Three quarters of a year already?! WOW.
I still just can’t get over how FAST time is flying since this little guy has joined our little family. Some days, it feels like it was just yesterday we were bringing him home (and thinking, oh my god, we have two children…what are we doing?!). ; )
JUST FOR FUN: HERE’S A LOOK AT LUCAS AT 9 MONTHS!
Weight & Height
At his appointment last Friday, Alex officially weighed in at 23-1/2lbs (85th percentile) and 30 inches tall (90th percentile). He’s nice and solid!
Eating/Nursing
Alex still loves food, and we’ve begun to have fun introducing some more new things here and there, too.
His feeding schedule is still very similar to last month, so not much has changed there. Alex will not nurse if he sees his brother anywhere near him (“let’s play, big brother!”) so I usually have to nurse him in his room where it’s quiet with no distractions.
For foods, we’re still doing a mix of finger foods and purees. Depending on the day/how tired he is at dinner, he can get a little frustrated with finger foods since he tends to miss his mouth more often than not (and, you know, he wants all.the.food.now) so we always play it by ear and try to have both ready to go.
Favorite finger foods right now are:
- Blueberries (quartered)
- Sweet potatoes
- Egg yolk omelet
- Avocado
- Strawberries
- Turkey meatballs
Next up, we’re probably going to do some mini pasta, toast, and peanut butter. I asked his pediatrician about peanut butter at his appointment last week, since I’ve been reading up on the new guidelines that have recently been put out about introducing peanut butter earlier. He said that he was totally okay with it, so we’re going to give it a shot. I’ll likely try it in the morning (so I can keep an eye on him all day) and will introduce it the way they describe to in this article. So we’ll see! Anyone else tried introducing peanut butter early?
Sleeping (naps)
Still pretty similar here. Most days, Alex will nap anywhere between 9-10am and 1-2pm. Those naps can last anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the day. I’ve been trying to push them a little bit towards the later end of those time ranges since he hasn’t really been taking that third cat nap too much lately, and he can get pretty grumpy if he doesn’t. I wouldn’t say he’s officially dropped it yet (he just took one over the weekend) but I doubt there will be too many more.
He’s been having a harder time falling asleep on his own for naps again (womp wompppp) which I feel may be, in part, due to some separation anxiety that can happen around this stage. Then again, what do I know…he’s probably just totally playing me. ; )
Sleeping (at night)
Not too bad! Nights are still very unpredictable right now; some nights, he’ll sleep all night from about 7pm – 6:30 or 7am. Other nights, he’ll wake up once or twice (usually somewhere between 10pm-12am) and need a couple of snuggles before dozing back off. And other nights, he winds up waking (and staying awake) for 1-2 hours (after nursing, diaper change, whatever else we can think of!). Obviously, those nights are frustrating, but they’re not the norm so we just try to ride ‘em out (and have lots of coffee ready the next morning!). I’ve been trying to cut back on the nursing at night, but if he winds up being super upset, I tend to cave since I really just want to go back to sleep!
Alex no longer sleeps in the Baby Merlin Magic Sleepsuit, since he’s become much more mobile and also likes to sleep on his stomach occasionally. So I’ve swapped that out with a wearable blanket (only for nighttime sleep) and for the most part, the change has gone very well. We still put him down awake around 7pm, and he almost always goes to sleep on his own with no crying.
Clothing
Alex has outgrown most of his 9 month clothes and is now in just about all 12 months (including sleepers with feet). He’s still in size 3 diapers, and wearing size 3 overnight diapers from Pampers, too, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we move up to size 4’s soon.
Social
This kid is funny! He loves to be around people and saves some of the best belly laughs for his daddy.
He gets SO excited to see Lucas (or Cody) enter a room, and seeing Lucas and Alex actually interact a bit more this month has been just the coolest. Lucas will start to tell Alex to follow him crawling around, and Alex will start to shriek and smile while following him around. It’s just the cutest.
Alex has also stared waving hi and bye, loves to give nice, big, wet kisses, and likes to play the “How big is Alex?… SO BIG!” game.
New this month
CRAWLING! Alex has officially taken off, and there’s no stopping him now. I’ve also quickly realized just how un-baby proofed a good majority of the house is(!) so we’re working on that. He also loves pulling himself up onto his knees, but hasn’t quite gotten up on his feet yet unless we’re helping him.
