9 Months
Today my baby is 9 months old. Seriously? How are we 3/4 through the first year already? I did NOT okay this.
He weighs 21 lbs., 7 oz. (70th percentile)
He is 28 3/4 inches long. (75th percentile)
His head circumference is 47cm. (90th percentile) <--- large brain right here, folks.
So Harrison, what have you been up to this month?
First things first, your reflux has gotten SO much better! Praise God!!! I guess you figured that since I threw up for almost 9 months that you'd follow suit, ha! We still aren't completely spit-up free, but huge progress. I don't think there are enough exclamation points inside of my keyboard to express just how happy this makes me. {!!!!!!!!!} Not just because I worry about you and am sick and tired of vomit (which I do and I am), but also because I didn't realize what an impact it had on other seemingly unrelated things. I have been able to finally successfully get you on that schedule I've been trying to get you on for nine months and what a difference it makes. Feeding time is so much easier and nap time has finally materialized into actual napping and I am just loving having something that resembles a routine. I finally feel like I know what it's like to have a "normal" baby. I don't mean that ugly in any way, I just mean that now I don't have to worry so much or pack a thousand outfits/burp cloths/blankets just to go to the grocery store where I usually end up completely flustered because you would typically puke all over the floor. Life is getting easier! {!!!!!!!!!}
You are so independent. You don't like to be held, strapped in or confined by any means. In fact, instead of being IN your walker, you prefer to stand next to it and push it around and play with the toys on it from the outside. You like to play rough, and I'm a little worried that you're on the fast track to becoming a bully. You already steal toys from other babies and do not like to share. They moved you up with the big kids Sunday at church because you seem to do better in there. I'm not too happy about that -- we need to learn to play nice!
You are constantly on the move. Constantly! And you know exactly what you're not supposed to touch and spend all day touching it and being moved away from it and then turning around and going right straight for it again. You are so mischievous. The second you are put down on the floor you immediately start scaling the room for trouble to get in to. I hesitate to even tell this story and risk being labeled an unfit mother, but I want to document it. The other day we were in your room. I was folding laundry and you were playing on the floor. In the 10 seconds I took my eyes off of you to turn around and put away your clothes in the dresser, you had crawled over to your nightlight, ripped it out of the wall, taken the cover off, and was chewing on the light bulb. Nice, huh? Nothing like a little broken glass for breakfast. Luckily I snatched it away from you before my heart completely stopped and before you shattered it in your mouth. Seriously, kid. Could you give your mom a break every once in a while??
You are sleeping a little better. We had one really great week in there where you slept every single night all the way through. It was glorious. Then I was stupid and started telling people how much better it was getting, and you decided to change your mind and go back to waking up again. It's okay though. I've got a plan. Your pediatrician and I had a long talk about it and since your reflux has improved so much, we feel better about transitioning to the self-soothe method. "Self-soothe" just sounds so much better than "cry-it-out," doesn't it? Ha! (I do have to commend you for the better naps, though! Wait, should I not be saying that out loud?)
A few little things I want to remember about you at this stage:
Harrison, it's so hard for me to believe that you've been here with us for the same amount of time that you were inside my belly (Give or take. Ahem, someone was overdue.). It really does seem like a lifetime ago that I was pregnant with you and feeling your kicks and wondering what it would be like to become a mother. Not because nine months was such a long time ago, but because it's now hard to remember what life was like before you got here. It just seems like you've always been a beautiful part of our family. You have made our lives richer than we could imagine and we are so incredibly blessed for every moment that we get to spend with you. Your daddy and I love you more than we could ever possibly express!
He weighs 21 lbs., 7 oz. (70th percentile)
He is 28 3/4 inches long. (75th percentile)
His head circumference is 47cm. (90th percentile) <--- large brain right here, folks.
So Harrison, what have you been up to this month?
