9 months old!

It seems like the days are zipping by. It's already October, and we've already our turkey day. It's hard to believe that our little Quinn-meister is already 9 months old!
He's got six teeth that are quite sharp, and an infectious grin. When he does laugh, it's quite the riot. In the last two weeks, he's figured out how to clap his hands and watch everyone around mimic his actions. He will grunt and growl and smile when it's repeated by another. It's like a whole conversation - cave man style - as he answers back in a Gremlin-sounding grunt.
Having abandoned the army crawl for the traditional hands and knees method, there is no nook or cranny Quinn hasn't discovered in this house. The other day, he got stuck between the wall and the entertainment stand. He's also quick to find a toilet whose seat isn't down and covering the bowl. Water fun! Unrolling the toilet paper is also entertaining. If there's ever silence in the home, the bathroom is the first place to look for Quinn.
His legs are getting stronger every day. With that, comes grabbing onto Mommy's pants and holding on as she washes the dishes or is preparing a meal. Yesterday, I managed to prepare a batch of banana muffins with Quinn attached to my legs. He's learned that Mommy wears a certain shade of nail polish, and that's how he distinguishes between Mommy and Auntie Grace when all he sees are legs encased in black.
Of all our kids, Quinn has the most adventurous palate. Or perhaps it's the wisdom and experience of having three other picky eaters that makes me push all sorts of flavors and textures onto (or is into) him. At nine months, he's starting to refuse mushy foods, and prefers feeding himself. So, he's a fan of steamed broccoli to the utter amazement of his older siblings. Ceilidh is particular, is suspicious of anything in the vegetable family with the one exception of cucumbers. He loves to feed himself tiny bites of chicken nuggets, pan fried fish, waffles, strawberries and of course, the penultimate favorite - cheerios. He had a Thanksgiving feast of turkey, roasted squash and mashed potatoes. He wasn't keen on the steamed carrots though.  He will allow to be spoon fed yogurt, pureed fruits and his favorite dessert - ice cream. Dessert time is ice cream   with Daddy. His tongue darts out and saliva starts dripping the moment he sees the bowl in front of his father. Pavlov's dog?
At nine months, it's getting harder and harder to change his diaper without having him roll over the second his back touches the ground. Trying to change a poopy cloth diaper and fasten a clean one one around a wriggling baby is no walk in the park. It should be a task for the Navy SEALS.
We spent Thanksgiving weekend at the cottage. It was chilly, and sleeping with Quinn and Aisling kept me warm all night. I didn't need an alarm clock either. Why is it that kids will wake up at the crack of dawn on a holiday or weekend, but be dead to the world on a school day morning? Quinn too. He woke me up by blowing raspberries into my face and giggling at my disgruntled reaction. At 7:30 in the morning!

Of course, with every passing day, I am reminded that my return to work is also fast approaching. In trying to enjoy every last second of my hiatus from the office, I've decided to indulge in the luxury of an afternoon nap with Quinn. Snuggling his slumbering body into me, I love to breathe in his sweet baby scent and gently kiss his fingers and tiny nose. As we both relax on the couch, I try to memorize every detail so I'll have something to reflect on when I'm back at work and missing my Quinn desperately.