9 months

Henry is 9 months old today. What an old man. He's changing fast. Henry will start daycare for the first time next week. He went for the morning on Monday, just to get a little experience there before he goes for a full day. I was a little nervous of course, but he did very well. He was happy, played, had a good breakfast, took a nap, had a bottle and played outside. When I picked him up, he was having a great time sitting in a little ride-on car outside. He wasn't even that excited to see me, so I know he must have had fun!

Stats: Henry weighed 17 lbs 1 oz when he was weighed a few weeks ago. He's wearing size 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes. Henry has one tooth on the bottom center, and the other one is about to come through.

Schedule: Um, I don't know what the schedule is. With all the developmental changes going on, currently having his second cold in a month, and teeth starting to come in, his sleep schedule is kind of a mess. He naps twice a day, usually around 8:30 or 9:00 in the morning, and starting between 1:00 and 2:00 in the afternoon. His bedtime is around 7:20, and night sleep is kind of a mess. Things keep happening to make us second guess what's going on. He had a cold, he's teething, all kinds of other things are changing with his development, he seems truly hungry when I feed him during the night so maybe it's a growth spurt... Who knows. But he wakes up multiple times during the night and it's getting quite tiring. I posted this on Facebook the other day because it really cracked me up. At least I'm still able to laugh about it.

Motor Development: Henry is now a crawling machine. He gets all over the house now, and he can move fast! I can tell that he really enjoys his newfound freedom. He really likes crawling all over the place, under furniture, into corners, and of course trying to get into everything he can. It's a bit of work making sure he's safe now that he's moving around, but also really cute and fun. Henry can also entertain himself even more, now that he can crawl. For example, he loves to play ball and now can even roll a ball around by himself and go get it. In addition to crawling, Henry easily pulls up to a high kneeling position. I've also seen him balance while in a low kneel. I'm sure he'll be pulling up to standing before we know it. He also tries to climb onto and over things. He is imitating more movements, and has clapped a couple of times but can't do it consistently yet. He is very interested in clapping and always wants to watch me do it and hit my hand with his.

I want to eat the cheeks in this picture.

Feeding: We are taking it slow with solid foods, as far as introducing new things. Henry nurses well and should still be getting most of his nutrients from milk. That said, he is a very good eater with solids. He likes all the fruit and vegetable purees that he's tried. He bites and chews soft foods easily. Some of his favorite cut up foods are green beans, carrots, sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, and all kinds of fruit. He has started eating real oatmeal for breakfast, instead of baby oatmeal. I just make extra when I make my own, and it can keep a couple days in the fridge. Next we will continue to try some new vegetables, pieces of tofu, and after a little longer some beans.

Social and Communication: Henry is very social and always interested in watching and interacting with people. He has certain things he does to initiate interactions with people too. He will babble, make sounds with his mouth like smacking his lips or clicking his tongue, or shake his head back and forth and wait for the other person to do it too. He imitates all kinds of movements. Henry also has different social games that he plays with certain people. He plays a game with Celia where if she's lying on the floor (which she often does, snuggling in a blanket or something) he crawls over and starts climbing on top of her, and they roll around on the floor laughing. Henry can wave hello, but doesn't always do it. He babbles a lot, and makes many sounds and sound combinations. He has a very cute little voice and an infectious laugh.

Cognitive: Henry likes to play peekaboo now, and is starting to pull the cloth away to find me if I hold it up and hide. He is imitating more during play. He turns pages in books and is starting to put things in containers and take them out again. He really likes playing ball, and will throw a ball back and forth for quite a while. Henry clearly understands object function for many objects and toys, and knows how to play with a lot of toys. I've also noticed that he has become more intentional with his actions. For example, he will get an idea of what he wants to do and go do it. He doesn't get sidetracked or distracted. He's able to plan something and follow through.

Now that he's hit the 9 month mark it really seems like we're getting close to Henry's first birthday. As much as I'd like great perks like getting a good night's sleep, I still dread that first birthday. I love having him be a baby. On the other hand I'm sure he will still be just as lovable the older he gets, just as his sister is.