9 Months Old

Dear Carder,

Time has been flying this last month.  Some things haven’t changed at all – time is flying by and you are growing up so fast.  The other thing that hasn’t changed at all is that you are constantly doing something new!

Let’s see – where to start…  How about your growth stats?  At your 9 month well child visit (3/19/12), you weighed 19 pounds 2 ounces (50^th percentile) and were 30 inches tall (90^th percentile).  I don’t know what your head circumference is, but it was at about the 25^th percentile – which has been your norm. 

You are still wearing 9-12 month clothes.  However – from my home measurements to the measurements at the doctor’s office, you grew about 1 ½ inches this past month.  It should be no surprise that you are quickly outgrowing some of these 12 month clothes – like footed pajamas and onesies – but only in the length.  I will probably be pulling out some 18 month pajamas soon (YIKES!!!)  I switched you to the Large sleep sacks because the Mediums seemed so short!  We have put you in shoes a few times now and you can squeeze into a size 3, but size 4s fit much more comfortably.  And, you are still in a size 3 diaper.

You didn’t really gain a whole lot of weight this month – some of that is probably due to the fact that weight gain slows down as you age.  But part of that is due to the fact that in the last 5 weeks, you have spent 2 weeks refusing bottles!!!  Once was from the RSV and this last one we aren’t 100% sure why – but we think it is teething.  But throughout the whole time you rejected bottles, you still ate your solids like a champ.  The doctor said not to worry, though, because you are gaining weight just fine.  You typically eat 3-4 bottles per day and you eat solids 3 times per day (more if I would let you).  We have been working on drinking from a sippy cup but you haven’t mastered that yet.  And, even though I keep trying, you are refusing to feed yourself.  For the most part, pieces of food trigger your gag reflex.  Your daddy can’t stand to watch this part of feeding because he thinks you are choking – so we try to work on this mostly when he isn’t home.

This month we traded in your infant car seat for a convertible one.  Right now, you are still rear facing because it is the safest thing for you – and you still seem to fit comfortably and are happy, so I don’t plan on changing that any time soon.  It did take some getting used to, though.  We made the switch when it was still cold/snowy outside, so I was a little upset about retiring your “Bundleme” that kept you cozy and warm as we trekked to and from the car.  Aside from a few times where your pants were a little short, I think you were plenty warm though.

We lowered your crib mattress this past month.  We don’t have very many pieces of furniture in your play areas that are conducive to letting you pull up – but that doesn’t stop you from trying.  You did pull up to standing from a seated position using the baby gate on 3/6/12.  And, you consistently use us to pull yourself up.  I have been watching you try to use your bouncy seat and other objects to pull yourself up as well.  I won’t be surprised at all when I walk in and find you standing in your crib.

After your first words, you babbled A LOT for the next couple of weeks.  We think we heard “Dada” a time or two, but I am not 100% positive.  Your Daddy is, though.  However, after a couple of weeks of babbling, you started getting really quiet and attached to your pacifier.  And drooling and being generally more fussy.  You won’t let us look very much, but it appears you are working on some teeth.  From the looks of things, I won’t be surprised if it shows up in the next couple of weeks.

You are loving tummy time more and more each day.  You are trying so hard to crawl and you get really mad because you can’t figure it out yet.  You still love to stand up (holding on to us, the couch, the coffee table cubes, your pack and play…) and will often fuss when we make you sit down.

Your favorite things this month?  Well, it is hard to say.  Your Grandparents are here from Georgia and they brought you a walker (instant hit) and some new books that you really like.   You still love your jumperoo and your favorite books.  Elephant seems to have taken a back seat to Clifford and your Monkey, but sometimes you still grab him and hold on tight.  I have a feeling that with the mobility that is coming, your favorites will soon be very obvious!  You also LOVED swimming lessons and we will be doing those again starting mid-April.

As you can see, it is getting much harder to take your monthly pictures as you get more mobile.  For this photo shoot, you were much more interested in the dogs than in posing for the camera!