9 month check up

today we took C to his appointment at his new pediatrician. we had to drive out to riverview, but it was TOTALLY worth it! the pediatrician observed him the thirty minutes we talked, held him and gave him little toys to play with while she explained everything she was doing during the exam! talk about a GREAT bedside manner! but i guess the real test will be at the next appointment...was today a fluke? i think not, but only time will tell.

what we learned today...

...C weighs 16 lbs 10 oz--that is the 5th percentile. yes, my boy is small--which makes me wonder whether i'm doing something wrong, but she insisted that he has consistently been in this percentile for a few months now (basically since he got influenza A) and that that's just him. it was reassuring to hear that he was fine, but it is so hard not to compare him to other babies. i just need to remind myself more often that he is a HAPPY, developing LITTLE boy! :) and that i cannot expect him to jump weight classes each month.

...it's a good time to start washing his teeth while he's in the tub. which is TOTALLY easier said than done. believe me. i tried tonight. i was only about to get the front side of his top teeth.

...regarding C's fear of the vacuum and blender, she said don't be alarmed just yet. just think of them as "sensory quirks".

...self-feeding is one thing that we really need to work on. she said that it is abnormal that C doesn't put things in his mouth--things other than his thumb that is. he has his pincer grip and picks up food (and carpet fuzz and the smallest speck of dirt...), but doesn't even TRY to put any of these items in his mouth. modeling doesn't seem to make any difference and dear god, do not even try a hand over hand prompt. he HATES that! she said to not worry about the sippy cup right now and really just focus on self-feeding. we will touch base at 10 months (in two weeks) and go from there. i might blog about our self-feeding progress. we'll see.

...she checked his iron level today to see if we can introduce cowsmilk. he needed at least a 10, and scored an 11.7. looks like C will be trying whole milk sooner than i thought!

...foodwise, we need to stay away from honey, shellfish, peanut butter and eggwhites. everything else is fair game. however, i'll be putting new foods on hold for a few days while we try to get this self-feeding thing under control.

i think that was all from today's appointment. i hope that we are able to make some progress in the next two weeks. :)

silliness

[friday funday: with grandpa h!]

[lunch at mellow mushroom]

[at the park]

{wordless wednesday: i'm up!}

HAPPY birthday, AUNT nikki!!

{wordless wednesday: droolin' in the park}

9 months

carter brian,

you are 2/3s of a year old today--and it's getting more and MORE difficult to take your month photos! especially this shot! you HATE taking this picture! you either refuse to lay down or you want to roll over or play with the doggie. :)

mommy can't believe that she's (pre-)planning your first birthday party ALREADY! time really does fly!

you experienced many firsts this month! you had your first christmas, went on your first (international) vacation, took your first airplane ride, got your first stamp in your passport (and your first stamp for your stamp collection!), got your first burn and had your first fall.

you are such a sweet, friendly, easygoing little boy and we love you very much!

you...

...blow raspberries like crazy! it's the one action that mommy and daddy think you imitate.

...are CRAWLING! earlier this month, if mommy was out of the room, you'd crawl; but if she was in the room, you would lay on your tummy and grunt. now, you crawl everywhere! even while mommy's holding you and when you're in the tub! :)

...continue to stand well as long as you have furniture or someone's fingers to hold onto.

...transition from lying on your tummy to sitting up with the help of your head.

...have FOUR TEETH! it's crazy to think that you will never again have that super cute gummy grin. but mommy thinks your gap is super cute too! daddy keeps saying he hopes the gap closes up. :)

...are eating protein (in the form of ground turkey), but have ZERO interest in feeding yourself. mommy really hopes you turn around soon--she'll be embarrassed if you don't feed yourself birthday cake at your birthday party! oh, and today you had yogurt for the first time!

...love to wrestle around. for instance, when mommy was trying to take your photos for your one month birthday, whenever she got you in the position she wanted you in, you'd dive towards her once she took her hands off of you! (you do this during bath time too, whenever we try to stop you from crawl swimming. you love the struggle!)

