What a month! I say that for various reasons. I feel like this particular month has been both amazing and awful at the same time. I'll start with why it's been so awful. You've been pretty icky feeling. You had an ear infection, and most of the month you've had a runny nose and a cough. Midnight wakings have been back in action, and I'm hoping they are on their way out! The amazing part is that you are extremely active - crawling and pulling up on anything and everything. But, that also brings the awful part back because you are constantly getting bumped and bruised from minor falls here and there. You've knocked your head into walls, tables, chairs; you've fallen down or slipped from trying to cruise around unsuccessfully; you lose your balance from time to time while sitting up from a crawling position and fall backwards. You're a mess. But, you are one determined little mess. And, you are getting better and faster and stronger with every day. It's just been really rough as you become more mobile because you want more! I just KNOW you want to walk, want to keep up with Banner, want to reach anything and everything. I feel so annoyed and frustrated for you because you seem so pissed at not being able to really do or go where you want. You want out of my arms when it's really not a safe or good place to play (like at the doctor's office or on the playground floor). When you tire yourself out, you want me to hold you, but then you want to go crawl, but then you can't really muster the strength after a while, so then you want back up, and then back down... It's exhausting for all of us. But, it's part of the process!
What else have you been up to this month?
-You can sit on the floor and spin in a complete circle. I love watching you do this.
-You've started bouncing! Sometimes it's a bounce to a song (a dance?), sometimes it's in the jumperoo or the excersaucer, and a couple times I've seen you bounce when Banner or I sing.
-You're giving awesome open-mouth kisses! My absolute favorite memory of this is when I had been in Austin for Uncle Sage and Uncle Trey's graduations and came home while you were already at Colby's birthday party. When you saw me, you did a double-take and then reached for me. Then, you leaned in for a kiss. It was THE best moment!
-You're more aware of what words mean. You know what "kiss" and "more" mean. I'm pretty sure you know what "bottle" and "eat" mean. You also know who everyone is - including your own name (which you've known for a while).
-You have such a fun sense of humor! This is the first time I've written about your humor mostly because it's just starting to come through. You love when we nod our heads at you, or rub noses, or jump up and down. You love peek-a-boo with us - especially when we hide you and ask, "Where's Quinn?!" You'll just pull the blanket down and giggle with a smile that lights up the room. You seem to really "get" when we are being silly and like to be silly too. You squeal and scream for fun and laugh when we do it back. I love this little window into your personality. Every day we are seeing more and more of who you are and how your personality is unfolding. That little giggle is precious!
-On a related note, you are copying us a lot. Daddy and I both, on separate occasions, have each played games with you where you copy our little yells. "Ahh!" we say, and you repeat with the exact same length of "ahh!" back. Sometimes it's a short yell, sometimes long, and you will giggle and do it back.
-I already wrote about how you're pulling up everywhere, but I haven't mentioned how you do it. When a table or shelf is a little taller than you're used to, you use your mouth for leverage. It's quite clever, I think. You'll put your hands/fingers around the edge of the table and scoot as close as you can, then you'll get your mouth on the edge and bear down on it to get your legs under you better.
-Your sense of balance is awesome, too. You are cruising better and better now, and you are fully able to get down from a standing position. This only took you 2 days to figure out. You will now slowly lower yourself to the floor, and you are very careful about it. It ticks you off to fall or lose your balance - even if it's just falling to your tush from a very short distance, so you have become great at calculating and maneuvering your body to the floor gracefully.
-Your schedule is pretty much the same as last month - two naps, start bedtime routine at 6:45, bathing with Banner now, taking 4 bottles (7ish, 11ish, 3:30ish, and 7:00 - with the middle two bottles being the most difficult for you to take/finish), lunch and dinner but adding in breakfast (mostly just some little bites of bread or bagel)
-You're gagging and choking a whole lot on your table food. I wish you could eat it better, but maybe we'll give it a rest for a bit until you are more successful with it. It seems to really bother you and you often still spit it out or cough on it a little. There have been a handful of times you scare the bajeezus - no, more than that - you scare the shit out of us and we rush to help you. Oh, sweet boy, stop with the choking!
-Your favorite toys are, by far, our car keys! You also enjoy anything that belongs to Banner, especially his riding toys. Your new move is belly-sliding over them, which used to be more scary than it has become because you would land on your head, but now you are super skilled with maneuvering over gracefully. You love B's trucks, trains, train tracks, blocks, and cars. And, you love pulling up on the coffee table.
-You hate the changing table, and sometimes you even hate your room if you think it's nap time before you're ready to sleep (like when I just go in there for one quick thing, you start crying/whimpering). You also hate when we take anything away from you - your water cup, your toys, books, or anything you have in your hands. Distracting you really helps, unless you have our car keys. . . then nothing helps! :)
-New foods this month: honeydew, grapes. You LOVE your cereals though. If you could just eat rice, barley, or oatmeal all the time, you would be perfectly content. You also really enjoy your cup with water.
-This month, we celebrated Landry's 3rd birthday and Colby's 4th birthday, we went to the Bowie Fun Run and also ate lunch with the Bowie teachers a different day, we had Mother's Day and Memorial Day celebrations, we had Banner's 3rd birthday party (yesterday), we went to the zoo with Blakely and her family, and you went to the trampoline park for the first time.
-We have your 9-month well-visit tomorrow with Dr. B. I will post your stats here after our visit! **Okay, after the doctor visit, here are your stats:
- Weight: 20 pounds, 11.5 ounces = 50th percentile
- Height: 28.25 inches = 50th percentile
- Head: 44.9 cm = 45th percentile
- Developmentally, Dr. B says you are more like a 10-month-old. You're doing great!
- We get to add in meats starting now, but we are still waiting on dairy, eggs, nuts, strawberries/raspberries, fish, and honey.
- You got two shots: Hep B and IPV (Polio), and you had a finger prick to test your iron level - which came back normal.
- You are a healthy, growing boy! And that makes ME so happy!
I love you so much, My Love!
Happy 9 Months!
Love,
Mommy
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| Getting dangerous! Nearly crawled off the chair before Grandma caught you! |
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| Such a happy boy! |
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| Today, while eating your green beans! |
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| I can hear your squeal of laughter in this picture! |
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