I can’t believe what a big boy you’ve become!
You’ve been very busy this month. You’re thisclose to crawling and you’ve been honing the skills necessary to do so. You started by pushing up on your arms while lying on your tummy, then you started pushing your bottom up in the air to try to propel forward. Of course, that meant you had to use your forehead for leverage because your legs are REALLY strong but your arms couldn’t keep up with their intentions. Even so, you’ve started getting up on your knees regularly (especially as you sleep), so it’s only a matter of time before you get the coordination down to crawl.
And, really, you may skip over part of that anyway. You prefer to stand up whenever possible, whether that’s in someone’s lap or sitting in a bouncer. You like to be up on your tip-toes. You can stand up with flat feet, as long as you’re supported, and with some help you can even take several steps in a row across the room! You aren’t terribly interested in sitting up (though you’re pretty close to doing that on your own) but you seem to want to stand and walk, like, NOW.
You’ve got a nice healthy appetite and we’ve been trying out new foods at dinnertime! You’ve enjoyed carrots, peas, new potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, rutabaga, parsnip, sugar-free applesauce, yogurt, and bananas. You weren’t crazy about the avocado or blueberries, so we’ll try those again in a couple of weeks. I tried giving you a few Puffs last week, but you’re still working on hand-mouth coordination and weren’t all that jazzed about a different texture, even though they melt in your mouth. We’ll work on that later.
You’re still making good strides at being able to sleep through the night. A few times last night we were able to drop nighttime feedings–you settled down when offered your pacifier and went right back to sleep. And ONE very special night, you didn’t wake up at all! But you still usually want food or comfort during the night once or twice, so we’re still finding our groove on that.
You’ve been teething for about a month and a half. Nothing has erupted yet, but I wonder if that’s part of what’s been keeping you awake at night. You don’t seem to be in much pain during the day, but at night when it’s quiet and dark, I think you’re able to focus on it more. You enjoy chewing on refrigerated teething rings, fingers (your own or a friend’s), and any kind of cloth you can grab. (Much of the time you prefer the tether that the paci is attached to instead of the paci itself.)
Your swim lessons are going really well. You didn’t cry at all last week, not even after multiple sit-jumps off the side of the pool! You didn’t like being submerged in the water at first, and you used to fuss even when I sat you on the edge to get ready, but not last week. You just grinned up at me and kicked those feet when you came up. You even started relaxing during the back float–so much so that you indulged in a little thumb-sucking as we floated back and forth. Your teacher, Mr. Ron, was very impressed.
Because we got past official cold and flu season this past month, I felt more comfortable taking you out in public around lots of people. We went to a baseball game on a pretty afternoon. You fell asleep in your stroller at the top of the sixth but before you did, you really enjoyed people-watching. Your Braves onesie attracted attention, naturally. (Oh, and we won the game, too!)
You’re outgrowing clothes quickly. You mostly wear 9-month size right now, though you can still fit into some 6-month and 6-9s. You’re a long and lean 18 lbs, so you only seem to be outgrowing clothes in length–your waist is pretty small! Even so, you’ve got a little bit of adorable baby fat and I love seeing little rolls on your arms and legs.
Your favorite things to do are watch people, smile and jabber, and grab stuff: noses, beards, necklaces, earrings, puppy fur (ps: you have a very patient puppy), whatever. You’re starting to exhibit fear of strangers, and you’re even starting to fuss when you’re being held by people you’ve been around your whole life. I think we’re going through the separation anxiety and object permanence phase.
This is my new favorite picture of you:
Clearly you are a joy to be around–look at that face!
I love you, baby.
