9 months

I'm writing this a few weeks too late and I didn't do a very good job of keeping a running tally of all the things you have done between 8-9 months so I many only be able to touch on the big things this time.

• You started saying "uh oh" a couple of weeks after you turned 8 months. I didn't even realize that you were saying it until you dropped your sippy cup a few times and I heard you say "uh uh" each time. It was so cool. We think you picked this up from the kids at daycare because daddy and I never really said this. But we do now!!! We pretty much encouraged it the second it came out of your mouth. Now, you sometimes even say it "under your breath" which cracks me up. You make the noise but you don't actually open your mouth to let the words "uh oh" out. 
• The same week you started saying "uh oh", you also started saying VROOM for anything that has wheels - and some things that don't. You love to make this car noise when you play with your toys. You love cars and trucks and anything with wheels really. You know that a car rolls on its wheels and these toys are starting to spend less time in your mouth and more time on the ground. 
• Right before you turned 9 months you started to get mobile. You basically thrust your hips and hop on your butt to get where you want to go. You started using this method to get to a toy that was out of your reach. You are not really interested in the crawling on all fours. You'd much rather use your "hopping method". Grandpa says you get around the same way a walrus does. :) Very innovative, my sweet boy. You knew you didn't like to be on your tummy to get around that way so you came up with another way that was more fitting for you. 
• You are spending more time standing up. You love to stand at the ottoman and play and you like to hold onto mommys legs while she is sitting at her vanity. Sometimes you are still a lazy stander and you'd rather scoot around on your bottom or just sit and play. 
• You are eating more and more different kinds of food. You've had pieces of chicken, salmon and even lamb at Easter dinner! Right before you turned 9 months you had Nana's meatballs for the first time. You were covered in spaghetti sauce but you devoured those meatballs. You also ate some of the noodles. You are getting better at feeding yourself but sometimes mommy or daddy will feed you with a spoon to speed the process along and to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need. 
• You love to play peekaboo and you laugh hard when daddy surprises you from behind something. Sometimes you jump because it catches you off guard but then you still laugh. 
• You throw all your toys. You do this really cute thing where you 'rev' up with your arm bent and then make a grunting noise when you throw like you're using a lot of strength. Its funny!  
• I still have to time bedtime stories just right. If I wait too long, you are not very interested and you squirm around until its bath time. We still do stories before bath because after bath you are READY for bed. You do the same thing every night. You start to fuss when you are getting your pajamas on because you are so ready for bed. Its funny that you do that each and every night when you know it wont be much longer til you nurse and go to bed. We try to distract you with toys on your changing table and that helps sometimes. It just all depends on the mood! :) 
• I want you to like books so badly! I'm sure it will come with time and your patience for books will get longer but for now, you'd much rather open & close the books, turn the pages, pull flaps etc if the book has any or just put the book in your mouth! There are a few books you will show interest in - the ones with things to open, close & pull and the ones with pictures of other babies. You love "talking" to those babies in the books. Its too cute. 
• At 9 months, your schedule (when you are at home) consists of 6:30 nurse, 7:45 breakfast (usually cereal and fruit), 10:30 5oz bottle, 12:00 lunch - usually about 4.5 ounces of baby food, some steamed veggies mixed in, 3:00 nurse, 4:30 snack (usually some crackers or cheerios), 6:00 dinner - veggie, some meat and sometimes a little bit of yogurt or fruit, 7:45 nurse for bed. Usually in bed by 8:15. 
• This schedule is slightly varied when you are at TT's.  She says you show interest in a few ounces of bottle around 8am and 1:30 pm (after lunch). Maybe this is because you start your day 30 minutes earlier on days you go to her (nursing at 6am). I don't know. I don't really think you need that extra milk But either way, you drink about 15-17 ounces of milk at daycare right now. I stopped pumping at noon so now I'm only pumping at 9 and 3. Its not making that much of a difference now. I'm only getting around 7-8 ounces when I pump :( I've been really upset about this because I wanted to only keep you on breast milk until you turned 1. I only have enough milk in the freezer for about 12 more bottles. Ill keep pumping but Ill have to talk to the pediatrician at your 9 month appointment and see what I should do.
• The day after you turned 9 months (April 18th) we headed up to Greenwich to visit your Momio, Aunt Blair, Cousin Max and Uncle Wes. I didn't take the typical monthly pictures and decided to use our photos from the trip as your 9 month pics.
• You 9 month appointment was on May 4th. It was a little late because of our trip and other difficulties scheduling the appointment. You weighed 20.8 pounds and were 28.25 inches.