Nine Months

Henry is nine months old today. He's been here longer now than he was in my womb. That is astounding and yet sobering for me because it means he is growing just so much faster than I can stand. We have a well-baby visit coming up next week where we'll get weight and length stats, but we did make a doctor's visit early this week for an ear infection, and he weighed in at 24.5lbs. He has almost tripled his birth weight. I am anxious to know his length (or can we call it height yet?) too, but not so much that I'm going to try to figure it out on my own before his appointment. I'm going to guess as much as 30 inches - he was almost 28 at six months.

My blog is young - I so wish I had started the first time I thought about doing this - so it hasn't recorded each of his milestones as he's hit them over the past nine months, so I'll do my best to list the big ones.

*He blessed us with first smiles at around 6 weeks.
*He started sleeping through the night at 8 weeks, then regressed at 11 weeks and hasn't consistently done it since. YAWN.....
*He could hold up his head for periods of time without support at around 8 weeks.
*He started to imitate some letter sounds at 3 months.
*He stopped night feedings between 3 and 4 months.
*He could roll from back to belly at 3.5 months.
*He could bear weight on his legs at 4 months.
*He could sit assisted at about 4 months.
*He started rice cereal at 4 months.
*He could roll both ways by 4 months, but only did so rarely.
*He could sit unassisted at 5 months for periods of time - unlimited by 6 months.
*He weaned from the swaddle at 6 months.
*He found his feet at 6 months. :)
*He was a babbler by 6 months.
*He was eating pureed veggies and fruits by 6 months.
*He started saying "mama" and "dada" at around 7 months.
*He started finger foods at 7.5 months, but is still very picky about them.
*He could put in his paci at 7 .5 months.
*He cut his first two teeth at 7.5 months.
*He started rolling for fun and mobility just before 8 months.
*He started showing readiness to start crawling at 8.5 months - pushing up on hands, scooting back end, pushing up on toes, and occasionally getting both front and rear ends off the ground at the same time...
*He could hold his own bottle at 8.5 months.
*He could sit up from a laying position just before 9 months.

I take pictures of him each month on his "month-day", and they're posted over in the sidebar - be sure to check them out and see how he's grown. Here's a few more I took this morning:

Playing catch-up...

I haven't blogged in about 5 days - that may be a record for me in my brief blogging lifetime. I guess I have occupied myself otherwise, though, because I can't remember any time when I sat around with nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs.

I'll start playing catch-up with a report about a dinner meeting with family. Last Sunday evening (a week ago) Henry, Daddy and I traveled about an hour to what is about the half-way point between our home and my Dad's. We met at a favorite restaurant to partake of fried chicken and chicken-fried steak, served family-style with all you can eat side dishes. I'm certain I ate all I could. ;)

We met my Dad (Grandpa) and my brother (Uncle Mike), as well as Debbie and her daughter Paige. Though this eating establishment boasts line-dancing waitresses, Henry was entertainment enough. He was passed around, charming any who noticed him - including everyone at our table and many of the patrons at neighboring tables.

Debbie, Grandpa, and Henry

Paige and Henry

Uncle Mike and Henry

A busy day makes a sleepy boy...

I love days when we get to go out, even if it's just to run errands. Today was one of those days, but we mixed business with pleasure and were able to make a few visits while we were out. We made the mundane stops: gas, the local grocery store for miscellaneous items we missed this week at the store, a furniture store in town, and then we made a stop at the bank to say hi to Grammy. After the ladies gushed over Henry during his parade through the bank, we met up with a friend of mine and her daughter for a play date and lunch.

As the babies grow, it is so much fun to see them interact differently. Not so long ago, Henry seemed to be generally anti-social around other people, preferring to be the observer rather than the participator. He has really blossomed into a much more social baby over the past month or two, and genuinely enjoys the company of others. He wants to engage with those around him, and it's a joy as his parent to see him develop socially.

Although we should probably do so more often, my friend and I try to get the babies together for play dates. Today was a treat for all - both babies were in good spirits and seemed to be eager to play together. Granted, the little girl, at nearly 2 months older than Henry, was quite busy pulling up, standing, and creeping alongside the table while Henry contented himself with toys and anything he could put in his mouth, but there were fun moments of rolling, talking, and touching. They smiled at one another, and were obviously communicating. It was such a fun visit. My friend and I also enjoyed some daytime interaction with someone who didn't need us to wipe their tush.

After our busy morning out, Henry and I headed home for some R&R. I put him down, which he seemed grateful for, and was quickly snoozing. That freed up some time for me to revisit my blog and try to square away some of the things I was frustrated about yesterday. ;) After I get pictures uploaded, I'll add a couple from today. He was the most handsome little man in his green overalls, blue bucket hat, and blue tennies.

This evening, when Daddy got home, we made a return trip to the furniture store, and then it was supper time, bath time, and getting ready for bed. My little wiped-out guy was so sleepy and snuggly. He took his sweet time drinking his bottle, and then when he was finally finished he closed his eyes, nuzzled his cheek into my chest, and gently smacked his lips a few times. He was so perfectly peaceful - almost looked like a porcelain doll cradled in my arms. I rocked with him for several minutes, unwilling to rush my precious time when he's still small enough to hold, and still baby enough to need it.