Big Blue, Nine Months

Nine months feels like such a milestone age for a baby to reach, doesn't it? My baby will be nine months this week, and is on the precipice of some big changes.

How can I describe him adequately? Words do not do this boy justice, you guys. He's so incredible. He's sweet and tenderhearted, but is showing us that he's also strong willed and determined. He's physically strong, big and very healthy. He's gorgeous. He loves his family, but is starting to be shy around new people. He's very easy to tote around, and we get compliments whenever we're out about how easy going and happy our boy is. He's absolutely delicious in every way.

And at 9 months? Dash is now officially mobile! He's very quickly mastering the art of crawling forward the last couple of days, having recently mastered the backwards and sideways crawl. It's not quite a crawl - more of a scoot-hop, but he can move wherever he wants to now, which is GAME CHANGE for all of us. I'm no longer able to make dinner while he's happily playing on the rug (mobility combined with some serious separation anxiety, which seems to be peaking right now). Mostly, this mobility is impacting Ellie though, who now has to share her toys and come to grips with the fact that her brother has a mind of his own. And she's handling it ever so gracefully... (note sarcasm. I hear lots of shrieks of "NOOOO BIG BLUE!" and then wails after she's smacked him on the head. Great). Big Blue is her name for him, and it's quite fitting and has totally stuck.

oh so thrilled that Big Blue got to ride in the cart...

Last night I was sitting on the couch and looked down and he was just standing there, holding onto the couch, with this look of shock and pride on his little face. He pulled himself up, just like that. And parenting win - it took me a full several seconds to realize that this is something new. My mind was like, "oh, there's Dash, just standing there.... wait!"

Dashy was my dinner date the other night. Like a champ, I didn't have anything for him to play with but a manual breast pump. You're welcome, Dash (and restaurant!)

He cut his first teeth right after the new year. Hoping this helps both his middle of the night restlessness and his ability to handle textures, which is still pretty undeveloped. Dash likes to eat, and wants to feed himself, but has a serious gag issue when it comes to anything other than purees, which freaks me out. He's also got some constipation issues, so we're trying to figure out what kind of foods he can and can't tolerate too well. It's hit or miss. By 9 months, Ellie was on mostly table food, and I'd love to move him more in that direction. He still breastfeeds a million times a day and on demand.

Dash is still pretty quiet and really doesn't babble much. He makes noise, but doesn't have any consonant sounds yet. He still doesn't sleep that well either. He'll fall asleep easily enough, and only wakes to settle down/nurse, but some nights it seems like he just can't get comfortable, and I'll be waking at least once or twice an hour to get the situation under control. Some nights are better than others, but I've yet to sleep more than 3 or 4 hours in a row in the last nine months... And, of course, he's still in bed with us. I have mixed feelings about this. I love cosleeping with my baby boy, and I love the ease of which I can comfort him when he wakes up. I do believe that babies need comfort and find that comfort in their parents, and theoretically, I want to nurture and meet that need as long as he's showing me he still has it. BUT. It's gotten to the point where it's causing some pretty significant disruptions, and I know I'd like a little more space in the bed - not to mention it would be nice to sleep next to my husband. Plus, he's dependent on our bed for naps as well, and now that's he's pretty mobile, he's rolled out twice. So, the crib it is - especially for naps. We're trying, but not really making much progress on crib training. I know he'll get there eventually, but it's making for some long days with a tired baby when he refuses napping in his crib. :(

Bed-sharing bliss. I adore taking naps with my boy.

Mostly though, the sleep issue is manageable, especially when I consider the fact that he's SO EASY in every other aspect. He rarely fusses and hands out smiles for free. As I type, he's conked out in my arms - I think he may be getting sick, so he's been given the opportunity to snooze in my arms - a chance he will always happily grab. In short, he's simply the perfect baby and every day I marvel at how I could possibly love this baby as much as I do.

Love, love.

I snatched a rare opportunity to sit and read to my boy. All he wanted was to eat the book. Go figure. :)