9 months

i'm almost 2 weeks late (eep!) but before it's too late..

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dear asher,

happy 9 months, my beautiful boy.

this post has been on my mind for some time now. 9 months is big. big for you but also so, so big for me. as of this month, you have been outside in the world as long as you were inside of me (woah, that is either a really grammatically incorrect sentence or just plain confusing.) for 9 months, it was just the two of us! you were growing, developing and being formed by the very Hands of our creator. before the world met you, I knew you. only me. what an amazing honor and privilege to be a mama: every hiccup episode, every stretch and turn, every uncomfortable corner -- I was there and it was just you and me. 

for the last 9 months or so, the rest of the world got the sweet pleasure of getting to know you, too! you are such a fun and happy little guy. 

at 9 months, you love to eat practically everything (especially meat, noodles, zucchini and papayas). you drink your water out of a straw (we have altogether given up on the bottle!) you crawl around on all fours, stand yourself up and love to climb and can balance standing up though you love to fall into my arms! you are a total ham and such a little jokester. you love to play pick-a-boo and pop out from behind the couch or the table. you hate, hate, hate the vacuum cleaner (you cry in terror and cling onto me like a baby koala - i love it!) and elevators and the sound of the magic bullet, too. you can give high fives and learned how to do the korean "jem jem" baby trick. you've been in the thick of 8-10 month sleep regression (hello 20-30 minute naps!) which is why it took me so long to write this blog post. you love it when daddy comes home and give him the biggest smiles. you poop in the bathtub (*sob*) but i'm thankful that you're not constipated anymore. you still love to sleep with your lovey aka swaddle blankets tied with a hairtie! and you still love going outside. you get really happy when we go grocery shopping but your favorite shops are target and costco (esp for the samples!). you have 3.5 teeth (your top tooth is HUGE by the way.) you love to crawl while holding something in your mouth. you are a squirmy worm and it is so. hard. to change your diaper and clothes! you wave and smile at strangers and only have stranger anxiety when you are tired or immediately after a nap! by habit, you immediately fold your hands to pray after our bedtime book and it makes me so happy! you are growing and changing so much and so fast. I wish time would pause!

there is not a single day that goes by that my heart does not burst with love for you. I am so, so grateful every single day for the amazing blessing God has given to us in you. I feel so, so lucky to be your mama. things are not always easy. daddy is really busy in this season of life, working so hard for us! I haul you around everywhere and sometimes force you to skip your naps or keep you out hours past your bedtime because of my work schedule or church events. but you are such a trooper and so good to me! I thank God for you every day. 

you are definitely becoming your own little person. 

you are starting to cause trouble and disobey (i.e. why do you love touching the outlets and chewing on powercords?!) mama needs lots of wisdom and guidance from the Lord to teach me how to raise you up in a way that is honoring to Him! I know you don't know what a "newb" is yet, but it basically means I have no idea what I'm doing! but in the Bible, God tells us that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) so I am clinging to Him to teach me as I go. 

I know there are gonna be so many times I will mess up and fall short. but please be patient with me! I'm praying that as I seek to love and honor Christ with my own life, that it would overflow to the way I raise you and that you would come to see the hope and joy that can only come from knowing Him as your Savior. the world is scary. and life is hard! but God is faithful and sovereign and good. I hope and pray that you would come to see that at an early age so that we can learn and grow and persevere in this life together.

I love you, son. Cheers to many more happy, healthy, fun and chaotic months.

xoxo,

mama