9 Months Old

9 Months
Height: 29 inches (75%)
Weight: 18 lbs. 2.5 oz (10-25%)
He's tall and skinny!

CT's 9 month check-up was the worst so far. He wasn't feeling well so he was very upset and crabby. Plus, now he recognizes the clinic and knows why we are there. I am still very happy with the PA we are seeing there. She is very engaging and gentle with CT. She has two little kids at home so she offers both medical and real advice for parenting an infant. He got the Polio and Hep B booster. Ewww, not fun.

Development:

• Looks when we calls his name. Tests us when we say "No Thank You" or "Icky" or "Ouch"
• Crawling
• Really enjoys walking with hands held
• Loves Tucker. Squeals as he crawling towards him.
• Sleeping and napping really well
• Introducing more foods. More food makes it to his mouth and stays there. He loves his sippy cup. Still wants his puffs.

His hair is really start to grow in and get full and fuzzy. He has some really long hairs that I'm pretty sure are the original hairs from when he was born. It's very blond and soft and I can't get enough of it. A few months back I was feeding him and looked down to realize that his eyelashes had darkened and were very long like his Papa's.

We are still dealing with the "stranger danger" complex. He is really only comfortable with me, Christos, Auntie Becky and the boys. It seems to be getting worse, before it's getting better, but I keep reading that this is normal. We continue to try to get him to socialize with every opportunity that presents itself. Also, much like me, he startles very easily.

Tooth count: 0
He is exceptionally snotty, drooly and crabby this week. No fever, but this has to be teething, right? Or is it another cold? Either way, I feel bad for the little guy.

We are off to Encinitas, CA this week. I'm sure there will be plenty to report on when we return.

For your viewing pleasure. (He was ok, by the way.)

Helping with the laundry.

Play time with Papa
Don't be fooled by these cheeks.

In his Puma warm-up on our way to Soccer.

9 Months - It's getting more difficult to take these pictures.

Snuggles & Boogers

Have I mentioned that CT isn't much of a snuggler? Much to my dismay, he is not. Occasionally when we catch him just as he's waking up in the morning, he'll want to cuddle. But the rest of the time he wants nothing to do with it.

To add to that, the kid does. not. sit. still. ever. (I know right now my mom is saying "He's just like his Mom. Manda was always so restless.") Still am. This trait has tripled since he started to crawl.

Diaper changing has become nothing short of an Olympic event. He insists on popping over on to his knees to catch a glimpse of the room around him. Then he oh so slowly and casually turns his head to look at me and smiles smuggly. "Ha Ha Mama. I'm too quick for you!" Such a turd.

Perhaps this all seems extreme this week because I'm, yet again, under the weather. CT has been too; running and boogery nose, cough, and a slight fever. He seems to be bouncing back rather quickly. Hopefully we can avoid a trip to the clinic.

And he's off!

This week our life suddenly got a lot busier. CT has learned to crawl. It is so stinkin' cute watching his little tush scoot around. His little body doesn't seem big enough yet. He's still my little baby. Of course he wants get into everything that aren't his toys; cords, dogs toys, ya know, good tasting stuff. The pups aren't quite sure what to think of it yet.


We graduated to size four diapers this week. After record breaking blow outs two days in a row...in public and numerous loads of laundry...I decided it was time to upgrade.


We think he's going through a growth spurt. He's eating really well, still loves his puffs. He's growing out of some of his clothes. And he's sleeping really well at night. That could partly be due to burning energy while crawling. Just today he took 2 two hour naps. I wish I could nap for four hours a day!

We're gearing up to travel to San Diego the first week in April for cousin Jenny's wedding. We're really looking forward to it, but there is lots to do before then. Any advice for traveling with an infant is greatly appreciated.

Lastly, we're eagerly awaiting the arrival of Baby B (#3 to my friend Jess). He's been playing games with his mama for a few days now and she's ready to evict him. He'll be here before next Friday. Hopefully sooner than that!

February

Our little guy turned 8 months old last Thursday. He's quickly turning into a little boy. He's curious and eager to play with new things. Moving constantly. Rolling over, pushing himself up. Wiggling. He's crazy busy these days. I usually break a sweat getting him dressed in the morning.

He's eating really well, most days. We introduced Grad.uates Puffs a couple weeks ago and he can't get enough of them. In a matter of a few days he figured out how to pick them up and put them in his mouth. He misses his target often, and we can usually find them stuck to the back of his hand or under his chin. There are the few lost souls that drop to the floor. They don't survive there long because Tucker and Sugar are anxiously waiting.

For the past couple of months he's been going through a separation anxiety phase. He mostly only wants his Papa, Mama, Auntie Becky, and cousins Zach and Drew. When we are home, he's definitely a Papa's boy.

He's started to push himself up off his chest. He's thinking about how he needs to move his knees to reach for the object in front of him. For now though, he mostly just rocks. It's adorable. He looks up at us for approval and when we cheer him on he grins with pride.

Auntie Becky has been teaching him to wave, kiss and give high-five. He's also recently started to blow bubbles.

Had one of his first interactions with little kids around his age at cousin Kellen's birthday party. He wanted to stay close to Mama and Papa, but watched the other kids closely. They all had a trick or two to share.

Sleeping has been going very well. We passed the big hurdle over the holidays and it's been pretty much smooth sailing since then. He sleeps most nights 7 pm to 5:30am. He occasionally wakes throughout the night, but settles fairly quickly. Napping has been going really well during the day too.

His hair is growing in and getting thicker. It's very light blond and fuzzy. I love it.

Just tonight I noticed that he looked at me each time I said his name. He might have been doing this for a while, but I just noticed it tonight. We were playing a game and it was fun to get his attention by calling his name.

Teeth Count: 0

Love my puffs!

Helping Papa shop for John.Deere toys.

7 Months

8 Months

On the move.