Nine months have passed since Eko's birth, which means that his time spent outside the womb is now equal to his time within. In only nine months, he's grown from a 7lbs. 6oz. wrinkly and fragile baby into a 21ish lb. semi-independent little boy. Every day he builds upon the progress he made the day before and every month he seems to have developed into an entirely new creature.Last month we were excited to see Eko crawling for the first time, prompting us to start baby proofing. We gated the stairs and moved everything low to higher ground. Eko now happily roams the entire first floor in relative safety. It's such a delight to watch him crawl around the circle,
disappearing through one doorway and reappearing around the staircase again, slowed down only by his fascination with the baseboard heater (very resonant), the paint tape on the floor (it's like a taggie), the cat door... okay, anything round, shiny, rainbowy, or made with nylon strapping slows him down... but he eventually makes his way back to the living room again. We thought our hands were full keeping him away from wires and the various only-visible-to-the-baby-eye items on the floor... But then, while playing on the bathroom floor, he reached his little hands up onto the bathtub and pulled himself into a standing position. With this new skill achieved, he now tries to pull himself up on everything, even the crib.
Yes, the crib. Recognizing that Eko has reached a certain degree of independence, we decided now would be a good time to begin his peaceful transition to his own bed and eventually his own room. Since his birth, Eko has slept in our queen-sized bed with us, and for the first many months Jade could not imagine parting with him at night. But as he's metamorphosed into more of his own little person, she's felt herself take a step back, physically and energetically. It feels very natural and a lot safer for him to sleep in his own space.
We had been using a co-sleeper for naps, but since he began crawling (often in his sleep) the nest of pillows barricading him on the bed had become ridiculous to rebuild for each nap. We've had a crib for him all along, so we moved it into our room and to our astonishment, his first crib nap lasted two hours. He seems to view it as just another place to sleep. We even wonder if he's a little relieved to be on that spacious, cool mattress. He's adjusted so well to it that we've already had to move the mattress down—he quickly learned it was a great climbing wall. After a nighttime routine of bath, massage, and book, we're still rocking and nursing him to sleep and then easing him into the crib, and he's usually back in the big bed with us an hour after we go to sleep, but baby steps. Helping him learn to fall asleep in the crib and stay there longer is the next adventure. Still, he's consistently getting either two long naps or three shorter naps and around 11 hours at night, but his new teeth have definitely shaken up his routine. 
but with so much physical development going on at once it's only natural that he experience bouts of frustration and fussiness, but these moments are in the minority.Eko has also been extra sweet this month. Some days he's all smiles and wild laughter... especially when he's playing outside. Over Momorial Day weekend, while Oma and Grandpa were visiting, we set up our screened-in tent to create a shaded play space on our deck for him.
Even though we put down quilts and carpets, Eko would continuously crawl to an edge and fixate on the deck's peeling paint. He's also splashed around in his kiddie pool while our resident bulfrog Rupert croaks in the distance, hiked Black Mt. for the second time, and ridden around in his new Chariot (courtesy of Graham and Lee). Eko loves being outside so much he's often upset to come back in. 
Our teething, crawling, standing boy has also been adding new sounds to his repertoire. Wawa eventually turned into dada (which could mean mean "daddy," "Sasha," or something else entirely) and soon after he began saying ba-mama-mama. He'll also just blurt out "da" or "ma" on their own. When he's not mama-ing or dada-ing, he's mainly giggling, which can now be triggered with diabolical laughter or even staring. Our little happy guy has also just begun to see books as something to sit and enjoy rather than just gnaw on. It makes our book-loving hearts sing to see him get so excited about his farm animal book, and even crawl over to his book shelf to "choose" a few before bedtime.
No big trips this month, but we did bring Eko to Manchester, NH, to meet Jess and Scott's newborn girl, Sierra. And in anticipation of this year's TogetherFest, we visited the Path of Life Sculpture Garden in Windsor, VT, which we first wandered when Jade was pregnant. After all the rain we've experienced, the grounds were a little soggy for crawling, but we picnicked at the site representing Sorrow (and made it a little happier), swung for a while in the hammock at shady Respite, and ended with a trek through the hedge maze that represents Adventure. Afterward, we grabbed some local ice cream and a ginger wheat beer from Harpoon next door. 
Eko, now a master glass-sipper, was upset not to be offered a taste of the golden water in that pretty glass.Just a few days ago, Eko came down with his first fever. He's obviously uncomfortable, acting lethargic and moaning a lot, but at the same time he's the sweetest little thing. He's still so easy to make giggle (a little deliriously—Miss Piggy cracks hm up!) and just wants to be held all the time, which we accept willingly. The fever also causes him to wake up a lot throughout the night.
We're all a little dazed during the day, but he's already perking up and returning to his usual cheerful, adventurous self.And so we wrap up nine months of sharing our lives with this incredible little being we call Kokopelli, Ekopotomus, and Doodle Bug. Don't be surprised if our next post begins, "let the walking begin." It's just amazing how much he learns and grows in such a short amount of time, but we continuously resist the urge to claim "it goes so fast." The fact is, it just never stops changing... nor would we ever want it to. Would we ever put down a book because we had just read a particularly well written chapter? No... we continue to consume the rest of the book and await the author's next one. Just because the moment changes doesn't mean it's gone, which is what this blog is all about.
Our advice to all parents and parents-to-be, revel in the experience and don't lament the passing of time. At the end of every moment is another one just waiting to be experienced. Keep this in mind when you find yourself saying, "the summer went fast" or "before you know it, they're in college."
Revel.
