9 Month Check Up

Packer is now 9 months old and is becoming more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby everyday. In many ways I am so proud of him (who would have thought that I would be incredibly proud when my child learned to feed himself?) and in many ways I want him to stay little. I have surprised myself with how much I enjoy each stage of motherhood.

To sum up:

Packer is 17.1 oz (5%) and 28.5 in tall (54%) and his head is also somewhere normal, but I don't quite remember.  17.3 in (I just checked the papers).

He is almost sleeping through the night. He goes to bed at 8 pm and wakes up at 6:30, eats and then sleeps for another 2 hours or so. He takes two or three naps, depending on how long he sleeps during said naps. It is either 2 two hour naps or 3 naps, two of which are 1 hour and one is an hour and a half.

He eats three meals and a snack. Due to his low weight (normal for him) the doctor said we may want to start calorie packing his food. Essentially, this boils down to adding lots of fatty things such as whole milk, thick and creamy yogurt, etc.

He crawls around like crazy, but is hesitant to pull himself up past his knees. If properly motivated (such as a phone just outside his reach) he occasionally will pull himself all the way up on the couch. This is a rare occurrence though currently. He seems content to cruise around on his knees for now. I am not complaining, as baby proofing is not at the top of my list.  He can use the pincer grip, but really only does so when he can't grab food whole fisted.

His favorite activities include chewing on his bath toy fishies, playing with a spinning toy (similar to a dreidel) that his Grandma Becky got him, and flirting with everyone he sees. He gets outrageously bored when we spend most of the day at home, and thoroughly enjoys his Mommy and Me group at church and all the children there. He loves to sit in my lap and read books, and demands this before he takes any kind of nap. He is very vocal, if not quite verbal yet. He babbles all during church, and he seems to be beginning to understand what mama and dada means. He loves to go outside, rain or shine, and is only happy when some portion of the day is spent in the great outdoors. He travels fairly well, but needs to have his blanket (crocheted by his Tia Cami) in order to really sleep well. He is beginning to understand 'no' and what our expectations are for behavior, but mostly he is oblivious to these things. We try to keep the rules few and simple (don't bite Mom while nursing is really the only standard right now). He has two teeth and uses them to his full advantage.

Overall, we just love this little sweet baby. We are fortunate that he is so happy and sweet.

Good Books to Read: Nameless by Lili St. Crow -- this is for all those young adult fantasy fans out there. Great twist on Snow White -- including lots of other fairy tale and fantasy creatures. Much darker though, FYI. Also, I loved our book club book 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman. Good read to understand and develop/improve relationships in your life. I always like to temper my fantasy reads with some nonfiction so that my dreamy head doesn't stay in the clouds.

Great Movie to Watch: Lars and The Real Girl -- I have wanted to watch this for like 5 years, and finally got around to it. I thought it would have more comedy, but it was much more poignant than I expected. I have been reminded so much lately how important it is to have a support system in times of tragedy or crisis or trial. More on that in another post, I am sure. Point being, the movie really showcases how a community can come together to heal.