hair

That Lo's hair has grown back a lot since we buzzed it a few months ago. Now when he wakes up from naps it tends to have matted, poking out parts to it, as shown below. Also, he likes to wave (hence the blurry hand in this photo).

Exploring

Not much to add to this cuteness, except to say that Lo's little antics like this box exploration make me laugh every day. I am finding a lot of joy in motherhood. Check out those teeny little curled up toes. (and do not check out all the stuff we have lying all over our living room floor).

Hmmm...I I just realized it appears I never dress this baby in anything but a diaper (and sometimes not even that much clothing).

You know it is summertime when...

You feel perfectly comfortable playing outside in nothing but your diaper.

backyard fun

Twice in the last two weeks, Jerry's coworkers have held bbq parties in their backyards. Lo enjoyed playing with the other kids and discovered fun yard toys, like trampolines and whatever that bean bag thing is. The bean bag hole is a typical Lo favorite these days, as he likes to put objects in and out of openings. I was laughing because he wasn't quite tall enough to reach in, but he stood on tippy toes with one foot lifting off the ground, and was able to reach the bean bags that had fallen in.

Beach Boy

We went to a little private beach near our home. It was our first time to see Lake Eerie up close. (yeah, we are slow at seeing local attractions). At first I tried holding him above the water so he could just look at it without getting wet (we hadn't brought swim suits).

Doesn't it look just like the ocean.

Lo was so mesmerized by the water, we had a hard time getting him to look at the camera. He kept whipping his head around to keep his eyes glued to the waves.

And like I said earlier, we did not intend to get wet beyond our toes. It may not be evident from these videos, but when Lo went into the water, it was because he slid himself in.

We'd like to go back again soon, and next time bring our water gear!

While I'm doing ho hum updating

Here's a new development from my neck of the woods (har, har, pun just came to me).

I was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The good news: it's not Grave's disease. But the bad news: my doctor is recommending surgery to remove the thyroid. Ugh. I am seeing a second specialist in 2 weeks to get a second opinion, because I tend to not trust doctors much. Either way, it seems I need medication every day for the rest of my life--hardly helpful to my self-reliance/food storage/emergency prep ideals.

More good news: we have great insurance. The last bill reminded me chemical testing had been about $1,000, but was 100% covered by the insurance. *sigh of relief* And as long as I don't get too choosy with the surgeon, thyroid removal should be pretty much covered as well. If I choose that option. This is sort of a bummer decision to make.

Language

Just a quick post to keep up with my "at least weekly for the grandparents" update goal.

The past couple days Lo's language somehow changed. His babbling used to comprise mainly repetitive sounds, but now is more like talking, with variety and intonation. He seems to know Jerry's name is "Dada" and says it excitedly when he hears the door open in the evenings for Jerry's grand entrance home from work. Also, when I am feeding him in the high chair, he has started repeating my question, "All done?" if he seems to want out. "Ah duh," is what it sounds like. First word(s)? We're pretty sure he's brilliant.

9 Month Report

There's plenty about parenting that leaves me feeling inept. So I try to celebrate the successes when they come around. Here's the mostly pros (and a few cons) to this new stage of Lo:

*Height: 30 inches
*Weight: 28 lbs.
*Head: 19 inches
All above the 90th percentile. Yeah, those aren't typos--he's still a really big kid. I'm trying to avoid getting all caught up on percentiles, but have to admit it reassures me that we are doing something right--or he wouldn't be growing like he is?

*Bites during breastfeeding at least a few times each day, giggling when I remove him from the breast and tell him "No." This fun phase began right after I posted my breastfeeding exultancy last week, so it must be a result of karma or something. Humbling to realize this nursing game is still a work in progress.

*He took his first steps last week! He has walked as many as 4-5 steps unsupported, and is an early bird on this milestone, though I still wouldn't call him a "walker" since he prefers crawling and furniture walking for the most part.

*Still no ASL signing from that Lo, despite me being pretty consistent at signing "All Done" and "More Food" during feeding times over the past couple months. I expect he'll come around on this type of communicating soon enough. He waves "hello" and "goodbye" sometimes without prompting.

*Loves every kind of food. We mostly still let him gnaw on chunks of regular food (MESSY as can be), though I spoon-feed him a few spoonfuls of cereal or puree at mealtimes. We go through about 6 spoons with every feeding, because I let him take the spoon if he ever tries to put it to his mouth himself. Then the handle gets goobery from his baby hands, so I just let him keep that spoon and use another one...and then the cycle repeats itself again and again. I don't mind, since I figure it is helping him move toward eventually using utensils effectively on his own.

*Scribbled on our wall recently with a colored pencil. (an area larger than my hand--totally noticable--eek.)

*Loves to play hide-and-seek type of games. See video below:

*He is really aware of the concept of "familiar" vs. "unfamiliar." This leads to him loving anything new, like the scab he just discovered on my ankle...lol...he kept trying to grab it, just because he knew it was out of the ordinary and therefore irresistibly interesting. The downside of this type of brain development is that he gets fearful around unfamiliar people. The most recent two times we left him with a friend (the temple trip a few weeks ago, and my doctor appointment last week), he cried pretty hard. But I know he'll get over it in a few months probably, and just shows he is becoming more aware of the world around him and his place in it.

*We got his 9 month photos last week from JCPenney, but I can't figure out how to get them on the blog. Seems like I was able to use the "share feature" before with Olan Mills. Hmmm...I'll keep trying I guess. The 9 month handsomeness includes his lustrous hair, which has grown so long now it needs cut again, and his toothy smile (5 teeth now).

We love our Lo!

Troublemaker

Lo is at that "helpful" stage. Last week he discovered some caramel ice cream topping (it pains me to admit we have such a product in our home). Before I discovered him, he managed to dump out a puddle of it in front of the pantry and then track the sticky stuff all down the hallway. I think a steam vac rental is in order. This is the cupboard he is actually allowed to play in. It lets me get some kitchen work done as he unloads every pot, pan, and tupperware container we own.

Yeah, that's probably a knife he's grabbing as I try to shoot this photo. We've had some close calls with him unloading dangerous utensils, so the dishwasher is now off-limits.

And the toilet paper roll...don't get me started. We've barricaded that with a laundry hamper.

I know the official week has ended...

...But I wanted to do one last addendum to the World Breastfeeding Week post. My friend has given a great post on the subject and I felt like it was important to pass it along because it could prove helpful. Check it out. I feel enlightened.