Jon is nine months old!

Per blog tradition, I’m back to sharing monthly updates.

Nine Months Old

Likes: pulling up on furniture to reach things, crawling everywhere to find trouble, playing with big sister’s toys, eating little things like blueberries or black beans (& rocks, grass, etc.)

Dislikes: bumping his head or getting stuck (every 5 minutes), getting cleaned up after meals, teething, diaper and clothes changes

Sleeping patterns: 2 naps a day, mostly sleeping through the night except for occasional bouts of teething

Feeding schedule: nursing every 3-4 hours, baby-led weaning 3x a day

Size:  ~19 lb, size 3 diapers, 9-12 month clothing

Sounds and motions: pulling up and standing, banging his hands, giving high fives, babbling and screeching, crawling everywhere

Favorite toys and games: playing peekaboo, lunging on top of people, any toy big sister is playing with

Learning to: cruise the furniture, drink from a soppy cup, take steps with a walker

Firsts: St. Patrick’s Day, pull up to stand, virtual play dates/music class/etc. during pandemic, give high fives, steps with walker

A few favorite photos from our ninth month with Jon:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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One of the best parts of having a personal blog is being able to look back at the archives. So just for fun, here’s a quick comparison to Amelia’s ninth month:

Amelia at 9 months old

July 2017

Likes: playing peekaboo, babbling, turning the pages of a book, sitting up in the stroller to see better, people watching, eating just about anything you put in front of her (hits this month: peaches, prunes, ice cream), aquariums, teething jewelry, watching the cats

Dislikes: teething, constipation, being cleaned after meals, being strapped into the car seat

Size: about 17 lb, size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothing

Doing: babbling (and saying dada!), trying to crawl (lunging forward from a sitting position, rolling to get to her destination), sitting up from the tummy position, pulling up from sitting to standing, sleeping through the night (until the last couple weeks when a big sleep regression hit), nursing every 3-4 hours

Firsts: initiating peekaboo games, says “dada” (and sometimes “mama”), sitting up from laying down position, third tooth, Father’s Day, transition out of swaddle, sitting in high chair at restaurants, “play” guitar, meeting family from Georgia, Independence Day

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A look back:

Eight Months Old

Likes: crawling EVERYWHERE!, babbling, getting messy at mealtime, watching Amelia, dancing to music

Dislikes: getting cleaned up after meals, teething, congestion

Sleeping patterns: 3 naps a day (sometimes two), finally sleeping in his own room, but sick so often that we’ve only gotten a few full nights of sleep in a row

Feeding schedule: nursing every 3ish hours, baby-led weaning 3x a day

Size:  ~19 lb, size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothing

Sounds and motions: babbling (including “mama”!), crawling everywhere, sitting up from laying down

Favorite toys and games: playing peekaboo, any toy big sister is playing with, musical toys

Learning to: pull up, mimic sounds

Firsts: Valentine’s Day (& party), two teeth!, crawling, sleeping in his own room, saying “mama”, ear infection, dog show, kite festival

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Seven Months Old

Likes: eating new foods, sitting up and splashing in the bath tub, watching big sister all day, wiggling and dancing

Dislikes: when Mama leaves the room, getting boogers removed, napping longer than 45 minutes

Sleeping patterns: 3 naps a day (sometimes two), waking twice a night (It’s gotten worse… sleep training is imminent)

Feeding schedule: nursing every 3ish hours, baby-led weaning (along with some purees) 3x a day

Size:  18 lb 11 oz, size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothing

Sounds and motions: rocking and lunging on all fours (so close to crawling!), inspecting everything closely from food to clothing tags, sitting unassisted, dancing to music, reaching and grabbing (and then eating) anything and everything, belly laughs

Favorite toys and games: playing peekaboo, anything big sister is playing with, musical toys

Learning to: crawl/scoot toward a toy, drink from a sippy cup

Firsts: road trip to AL to visit grandparents, fingerprint made into a charm at Perch, art museum, sitting in the bath tub unassisted, Music Together class

Six Months Old

Likes: eating meals with the family, smiling and laughing, wiggling, dancing, kicking and splashing in the bathtub, watching big sister and other kids

Dislikes: getting boogers removed, waiting to eat

Sleeping patterns: 3 naps a day about every 2.5 hours, waking once a night but the timing is still inconsistent

Feeding schedule: nursing every 3ish hours, baby-led weaning (along with some purees) 3x a day

Size:  ~18 lb, size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothing

Sounds and motions: sitting unassisted, dancing (rocking back and forth and wiggling any time he hears music), rolling both ways, reaching and grabbing (and then eating) anything and everything, belly laughs, very loud shrieking

Favorite toys and games: putting everything in his mouth, rattles and balls, crinkly toys, anything that big sister is playing with

Learning to: roll both ways, scooting to reach a toy, hold a spoon

Firsts: Christmas, New Year, Festival of Lights drive thru (both of the kids cried the entire time, of course), play date with the play group’s little brothers and sisters, tagging along to Amelia’s activities like her preschool Christmas show and ballet class

Five Months Old

Likes: food! (so far: sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, broccoli, banana, bread), smiling, cooing and shrieking loudly, putting everything in his mouth

