On the Nine

Three-quarters of a year have come and gone. My little baby boy is now a medium baby boy, and he is well on his way to becoming a big one.

Size: This morning we had Alex's nine month well child check-up, where the doc confirmed what we already knew - Alex is a healthy, happy, and growing little boy. He weighed in at 21.5 pounds, which puts him in the 75th percentile for weight; 30 inches tall, which falls in the 95th percentile; and 18cm for head circumference, also in the 75th. In unrelated-to-size news, he also had his "something technical-sounding" test where they pricked his foot (he didn't even flinch) and took blood to measure for iron. The results were normal, so his iron levels are good and anemia is not an issue.

Back to size matters. Clothes are still a bit of a crap shoot. Some of his 6-12 pants still fit, but he is now the proud owner - and wearer - of two pairs of 12-18 jeans. Even more surprising is the fact that he still fits into 3-6 month shorts. I guess that means he's only got as much junk in his trunk as a three month old, but those dangly legs make pants a hard fit. Shirts are a little more consistent - and normal - at 12 months, while jammies have also moved into the 12-18 range. Size 4 shoes are a near-perfect fit, some with a little room to grow (thank goodness). Diapers are still size four, with regular ones at day and "overnights" at night.

Eating: What a difference a month makes! Soon after his eight month birthday, it seems his gag reflex was sick of working so hard and decided to retire. Overnight, it seemed. Alex is still willing - eager even - to try anything we thrust at his mouth, only now he is actually able to keep it down.

He still likes most baby food, and his list of preferred "big people food" is expanding rapidly. Here's how it breaks down:

Likes: Diced carrots, pears, and peaches, peas, mandarin oranges, avocado, kidney beans, lima beans, green beans, strawberries, bananas, apples, pineapple, hummus, refried beans, and pasta.

Dislikes: Chick peas and cucumbers

So, as you can see, he is pretty easy to please and has quite a diverse repertoire that will continue to get bigger now that the good doctor has given us the go-ahead to introduce meats, yogurt, and hard cheeses.

In addition to a serving of baby food and a small cup of dice vegetables or fruit, he feeds himself 5 oz. of formula at each meal out of his sippy cup. As of about two weeks ago, he can empty his sippy cup while sitting up instead of having to be reclined, which means he can drink in his high chair, his car seat, or a shopping cart. What a lifesaver that is when you gotta feed him on the go!

Sleeping: Finally, his sleep schedule is becoming a little more predictable. He still goes to bed at 7, naps from 9am to 11, and naps from 1pm to 3. Wake up times have started to fall more consistently around the seven o'clock hour.

He has become much more agreeable at naptimes and often talks to himself for a while before going down with little to no protest. And, as previously posted, he has warmed up to the idea of sleeping in places other than his own bed. Boy does that relieve some stress when we need to leave town or want to hang with friends during naptime.

Physical/cognitive milestones: Cruising has become the method of choice for moving from one no-no to the next. Alex can circle an entire room without his knees ever touching the floor, if he so chooses.

He's been cruising for a while now, but he has also developed a new method for achieving mischief. Folks, I think I've got a climber. He can (and will) climb just about anything that is a foot or less off of the ground. I attempted to "Alex-proof" the living room by blocking no-no's with cardboard moving boxes and quickly discovered that cardboard moving boxes are no match for Alex's climbing skills. As a result, my barricades quickly became two boxes high.

He is working on some new teeth - the four on top - bringing his grand tooth total to 6 little choppers. He likes to show them off whenever he gets a chance.

He is very vocal, delivering many "ba-ba's", an occasional "da-da", and much to my utter glee and jubilation, "ma-ma" has become the word of choice over the last few days. He loves to laugh and loves to make us laugh, and capitalizes on just about any opportunity to make noise of any kind. He has become quite the little dancer and will bop to any beat he hears, and he has recently added head-nodding to his list of moves.

He is still the most expressive baby I've ever known, constantly amusing us with his silly and/or adorable faces, including a new kissy/fishy face that never fails to crack us up.

He is definitely all boy (or mannish girl). He is very adventurous and devil-may-care. He adores being tossed into the air, being wrestled with and flipped around. Anything that makes his stomach drop makes him happy. He is a tough little booger, rarely crying when he takes a tumble or bashes his head, even at times when I'm pretty sure I would throw a hissy if it happened to me, for sympathy points at the very least.

Seriously, Timothy and I cannot get enough of this kid.

On a daily basis - heck, on an hourly basis - I can't help but look at him and tell him how cute and wonderful and sweet he is. I'm starting to panic because he can't really get any better than he is right now, and I am a little anxious about what the future might hold. It seems like things could only go downhill from here! I would be completely satisfied if I could freeze time and keep my little, almost perfect 9 month old, exactly as he is, for the rest of my life. But I can't, and at the same time, I know that every stage following this one will be just as wonderful, if not even more. Maybe I should document this time in his life by taking a picture of each and every move he makes. Oh, and I should write about them too, just in case the pictures don't capture his true essence. Wait a minute, I already do that...