Play around here at 9 months

At 9 months old Elliot's favorite way to play is to explore. He's crawling/toddling (ahhh!) all over the place and more than anything he likes to just crawl around the house looking at everything. He'll touch whatever he can and pull up on almost any vertical surface (dining room chairs, piano bench, coffee tables, couch, wall, cupboards, bathtub, etc.).

Other than exploring though there are a few toys and games that are his special favorites.

*Hide and Seek
Elliot LOVES hide and seek. It makes him hysterical. We'll start at one end of the hall and then Josh or I will crawl away from Elliot and "hide" in the bathroom. Elliot will crawl to "find" us and when he sees us he laughs and crawls away. We do this all over the place. Around the corners in the kitchen, with him in his crib (when he's standing up...from below eye level to his eye level), around the couch and even around Josh's shoulders when he's being held.

He also plays mini hide and seek (aka peekaboo) with his blankies, the tablecloth and anything that can be pulled back.

*Walking
Elliot basically crawls to things that he knows that he can use to pull up and cruise around. We had to take out our coffee table because it was his favorite toy and there were one too many bonks for my liking.

The walker is a huge hit. He'll take it up and down the hall over and over and over again. He was a little wobbly when we first got it for him right before 8 months but he is super steady now. If only he could steer.... He especially likes it when we chase him down the hall and let him chase us back the other way. Extra fun points added if we scream ;)

*Activity/Music Table
Elliot had played with this table at a few different friends' houses and in the nursery at church and it was a huge hit. We just bought him one used off of a Facebook sales group last week and it's easily his new favorite toy. It combines his love of standing with his love of music. It has a ball thing that he can roll and he loves seeing everything light up.

*Spinning Blocks
These have been his favorite toys since he was 3 months old. Anything that he can roll/spin is automatically a huge hit no matter what and I think it's because of these toys. He's had them for a loooooong time but he'll still choose them out of his toy box over almost anything else.

 

 

*Wood Puzzles with Knobs
This is a new favorite. Elliot likes taking out all the pieces and gnawing at them. No putting them back in yet.

*Stacking Cups
These are also a new discovery and instant hit. As soon as I pull them out Elliot attacks them! He primarily likes taking them apart.