Dislikes: being alone, getting hungry

Sleeping patterns: 3 naps a day about every 2 hours, waking once a night (dropped all swing/cradle/bassinet naps and we’re working on dropping the swaddle)

Feeding schedule: nursing every 3 hours

Size:  ~17 lb, size 3 diapers, 6-9 month clothing

Sounds and motions: sitting by himself (still very wobbly!), rolling from back to tummy, scooting, kicking, reaching and grabbing toys (or hair, food, etc.), chuckling

Favorite toys and games: bouncing to songs (Jingle Bells is a favorite), chewing on everything, crinkly toys

Learning to: eat food, laugh, sit unassisted, sleep without a swaddle

Firsts: meet Santa, “paint” an ornament, sleep in crib (from bassinet), eat rice cereal, eat purees and mushy finger foods, road trip to Mississippi (& meet extended family), Thanksgiving, Christmas parade in downtown Franklin

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Four Months Old

Likes: cooing (loudly!), observing life from the carrier sling, smiling all the time, teething toys, watching Big Sister, FaceTime with Gaga (and sticking his tongue out at her!)

Dislikes: being hangry, being in the car seat If the car isn’t moving

Sleeping patterns: 3 naps a day, sleeping all night from 7 PM-6:30-7 AM… until congestion plus the dreaded 4-month sleep regression hit at the same time

Feeding schedule: nursing every 2.5-3.5 hours

Size:  16 lb 4 oz, size 3 diapers, 3-6 month clothing

Sounds and motions: trying to laugh, lots of cooing and loud noises, reaching and grasping toys, tasting everything, holding head up and scooting during tummy time, drooling ALL the time

Favorite toys and games: bouncing on my knees, airplane liftoff, having a conversation in smiles and coos, kicking the music mat, sitting up in his new chair

Learning to: laugh, roll from stomach to back, find his feet

Firsts: Storytime at the library, birthday party, pumpkin patch, family photo session, handprint art project, Halloween, trick or treating at Cheekwood, open gym play dates with Amelia’s friends

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Three Months Old

Likes: cooing, smiling, anything Big Sister does, bath time, being held, being rocked

Dislikes: being strapped in the car seat too long, belly pain, being left alone for more than 5 minutes

Sleeping patterns: 3-4 naps a day with the last one around 5:30 PM, sleeping pretty well at night… had a stretch of about 3 weeks of sleeping all night (8 PM – 8 AM!!!) but the last few nights have been back to waking up 2-3 times a night

Feeding schedule: nursing every 2.5-3 hours

Size:  ~14 lb, size 2 diapers, 3-6 month clothing

Sounds and motions: big smiles and cooing when he sees Mama, Dada or big sister, reaching and grasping hanging objects, holding head up and scooting during tummy time, drooling ALL the time

Favorite toys and games: having a conversation in smiles and coos, kicking the music mat, looking at shadows and the ceiling fan

Learning to: roll from stomach to side, “pushups” during tummy time, recognize family faces, finding his hands

Firsts: grasping objects, bottle while I’m away (three times), visit to Cheekwood to see the pumpkins, sleep through the night (10 weeks old), meet Grandpa and family friends

Two Months Old

Likes: bath time with your sister, being held, walks in the stroller

Dislikes: being strapped in the car seat too long, belly pain

Sleeping patterns: naps every 1-2 hours all day, stretches of 5-6 hours at night (then up every 2-3 hours)

Feeding schedule: nursing every 2.5-3 hours

Size:  13.5 lb, size 2 diapers, 0-3 month clothing

Sounds and motions: squawking and grunting when hungry, big smiles and cooking when he sees Mama, Dada or big sister, roll from stomach to side

Favorite toys and games: kicking the music mat, looking at the hanging mobile, shadows or ceiling fan

Learning to: hold his head up, recognize family faces, finding his hands to suck on

Firsts: county fair, sniffles, play dates with (Amelia’s) friends, stroller rides to the neighborhood playground, two visits from family (& meet his aunts), vaccination, Labor Day

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One Month Old

Likes: being held all day, bath time, rocking, staring at the fan or light fixtures

Dislikes: diaper changes, belly pains, sitting by himself (especially during dinner time)

Sleeping patterns: lots of naps all day, waking up more in the morning and late afternoon. Nights are still inconsistent, sometimes we’ll get a stretch of 4-5 hours and some nights he’s up every 2 hours

Feeding schedule: nursing on every 2-3 hours but prefers snacking all day

Size: ~10 lb, size 1 diapers, 0-3 month clothing

Sounds and motions: the noisiest grunting, squeaking, and coughing, waving arms, focusing on faces, smiling occasionally

Favorite toys and games: waving arms to reach hanging toys, scooting during tummy time

Learning to: love the swing, nap without being held, hold up head

Firsts: two doctor visits, meet family – big sister Amelia, Gaga and Pop, Grandma Peachie & GG, Uncle Brock, cousins Bob & Brenda, meet family friends, two play dates at our house, bath time with Amelia, stroll in the neighborhood

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We love you both so much, Jon and Amelia!