THE MERCIER FAMILY: Nine Months!

Nine Months old!! Mark has brought pure joy (and lots of tiresome days and nights) for nine months already! This past month was a month of milestones!

The biggest milestone (and I think it's safe to say now) is that Mark has been sleeping through the night for about 3 weeks!! We're talking 10-11 hours! We never thought we'd see this day. After being up every night a handful of times for 8 months straight, it's hard to imagine that he is suddenly sleeping so well. We had a couple really rough nights doing some sleep training (I think it was harder on me than Mark), but he finally realized that he doesn't need mom or dad to hold him all night to still sleep well. I think Jamie and I both miss our cuddles with him, but there is no question that we are enjoying the rest we're getting. Mark gives us plenty of cuddles and love during the day to make up for the ones we don't get at night anymore. It was definitely a well needed milestone and we are all much happier and feeling more energetic during the day. Besides, he really likes his crib now. He also takes two really great naps (usually) during the day! Way to go buddy!

Not only is Mark the world's fastest crawler, but he has become a champion "puller upper." Once he finds a piece of furniture and pulls himself up to standing position, he tries to climb onto the furniture. He's still a little too small to actually get up on things, but he did manage to crawl up onto the dishwasher yesterday. It was just the right height. I'd like to say he was trying to help, but pulling out the dirty silverware and sticking them into his mouth isn't exactly helping much.

He also really loves to play in Sierra's water and food bowl. We usually have to move it so he'll stay out. I remember Isabelle doing the exact same thing! Luckily we have the greatest dog who doesn't care for one second when Mark or Isabelle tries to get into her bowl as she eats. She just looks at them wondering why the heck they want dog food.

Isabelle doing the same as Mark at 10 months

The best thing about Mark is his constant smiling and the constant love he gives. We just can't get enough of him crawling as fast as he can to us, pulling up on our leg, and wrapping his arms around our neck when we pick him up. We will always cherish his hugs and all the slobber that gets smeared across our face as he shows his affection. He is the happiest, most loving baby ever!