Elijah Cedar 8 and 9 Months

Somehow I managed to get 8 month photos, but never posted anything about how that month went, so I will just combine months eight and nine.

This stage is SO FUN! I cannot even describe how much laughter and joy this little boy brings me daily. He has the sweetest disposition (most of the time) and continues to make every lady giddy upon meeting him.

Over the past two months Elijah has gone from being a decent skootcher, to a full blown crazy crawling machine! He's conquered the stairs (under supervision), inspected every corner of the main floor, and has now discovered how to crawl extra fast when he knows mom or dad are going to close a door or take something away. He loves being outside and frequently gets excited when I open the backdoor while holding him. He also loves hanging out with Mom or Dad while they water the gardens, and most of the time he doesn't eat the dirt anymore. He just learned to wave goodbye, but has been able to clap for a couple weeks now (much to the squeals and admiration of his parents). He is also pulling himself up on just about everything, and almost as soon as he was doing that, he was testing out his balance and trying to stand on his own. He has managed a few times, just for only a couple seconds maximum. However I wouldn't be surprised to see him walking before his first birthday.
  Elijah is also eating a lot more solids now, his favourite being Cheerios. He brightens right up when you simply say the word.
   While Elijah is not consistently sleeping through the night yet, somehow we are managing to get more sleep (or becoming immune to tiredness). A completely new development is that he actually NAPS sometimes. Crazy, right? I feel like I might have a normal baby after all!
  Now that summer has hit (and hit hard) we are enjoying all sorts of water-related outings as a family, and Elijah is enjoying every one! This kid loves water, and has no fear of it being on his head or in his face. Hopefully if we continue to expose him to water, that will stick!
   Another love of Elijah's is music. He has a little "Happy Dance" he does when he is excited, where he sways back and forth grinning. He does this nearly every time music is on, and even when you just hum, or create a bit of a beat with something. He is also tall enough now to reach the keys on our piano, which he does regularly.  I am hoping he will have Daniel's musical gifts, and I may or may not have mentioned dance classes to Daniel.

A few Favorite things:
-Jenga blocks
-Wooden worm
-Cheerios
-Playing outside
-Chasing his ball around the house
-Sitting up in the shopping cart
-Food; we have yet to find something Elijah will not eat.