In the days leading up to Niko turning nine months old, I found myself nostalgic. I had so much fun looking back at the past nine months of pictures, as well as memories from when Alexander was this same age. I had a big laugh when I read the blog celebrating Alexander turning nine months old. In so many ways, I could change the names and simply re-post it for Nikolai. Two peas in a pod, these boys!
These two have officially bonded! Zoey has finally decided it is worth coming out of retirement and take up her position as Nanny to another baby. She now gets very excited when Nikolai wakes up and always lets me know if he needs something. This may have something to do with the increased amount of finger foods Nikolai drops, erh... I mean, eats, these days
It is hard to get a decent picture of this guy...I cannot believe I am saying this, but I think he has slightly more energy than Alexander did at this age!
His smile and his giggle are absolutely infectious! He has such a happy soul. As when he was an infant, even when he is truly upset, he will still crack a smile if tickled, hugged, or catches a big smile on your face. He loves silly noises and makes a lot of them himself. He gets a huge kick out of raspberries blown in his neck folds...silly guy
He seems so big! He is in 18 months pajamas and mostly 12 month clothes, but still in size 3 diapers
Niko has been blessed with the most involved big brother. Alexander loves including Nikolai in his play and is always watching out for him.
Niko loves pulling himself to standing and crawling all over the place. Like his brother, he figured out immediately how to fall to his bottom once in a standing position, so we never had to worry about him getting 'stuck.'
He learned how to roll the ball back and forth very quickly!
Also like Alexander, when Niko first started crawling, he dropped his waving and other hand actions (he signs 'milk' and is learning to high-five), but after a few days, these skills have started to come back. He is my little parade baby, waving to anyone who looks his way. He gets super excited when he first sees his people, and the energy behind his wave really shows!
We have to keep an eye on him. Alexander knocked the baby gate down, and when we turned around, Nikolai had crawled up half the staircase!
They continue to look very much alike, yet not so identical as before. Now, if looking at old baby pictures of Alexander, I can definitely tell a difference. Niko's hair is holding onto its red hue, but not quite as bright as it was a month ago.
He is a total drool monster and now has four teeth with at least one more working on coming through
He loves the water! Buckets, sprinklers, and the pool. If he can splash around, he is happy!
Outside is his happy place
Old MacDonald is still his favorite song and he loves all things farm animals. Alexander already picked out a giant farm playhouse he wants to get his brother for Christmas.
One of my favorite pictures! Penguins of Madagascar was Alexander's favorite movie when he was two and it has made a comeback. He loves impersonating Private, the youngest penguin in the bunch. Power Rangers and its various versions are another favorite, and what we often find ourselves playing at the park.
My handsome boy. He is still my baby but he has grown so much recently.
Alexander recently went back to preschool three days a week. I miss him terribly during the day, but have been able to get things done around the house, and am looking forward to using some of the time to get to work helping a local realtor as a transaction coordinator. I cannot believe how much Alexander has grown in just a year. His play is more mature, he can sit for hours drawing, he can read books made up of sight words, and he is a huge help with baby brother.
The first book Alexander learned to read independently was
See Me Dig.
We borrowed it from the library just before stay at home orders, so we got to keep it for an extra long time. Having just been asked to return it, I decided to order it, and the other two in the series, for his own library. He quickly mastered the other two books!
Nikolai continues to wake up throughout the night. A good night is only two times waking, and going easily back to sleep. That does not happen often. Most nights he wakes up four to five times, and often has so much energy, he is crawling and rolling all over the place, unable to go back to sleep. Daniel helps as much as his work schedule allows, but some days I am just one tired lady!
We have our nine month appointment coming up and I'll be interested to see where Niko is on the size chart. He eats EVERYTHING we put in front of him and many nights he eats more dinner than Alexander. He has a sensitivity to some fruits, namely strawberries and oranges, which cause his skin to be raw and red, but otherwise he is our strong, active youngest boy!
