" and I realized, Connor is your godbrother, since his parents are your Godparents!

Bekah had more fun playing with Ava, and continually asks to play with this lovely friend of hers, even all the way up here in Indy. All those times with Ava towards the end of our time in Texas really impacted their friendship, which makes me so happy!

Benjamin, you sure are blessed to have such a great guy  to look up to in life!

 

Us Burkharts sure do love your Godparents!

Thank you Ms Vaughanie for all your prayers, we feel 'em!

Thank you also Kati, Uncle Jeff and Aunt Rani for being an important part of Benjamin's day!

Two prayer warriors, Gramommy and Aunt Sarah, we thank you as well!

Grandpa and MayMay, I couldn't ask for more supportive and loving parents!

You got to spend alot of time with your Aunt Sarah, a whole week, wow!

Can't get enough of these sweet baby boys!

After his nap, I tried to get pics of Benjamin in his baptism outfit, but I am not Rebekah L. : ), so they could have turned out better . . .

Sweetness!

We also got to celebrate Father's Day with everyone there!

Grandpa reading his card:

Bekah, helping you open some of your presents, it's so fun to be the big sister sometimes!

Here is the cross she picked out for you ( and your friend Simon too!)

Daddy appreciated the card Bekah picked out from the both of you for Father's Day. When you are old enough, I am sure you will have a say on what "kind" of card it is!

Lucky for you ( and daddy!) she does like the color blue, so it worked out for daddy and the gift she chose for him!

Benjamin was touched that his friends Margaret, Henry and Simon made him a card for his Baptism as well! Thank you friends!

And since  I am so late with this post ( you turned 9 months on the 4th of July!), I can say here, that you started attempting to crawl around the 20th or so, and by the time we moved up here, you were sliding around backwards all over your new place, which in just a few days, turned into crawling!

But I will save that for your 10 month post, since it wasn't official until then!

I always say, it's humorous to me, how much time I spend, thinking about how much I love you Benjamin! I am smitten with you and still can't believe that God gave us the honor and absolute privaledge of being your parents! Nothing like being a parent to make you see His glory, and then, to depend on Him to get you through a parent's days of worry, adventure, and joy! 

Love you dear boy!

Mama