First things first, your reflux has gotten SO much better! Praise God!!! I guess you figured that since I threw up for almost 9 months that you'd follow suit, ha! We still aren't completely spit-up free, but huge progress. I don't think there are enough exclamation points inside of my keyboard to express just how happy this makes me. {!!!!!!!!!} Not just because I worry about you and am sick and tired of vomit (which I do and I am), but also because I didn't realize what an impact it had on other seemingly unrelated things. I have been able to finally successfully get you on that schedule I've been trying to get you on for nine months and what a difference it makes. Feeding time is so much easier and nap time has finally materialized into actual napping and I am just loving having something that resembles a routine. I finally feel like I know what it's like to have a "normal" baby. I don't mean that ugly in any way, I just mean that now I don't have to worry so much or pack a thousand outfits/burp cloths/blankets just to go to the grocery store where I usually end up completely flustered because you would typically puke all over the floor. Life is getting easier! {!!!!!!!!!}
Just because I spit up less doesn't mean I won't still slobber all over the place...
Now I'M in control of YOU, walker! Mwahahaha!
You are eating more and more table food these days. It's fun to watch you taste new foods and textures for the first time. You make some of the funniest faces, but have yet to turn anything away. You are down to 4 bottles/nursing sessions a day and eat 3 solid meals plus snacks. Some of your favorite foods are watermelon, cantaloupe, cheese, cheerios, and yogurt. You also recently discovered bread and the rest is history -- looks like you might be a carb addict like your mother!
Cheese! (literally)
You are constantly on the move. Constantly! And you know exactly what you're not supposed to touch and spend all day touching it and being moved away from it and then turning around and going right straight for it again. You are so mischievous. The second you are put down on the floor you immediately start scaling the room for trouble to get in to. I hesitate to even tell this story and risk being labeled an unfit mother, but I want to document it. The other day we were in your room. I was folding laundry and you were playing on the floor. In the 10 seconds I took my eyes off of you to turn around and put away your clothes in the dresser, you had crawled over to your nightlight, ripped it out of the wall, taken the cover off, and was chewing on the light bulb. Nice, huh? Nothing like a little broken glass for breakfast. Luckily I snatched it away from you before my heart completely stopped and before you shattered it in your mouth. Seriously, kid. Could you give your mom a break every once in a while??
Mo-om! I'm only trying to lock myself in a cage, dump over the water dish, and suck on the dogs' chew toy. What's the problem??
Fine then. If you won't let me play in the crate then I will just climb it instead.
You are sleeping a little better. We had one really great week in there where you slept every single night all the way through. It was glorious. Then I was stupid and started telling people how much better it was getting, and you decided to change your mind and go back to waking up again. It's okay though. I've got a plan. Your pediatrician and I had a long talk about it and since your reflux has improved so much, we feel better about transitioning to the self-soothe method. "Self-soothe" just sounds so much better than "cry-it-out," doesn't it? Ha! (I do have to commend you for the better naps, though! Wait, should I not be saying that out loud?)
Me? Not sleep? I don't know what you're talking about.
A few little things I want to remember about you at this stage:
- You LOVE it when I sing the song "This is the Way the Babies Ride" (I'm not sure if that's the real name or not but we learned it at Book Babies) and bounce you up and down on my lap. It makes you laugh every time. It even works in the car -- if you start to get fussy, I start singing it and then I can see you grin in the mirror. So cute.
- You love it when I dance with you. You don't mind that I insist on leading and just love to twirl and twirl with me. ;) One of our favorite songs to dance to is Brown Eyed Girl, which of course I changed to Blue Eyed Boy. I'm really going to miss this when you are old enough to realize that it's really cheesy and dorky and then don't want to dance with your mom anymore.
- You are in a size 4 diaper and wear size 12-18 month clothes. You HATE to have your diaper changed or to be dressed.
- You can crawl really fast and cruise pretty well along furniture. You also love to pretend your walker is a monster truck and get a kick out of ramming into us and running over our toes. Seriously, you do it on purpose.
- You love to play a simple version of hide-and-seek where I either crawl away from you for you to chase after me or I hide around the corner while you're in you walker and then I jump out and shout "Boo!" This has caused many cases of tearful laughter from the both of us.
- You LOVE the dogs and kitty. The dogs love you, and, well, the kitty tolerates you. You giggle every time they give you kisses and you chase them around the house constantly. Those girls are your loyal companions (although they are pretty unhappy that your reflux is better - eww).
- You babble all of the time. Lots of "mamas" (especially when you are upset or mad) and "dadas" and "babas" and "didididididididis." Also lots of squealing and spitting going on, too. You are full of expression and are a very sweet and silly little boy!
Momma & Hare-Bear, August 2010
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