9 months

Nine months?!  My baby is only 3 short months away from being ONE YEAR old.  My mind is blown, my heart is bursting, and my emotional side is making me want to cry because it's all going by so darn fast.  Each month is bittersweet; I get sad that he is growing so quickly, but then remember how much I adore each new stage.  He is really interacting with us now, and definitely showing us his silly personality!  He has his daddy's sense of humor for sure. :)  Here are some stats about our big boy!

Age : 9 months

Weight : 20 pounds 3 ounces!  I was surprised he wasn't more with the way he has been eating lately, but our doctor said that's really common for babies to start leveling out around this age.  He was 28 3/4 inches long!

Clothing and Diaper Size : He JUST grew out of his 12 month clothes and is starting to wear 18 month.  He can still wear the 12-18 Janie and Jack clothes - thank goodness, because that is the biggest they come in the layette collections. (Tear!)

Milestones :  Benjamin is still army crawling, but most recently up on all 4's "rocking" back and forth, too!  I don't think we have many more weeks left before he is really on the go.  I am excited for him to crawl, but kind of nervous about all the mischief he'll be able to get into, too!  I constantly worry about his safety.  Typical first time Mom trait, I am sure!  His top front tooth is *so* close to popping through!  I think we'll see another pearly white any day now. :)  I installed his new convertible car seat this month, and so far, so good!  He seems to like it better than the infant seat.  My mom and I took a trip down to Troy to look at some tile, fabric, and flooring for the new house last week.  Benjamin didn't make a PEEP the whole way, and he even took two naps in the car!!! :)

Sleep :  Benjamin is sleeping through the night almost every night again (woot woot!).  I did some nap training this month which was really tough.  He cried.  A lot. :(  And my heart broke!  But I knew it was best for him to learn to take good naps on his own, so I tried to power through the tough days.  And it was well worth it, because he is now falling asleep for naps totally on his own!  He takes a morning nap around 10, and an afternoon nap around 3 or 4.  He sleeps a total of 3 or 4 hours each day.  What a good boy! 

Eating : Benjamin is still nursing when he wakes up in the morning, before each nap, and before bed.  It is usually 4 times a day, or occasionally 5 times.  The thought of weaning him at a year old used to make me excited. I would have some freedom back!  I would have my body back!  But now that his birthday is just around the corner, it makes me sad to think about not having that special bond with him anymore.  We worked so hard at it and came so far.  It soothed him during tough days, comforted him to sleep during long nights, and brought us closer together every time we nursed.  I will miss snuggling with my little guy during those early morning nursing sessions, or late at night as I rub his back before bed.  Hopefully he will still cuddle with me without nursing... :)  

Favorites : Dropping Cheerios off his high chair for Maggie (and laughing about it!), his playpen, stacking cup toys, Mommy's iPhone (especially seeing himself on FaceTime!), playing peek-a-boo, balloons (especially his mylar balloon from Grandpa Mel's birthday party!), water in his straw sippy cup, brushing his hand across his lips as he babbles to make funny noises (Daddy taught him this), and looking out the window in his new big boy car seat. 

Doesn't like : Still not a big fan of diaper changes, super long car rides, and getting a "toy" taken away.  This list is pretty short because he is just such a happy guy these days!  He honestly is smiling 90% of the day!  I love 9 months. :)

8 Months!

Ok, I say this every month - but seriously, how is Benjamin 8 months old?!  8 MONTHS!  I can't believe it.  He gets more and more fun every month. :) 

This month we had lots of exciting things going on!  We started swim lessons at the YMCA which Benjamin is loving.  Daddy takes him in the pool while Mommy watches and takes pictures. ;)  

 

We also took a trip to Florida with Grandma!  It was so much fun to get away from the "polar vortex" and enjoy some time in the sunshine.  We went to the park almost everyday to swing on the swings and play in the splash pad, went to the beach, swam in the pool, and met up with Aunt Sandy and Grandma Judie for a visit!  It was a great get away.  I can't wait to get back down there again soon!

Such a good little boy on the plane!

Age : 8 months

Weight : Around 21 or 22 pounds I'd guess? He definitely looks a lot bigger to me in the past week - especially length wise!

Clothing and Diaper Size : He is still in 12 month clothes (or 12-18 month if its a range of sizes), and size 4 diaper.

Milestones :  Benjamin got his first teeth this month!! He got his little bottom left tooth at about 7 months 3 weeks, and then the other bottom tooth popped in just a few days after that.  He looks so cute with his little teeth!  He is also getting SO close to crawling.  If you put something he really loves in front of him a few feet on the carpet, he will kind of "army crawl" to it.  He uses his arms to pull himself, and then sticks his little feet into the ground to push himself further.  It's so cute and funny to watch!  He's definitely on the move more so now than ever.  He hates being confined to one area!  He also just started playing peek-a-boo with us.  He will pull his bib up over his face, and then pull it down with this big smile!!  He looks so proud of himself!  It's the cutest thing!  I love how much he is interacting with us now.

Look at those toofers!

Sleep :  Benjamin is still doing a great job sleeping at night!  He lays down around 8:00 and wakes up around 7:00.  He gets up once around 3 or 4 for a feeding most nights.  Every once in a while he will sleep all the way through the night which is an awesome surprise. :)  We are having a hard time with the naps again.  Benjamin just loves to be awake so he can play with Mommy and Daddy!  He will fall asleep while nursing, but we are trying to get him to learn to fall asleep on his own.  Ugh. :(  He still rarely sleeps in the car (no one believes me - apparently he is the only baby in the world who doesn't like to sleep in the car!).  We are thinking about installing his convertible car seat in the next few weeks when it starts to warm up a little to see if that might help him get more comfortable on longer car rides.  

Eating : He loves finger foods!! He is getting a little bored with the pouches, and much prefers something he can pick up and eat on his own.  Some of his favorites are bananas, blueberries, chunks of baked or steamed sweet potatoes, egg yolks, cheese, bread, Puffs, and Yogurt Melts!  He will have about half a pouch at each meal, but it's a little more work to get him to eat it!  I just want to make sure he is getting a good variety of nutrients. He is still breastfeeding every 3-4 hours though, so I feel good that he is getting most everything he needs from that anyways. 

Favorites : His new bath tub that he gets to sit up in, Fisher Price apps on the iPad, Cheerios, Puffs, playing peek-a-boo, Mommy sticking out her tongue at him, his blankie, the aquarium in his crib, grabbing Daddy's face :), playing with his cousins Tia and Stella, and his puppy Maggie!

Doesn't like : Diaper changes (or anything that involves having to sit still), long car rides, getting out of the bath tub, and getting a toy taken away from him (usually something that he isn't supposed to have, like the remote or the phone!).