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!