Max celebrated his 9 month old birthday last week by taking an extra-long walk in his carriage, which he enjoyed, and by visiting his doctor this morning. He is 21 lbs 3.4 oz and 29 3/4 in. which puts him in the 70th percentile for weight and 75-80th percentile for height. So, he remains a well-proportioned, big boy. His diet will change a lot in the next few months. He started dairy today. He had a whole milk yogurt that he thought was quite delicious (it was VERY creamy). And, we'll continue to introduce various dairy and then meats into his diet. Also, he'll move away from the jars of baby food. He enjoys eating with his hands so this should be fun, but messy. His two top teeth are coming in well now and he loves to chomp on hard bagels, toast, etc. He claps regularly and if we're lucky will even pucker up and kiss. He loves to walk (with assistance from a person or furniture) and can stand for a second or two on his own (but when he realizes what he's doing he gets so excited he falls down - generally on his well-padded tusch). He is saying mama and dada and seems to know what they mean now - while Eric was gone he'd go to Eric's side of the bed and say "dada". Max is also becoming a bit more emotional - he'll cry when he falls, he'll get upset when you take something away from him, and he is beginning to be a bit more clingy to us. Eric and I are amazed by his accomplishments, even when we learn they are average for his age; we marvel over how much he's learned these past 9 months. We are probably most excited watching Max play. There are moments when he is so incredibly happy that he breaks out into a smile, claps his hands and starts to shreik in delight - it's simply marvelous to watch. We took him to the zoo the other day where he was enthralled with a roaring lion and enjoyed his first carousel ride. He went to the park this weekend. There, besides swinging on the swing and sliding (with complete assistance) on the slide, he insisted on walking on the raised platforms with the other (older) children and spinning a steering wheel. (Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of these things.) Also, yesterday Max went to his friend, Sophie Steinberg's first birthday party. He enjoyed playing with her balloons and toys. I'm not sure he realized that it was Sophie who was the center of attention. We miss you all and hope to see you soon.

Love, Cheryl & Eric