Likes
- crawling everywhere
- trying to get into anything that he shouldn’t
- playing peek-a-boo
- his jumper
- any That’s Not My… books
- blowing raspberries
- chewing on everything
- dancing to music
- seeing big brother and Cody
Dislikes
The usuals…
- being overtired
- getting his face wiped
- pacifiers
How is Mommy Doing?
I’m doing well! I feel like I honestly don’t have all that much to report on this month. Life is busy, that’s for sure, but I’ve been going a bit easier on myself in terms of stepping away from things when I need to so I don’t wind up feeling overwhelmed. You’ve probably noticed that there are weeks when I blog less, and I’ve also cut back on the number of Usborne Book parties I do during the week. I love them both SO much, but I know I’m just a better person/mom/wife/etc when I’m balancing my time a bit better.
Since taking away that pressure, I’ve found myself feeling much more relaxed and in control; but at the same time, I also have days where I find myself wanting to really dive into the blog and/or book business MORE and making it thrive! Basically, I want to have my cake and eat it, too. Ha! One of these days I’ll figure it out (or maybe I won’t), but for now I’m content and in a good place.
At this point, I’m honestly just ready for some nice weather, so we can actually get outside and DO stuff. I think we all have some major cabin fever up in here, and the 12+ inches of snowfall we’re expected to get tomorrow isn’t helping things(!!) so let’s hope that melts SOON and March goes “out like a lamb” as they say. These boys and their mama need some fresh air!
Comparison
Boy, you are loved, little dude. <3
Per peanut butter – look for Bamba snacks. They are PB flavored puffs that are very easy for babies to eat because they dissolve when sucked on. My (almost 1 year old) nephew has been eating these since he was about 6 months with NO reactions and he absolutely LOVES them!
i introduced peanut butter really early…. also, no one in my family or his dad’s family have any food allergies, so i wasn’t all that concerned. i spread a little pb on a num num, but have you heard of those peanut snacks? bamba or something? i think they’re from israel? wherever they’re from have very low counts of peanut allergies and people credit it to babies being introduced so young!
I have a 7 month old, and my pediatrician agreed that we could introduce peanut butter at 6 months. We’ve given him peanut butter on a baby spoon a few times, but the ped also recommended putting it in his milk or yogurt. Alex is just adorable, and growing so fast!!
We have a little one born May 26, and introduced peanut butter around 7 months. She did fine with it, and I just made sure (per my doctor’s rec) that we kept giving her a little bit each week so we didn’t go months in-between. Now, she loves banana and pb, and eats it all the time! With my oldest (she’ll be 4 on June 10), we didn’t try until around 1 year. She didn’t have any reaction either, but I’m glad we tried earlier with #2! We have 2 little girls that are really close in age to your little guys, so it’s fun to see their growth!
He is a solid little guy! – my petite 20 month old is only 21 lbs LOL – you may have a future football player on your hands. I love his sweet little smile!
I’m with you Courtney! I cannot believe he’s already 9 months. I feel like I was just reading pregnancy updates from you! He’s such a hunk- I love that smile of his. :) Both your boys are such cuties, but in their own unique way!
We introduced peanut butter early too, around 7/8 months. I put a little into his oatmeal. I haven’t given it to him any other way yet and he’s 10 months. Isn’t it the best to see the relationship between brothers? I also have a 4 year old and the way his little brother looks at him and tries to copy him sometimes melts my heart.
That’s interesting about peanut butter, I feel like there’s so much to know! We’re starting solids in about two weeks and I’m excited, but a little overwhelmed.
This update made my heart smile. How fun to have the boys interacting and playing together! Your boys are both so cute, you’re definitely blessed.
My son is ten months, so I love reading these! His chunky thighs are just to die for. We did peanut butter early. I don’t remember when (second kid probz) but he’s definitely been eating it for a few months now. Luckily, no problems. I think we did it pretty early with my first son too. Well before a year. It was certainly scary both times though!
His smile is too much. I’m just in the ‘what solids do I introduce now’ phase. I had no idea you could introduce peanut butter that early! Thanks for sharing that article!
I started introducing almond butter about 7-8 months. I gave my LO a tiny bit one morning then waited a day or two and gave him a little more. Once I felt good with almond butter I did the same with peanut butter. My doctor told me that if no one in the family had an allergy plus I breastfed so he was probably getting it through my milk and even fingers then go for it as soon as I was ready.