9 Months

My sweet little Blip turned 9 whole months old.  He is getting so big and so much is changing every day.  I can't believe how big he is...and how fast he got here.  He had his 9-month well check with Dr. J today.  He weighed in at 21 pounds 4 ounces and was 31.5 inches long.  That puts him in the 63rd percentile for weight and he is still off the charts for height.  She was quite impressed with how big our once "failure to thrive" baby is.  He clearly has come a long way from failing to thrive...although I do miss that 6 pound, teensy, needy baby boy.  

He obviously still needs quite a bit, but each day his need for independence shows more and more.  He has started feeding himself a lot of his own food.  We still spoon feed some things, but he really prefers to self-feed.  He is eating quite a bit, but I'm still struggling to find him the right foods.  He seems to have a texture issue...like his mom. Hopefully he got some of my good stuff too.  

It's hard to cook for one, and since we work opposite schedules, we just don't have a normal sit-down dinner like normal families.  We are setting our sights on that for when Blip and his sibling (?) are in school and sports...and Mike works dayshift.  But for now...this works.  Most of the time.  Blip eats almost everything now...as long as it's the right size, and as long as he can shovel it into his mouth by himself.

Blip is still the happiest baby. Ever.  He is rarely upset...and rarely fusses or cries.  Exhaustion, poopy diapers, and hunger are about the only things he'll let you know about.  Other than that...he's just happy.  He is super curious about what's going on around him, but he is also perfectly content to play on his own.

By his 9 month birthday, Blip had seven teeth!  Four on the top and two...almost three on the bottom.  He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth.  Everything.  He likes to gnaw and chew on everything.  He loves when I wear a necklace...they are just long enough to taste.  Gross.  He also likes the charging cord to Mike's PS3 controller.  We are still in the process of baby-proofing the house...

Blip learned to do the Army crawl this month.  He perfected it in a matter of hours.  From there he quickly learned to sit up by himself a few days later.  He loves to play on the floor with his toys.  Blip can keep himself entertained for long stretches of time.  He just rolls around, talks, does raspberries...and now he crawls towards Daddy's PS3.  He usually only goes for it once, but if he can get that controller, he is a happy camper.

I feel like this month has flown by...I know so much happened, but I can honestly only remember specifics if I wrote it down.  Sad, huh?  Gotta love that all controlling thyroid!

We celebrated Blip's first Halloween and went to his first Pumpkin Patch.  Blip was a super cute parrot for Halloween this year.  I'm guessing next year will be more fun because he will be walking (read: running) around.

He is still so nosey.  We love that he is so alert and always wants to see what's going on around us.

For the last month we've been having some bedtime issues.  Well just one issue.  Blip doesn't want to go to bed.  He has been so easy to put down until now.  Once he's asleep, he's out cold for the night.  It's just getting him there.  Nothing has changed, but instead of him going to sleep...he screams.  I'm all for crying it out, but geez...we're talking 2+ hours total. 

I'm to the point now that after a while, several soothings, etc...I just hold him (using all my muscles) and rock him to sleep.  He doesn't seem to like it...at all, but after 10-15 minutes he's out cold and cuddled in my arms.  We've been to the doctor twice.  He isn't sick.  It may be the normal sleep regression that happens around this age (per the books), or his teething, or he hates me..??  It's very frustrating.  

Being home alone at night is something I normally enjoy, but this screaming issue os awful.  I actually called Mike one night at 11:30pm (1/2 an hour before his shift ended) and asked him to please come home.  Listening to Blip scream is exhausting.  I've never felt angry or lost my temper, but it is just draining.

We absolutely LOVE sending Blip to see Miss Lori two afternoons a week.  He LOVES her, and that definitely makes it easier for Mike to drop Blip off knowing he is happy.  On Thursdays Blip gets to hang with his boys...and it's his time with Richelle too.  Sadly for us girls...I'm pretty sure he just wants to be with his boys (already).  He loves being with them...and just watching them.  I love that they all love Blip.  And I love that Blip loves them right back.