Three quarters of a year! My tiny boy is growing into a big man. I told our cashier at Trader Joe's the other day that James is basically an adult these days. He joked that I will come home and find him working with the checkbook or something. But really, he has such a strong personality (with strong opinions) these days. I'm loving it. Our 9 month check up with Dr. Zimmerman is tomorrow, so I'll follow up then with his stats. In the meantime, happy 9 month birthday to my sweetest tiny boy today!
[Starting to get around!]
[Playing at the pet store with Aunt Katie]
Daily routine
6:30-7am: wake, say hello to birdies (his mobile) and snuggle with mama in her bed for a few minutes (so mama can wake up and get going...)
7am: 8 oz bottle (organic low-lactose dairy formula), followed by breakfast of oatmeal with fruit and cinnamon (prunes, pears, apples, banana) and/or sometimes finger fruits (cantaloupe, grapes, banana, pear) or O's cereal
9am: 1st nap, goes down quite easily after having breakfast, then playing and reading a few books
10:30-ish am: Wake from 1st nap, stroller ride (exercise for mama) or an outing of some sort (Bible study, coffee with friends, errands)
11am: 2nd bottle, 6-8 oz, plus some finger foods (depends on the day... avocado, chicken/beans/lentils/fish, veggies plus some spices)
1-ish pm: 2nd nap, goes down easily, though sometimes he will fall asleep in the car if we are out running errands
?: Wake from 2nd nap - he naps anywhere from 1 to 2.5 hours for his second nap, so sometimes he sleeps 12:30-1:15, and other days he sleeps from 1-3pm
3pm: 3rd bottle, 6-8 oz, maybe some finger foods
Until bedtime: Play around the house or outside, run errands or visit with friends, visit Stuart at work
6:15-6:30ish pm: Start bedtime routine, which has not changed in several months - some evenings he gets a bath, but only a few times a week due to eczema, then lotion
6:45pm: 4th bottle 8 oz, then snuggles and maybe a book
7pm (at the latest - sometimes even a bit earlier): lay down for bed and say goodnight!
[Snuggles with mama]
[Coffee date with mama at Foster's Market]
[Snuggles with dad]
Loves: food!, watching the clothes go around in the washing machine, chewing on and tasting everything, riding in the stroller, sitting outside, playing in the tupperware cabinet, playing in the water (his bath tub or his baby pool, or even the big pool), watching animals (especially dogs/cats that will let him touch them or that lick him, but also the ducks at the lake or birds in the backyard), playing on the floor and rolling around/slithering everywhere, sneezing, playing with people, playing on his own, just playing!, reading books, listening to music and singing, walking to the mailbox and checking the mail, library story time, sitting on the front porch and watching cars, dogs and people go by
Favorite foods: oatmeal with cinnamon (always eats it right up!), avocado, black beans, banana, cantaloupe, broccoli (I think - he picks it out and eats it first, but maybe that's just to get it out of the way!)
Favorite books: Where the Wild Things Are, Don't Wake the Bear, When You Were Born, Babycakes, ABC Menagerie, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Hates: putting lotion on, being held down for diaper changes, when he drops his spoon one too many times and mama won't pick it up anymore, when a toy gets stuck under a piece of furniture and he can't reach it, when you put down his favorite books after reading them 5 times in a row, sudden loud noises (like the coffee grinder or weed eater - he doesn't cry, he yells at it!)
[Hanging out in the stroller while mama does yard work]
[Riding in the cart at Target like a big boy]
[So excited to visit dad at work]
Milestones/Development
He is not truly crawling, but he does easily roll and slither to wherever he wants to go. He's developed a sort of modified army crawl where he reaches with one arm and throws his head and pushes with his toes, then does the other side to move forward, and rolls to move side to side.
He's totally rocking the pincer grasp these days and is happy to pick up things like that, though he often still shoves whole handfuls of food into his mouth after raking it with his fingers, instead of one thing at a time.
5 teeth! 2 in the middle on the bottom, 2 in the middle on the top and 1 to the left of middle on top. I suspect the 1 to the right of middle on top will be popping through soon...
Still sleeping quite well, able to put himself to sleep easily, and back to sleep if he wakes up (though this is rare). Sleeps 11-12.5 hours at night, with two naps during the day (typically 1-2 hours each).
Talking all the time: fffff, ba, da and ug are his most common sounds. He also likes clicking his tongue a lot, I think because his teeth are pretty fascinating and he's trying to figure out what they are!
He likes to snuggle and give little hugs, and recently has started giving kisses on demand. If his face is close enough, and he's not otherwise distracted, I can say "Give me a big kiss!" and he will turn and plant his open mouth on my cheek. It's sweet, and a little gross ;)
He waves hello and goodbye (usually) and gives 5s (though not just one - more like 15s, I guess).
He signs "more" when he's eating. We're also working on "all done," but I know that one is harder. That is so helpful to know when he is full so I don't over- (or under-) feed him.
[Bowling!]
[Smartest tiny boy]
[Bulldog cheeks]
Separation anxiety?
James still seems to be okay when another adult takes over his care and I leave (such as my mom when I go to work, nursery at church, or even friends coming over and I leave the room), though sometimes he cries a little. A friend watched him a few hours the other day so I could meet with our pastor, and James did not cry when I left, but she said he kept looking up at the doorway for quite a while, waiting for me to come back in.
He is also happy to sit by himself with his back to me and play for several minutes without me interacting with him at all. Usually, he doesn't seem to care if I'm in another room for a few minutes (he plays in the Pack'N'Play in the living room, and I can be in the kitchen within eyesight, but he can't see me easily). He always smiles when he does see me again, or if I speak to him, so I know it's not because he doesn't like me :)
I know separation anxiety is supposed to kick in full force right around 9 months, but I will enjoy how easy he is right now in the meantime!
[playing in the kitchen floor]
[learning to get around is hard work]
[Trying to figure out the sippy cup]
Favorite products:
- Cloth diapers: still love these and feel like the tiny bit of extra work is totally worth it. Also, he gets a terrible rash whenever he is in a disposable these days (chemical burn?), so we might have had to do cloth anyways.
- BOB stroller: we use it every day. This has been the only way for me to stay active and lose the baby weight, and I am THAKFUL for it! Also, James loves riding in it.
- Booster seat high chair: I don't even know what brand it is, it was just the cheapest one at Buy Buy Baby. It's quite easy to clean, and I can even take the straps off and wash them in the washing machine.
- Moby wrap: We are still using this! James is still happy to be carried in it, and lately on some of the harder teething days, I have wrapped him in that and gone on with my day, and he was able to cope a little easier.
- Gripe water: Speaking of teething, I have to mention this. We aren't afraid to use meds in this house (we are a doctor and a nurse, ya know...), so Infant Tylenol and Advil have been stocked appropriately for use on bad teething days, but I feel like what made more a difference lately was the Gripe Water. I know there aren't any studies demonstrating it's effectiveness, but it worked for us.
- Earth's Best low-lactose dairy formula: Since I am unable to breast feed, and since James had issues with straight up dairy formula, and since soy formula just didn't seem right, I am thankful that there is an affordable (relatively), low-lactose option for my sweet baby. It's working wonderfully (i.e. James will drink it, it does not cause any tummy upset or rash for him, and his eczema has calmed a bit since getting him off of soy).
- Baby Gap jeans: they just fit great! My mom finds them on sale at the outlet, so they don't cost an arm and a leg, either. And he's quite dapper in them.
[mama's laundry helper]
