9 Months!

It's crazy to think that Brody is as old as it took to cook him.  If only pregnancy went by as quickly as these past 9 months have gone I might think about doing it again soon.  Brody's ninth month has brought with it his first (big) cold, crawling, another tooth on the bottom and of course tons of laughter.  He continues to be such a happy baby.  I am waiting for our luck to run out but then again, maybe we are just blessed with a forever easy babe.

Stats:  20lbs 2oz (44%); 28.5" long (60%); 18" head circumference (80%).  He lost a few ounces from when he was in earlier in the month for a cold but Dr. S didn't seem too concerned.  He felt that he was chunky enough to not need to come back for a weight check.  He gave the Bman two thumbs up for development and an extra thumb up for his adventurous eating. 

Eat:  I know, I feel like all I ever talk about is food.  Brody has five milk feedings/day and two meals.  We will phase in a third meal over the next week or so but for now he nurses morning and evening, takes three 5oz bottles at school and he eats two meals everyday.  I started sending some food to school for him somewhere between eight and nine months but then just decided I would let him eat off of the school menu. He has really become very skilled with his fine motor skills and mastered the eating business. He is loving that he can join the bigger babes for lunch time. 

 watermelon

Greek yogurt pancakes with blueberries (recipe coming later)

 Loving his first taste of turkey bacon

He is really getting the hang of the straw cup.  After trying many sippy cups this is the only one he will use.

We continue to offer B whatever we are eating and following the Baby-Led Weaning.  It took him a few months of practice but he is actually swallowing food now.  Some of the new foods he has tried are: salmon, watermelon, salsa, Greek yogurt, corn on the cob, and waffles.  He continues to love peppers, broccoli, chicken and peas.  Honestly, he eats everything that is put in front of him.  I have been warned that somewhere around one he will boycott most foods.  For now, we enjoy his adventurous taste buds!

Sleep:  After a few months of middle of the night waking and feeding, we are back to him sleeping 12 hours again.  I will give him credit for all of it, but I have also taken the advice of some really great friends and let him fuss a bit before going to his bedside.  One other noted change is that I switched to the overnight diapers and it seemed almost instantly that he started sleeping again from 7-7.  If now only my body will start sleeping through the night  and not waking thinking he needs me.

Play: He loves all toys that have a cause and effect.  His Scout dog and Laugh and Learn Puppy are still at the top of his list.  He loves the lights and songs they sing.  He loves his Mozart musical cube and could play with it for long periods of time.  Bath is a huge place of enjoyment for him; he has learned how to splash and plays peek-a-boo with his reflection in the bath drain cover.  Oh the cuteness as he giggles when he thinks another baby has joined him in the tub. 

 "Bella, wanna play on the train"?

 Always smiling

Loves this Mozart cube



Language:  He says "dada" to just about everything.  Lots of sounds but not clear spoken words.  Yesterday he signed 'more' for the first time.  It sounded like he also said more, but I can't be too sure because he had a mouth full of food.  He waves 'hello' and sometime 'byebye.'  This morning while he was playing in his exosaucer he couldn't see me in the kitchen but as soon as I rounded the corner he waved 'hi' and flashed a huge smile.  He makes my heart melt!

Physical Development:  He is on the move!  It's amazing what a difference a few days (even hours) make in a baby's development.  Last weekend in Northern Virginia he was still really army crawling, but this weekend he is up on his hands and knees and crawling everywhere!  Bring on the baby proofing, stat!  He also demonstrated that he can get back to a seated position while on his tummy.  It really freaked me out the other night when around midnight I heard him on the monitor and looked to find him sitting in his crib.  I guess he just wanted to change positions because after a few seconds he was laying back down and fast asleep. 

Series of pictures that show his getting back to a seated position

Seriously, this kid can not go anywhere with out the dog inches behind him

No interest to stand as of yet but I am sure that will quickly follow.  If I place him against a piece of furniture he can stand but them just wants to sit back down.  I am absolutely fine if we delay walking a bit.  I am just getting used to all the things at his level while crawling I am not so ready for the walking.

This blog post would not be complete if I did not overwhelm you with pictures, so enjoy!  Happy 9 months, Bman!