Brought to you by the No. 9

Miles slept through the night last night.

Like slept through the night - not that 5-hour crap that books try to tell you is sleeping through the night. I put him down at 7 p.m. and woke him up just shy of 6 a.m. in a panic because I was sure that something was wrong.

I was in a panic? Yes, in a panic.

While most infants might be of the sleep through the night variety by 9 months, Miles has done this only a handful of times. It has happened with no pattern or regularity, and I am still unsure whether it will happen.

I actually admitted this, quite embarrassed, to the doctor on Monday when we went for Miles' 9-month well-child visit. She asked me how long he usually slept in one stretch. Four to six hours was my reply and I added that it varied depending on who put him down and how well our "end co-sleeping" efforts were going.

While she didn't seem overly concerned, she did seem a bit shocked. Thank goodness, everything else is in good working order.

Measurements: Miles is 18 pounds, 11 ounces and 26 inches long. In other words, he's a "lil guy," ranking in the 25th percentile for both height and weight. However, since his 6 month checkup, he jumped from the 7th percentile in weight to the 25th. Solid food has done wonders for the kid.

Eating: Speaking of food, my once reluctant eater now devours anything you give him. He still gets cereal with fruit in the morning but now enjoys "adult" food at lunch and dinner. He gets a protein, vegetable and healthy carb at those meals, and they range from meatloaf to tilapia to pasta to lentils. He has Indian, Latin American and Italian cuisine and enjoyed them all. The best part of this is that we can allow him to self feed, and I now get to eat dinner with two hands.

Miles-stones: He's sitting on his own, crawling like a champion, pulling himself up on everything and has six teeth. He's also a chatterbox. I swear he says some form of "doggie" and will scream "mamama" when he's super pissed.

He also had his first haircut this week, courtesy of me. It's a little jacked on the sides but I need a couple more go's at it to get it even. It might be surprising but a 9-month-old won't sit still very long, even with Elmo and Cheerios.

Loves: Ice cream (sadly), Elmo and playing in (and eating) the dog's food and water.

Personality: He's got one. He's determined, tenacious and temperamental. Nothing like me ;) He's also sweet and happy and very loving. Almost too loving as evidenced by the bite marks on my chin from where he's "kissed" me.

It's all very endearing, and I have to admit that this month, I'm finally starting to enjoy being his mom.