...rummage and dump all items in your toy baskets out. mommy had to turn the diaper changing basket into a toy basket because you were constantly rummaging through the diaper basket! you LOVED it so much that mommy put other toys in shoeboxes for you to rummage through and dump!

...still L.O.V.E. bath time! you cheer and yell and crawl to the tub while mommy's drawing your bath and fuss when mommy tries to take your clothes off. your favorite bath toy is a red solo cup--mommy thinks those will be the cups at your birthday party!

...try to rip mommy and daddy's faces off whenever you're drinking a bottle. it really hurts if mommy hasn't clipped your fingernails in a while, causing daddy to utter expletives under his breath.

...are in DESPERATE NEED of a haircut! grandma h says it's "bad luck" to cut a baby's hair before his first birthday. i wish that wasn't the case--or that your birthday wasn't on a weekend. if your birthday was during the week, we could get your haircut before the party! oh well.

...waved for the first time yesterday! we were eating lunch at sumatra cafe and mommy and daddy *thought* you waved at an older gentleman behind you. at dinner (at tokyo sushi), you DEFINITELY waved at a guy in a red shirt as he was leaving! i swear--you just LOVE people with white hair and people wearing red.

...get super giggly--we call it "deliriously happy"--in the late afternoon, right around nap time. mommy and daddy LOVE it!

...are just beginning to do one of the things mommy has been looking forward to--crawling over and into her lap! it just melts her heart!

...are NOT a cuddler, so mommy and daddy have resorted to tricking you to cuddle. we do this by giving you a toy that you want, making you lie down with said toy, and then we lay down next to you and snuggle! if we don't do this, we only get about 2 solid seconds of "sweet boy" time once or twice a day--which is NOT ENOUGH! ;)

...seem to say "hi", but don't do it all the time, so mommy isn't 100% certain that we should officially call it your first word.

____________________

mommy's favorites for the month!

our first family vacation just us 3!

since mommy and daddy "got together", there's always been a new year's trip. daddy likes waking up in a new city for the new year, mommy loves to travel, and now that you're a part of the family, you're our newest tag along. :)

{waiting to board TPA > MIA}

despite mommy having a terrible cold (and puking after checking our luggage), we skipped the long line at security (thanks to you) and boarded our plane to miami. you did such a fabulous job with the whole thing, including allowing daddy wheel you around in your suitcase stroller! (mommy can't believe she didn't get a picture of this!!)

your first flight was from tampa to miami. and yes, mommy kept your boarding pass! you took your first ride on a prop plane from MIA > FPO.

you got your first stamp in your passport and we made it to Old Bahama Bay without incident.

{this was your sleeping area for our stay. it made daddy very nervous!}

mommy and daddy tried to get you to sleep when we first arrived (you'd only napped for 30 minutes on the flight to freeport), but you were too excited! we went out to explore instead. the temperature was perfect, but the wind was chilly. we went to dinner early and then retired to our room. mommy and daddy watched episodes of "how i met your mother" season 1 on the laptop after you fell asleep. (room sharing is NOT FUN!)

our first full day (new year's eve) didn't start out super fabulously. while you were under mommy's supervision, you rolled off the bed and hit your head when mommy was making your breakfast. it was bad mommy moment #2! (bad mommy moment #1: at aunt cheri's house on christmas night, mommy moved the baked potatoes from the regular oven to the convection oven with you on her hip. not a bright idea! you touched the hot pan with your left wrist. there's still a little mark now, but i don't know if it will leave a lifetime scar.)

{how far you fell}

you cried off and on for about 20 minutes and after daddy scoured the interwebs and an expensive phone call to the pediatrician stateside, you were okay.

you were a little clingy for a couple of hours--we went down to the beach for a little while, but you weren't very happy, so we went to where you seemed happy.

we spent much of the afternoon outside our room in the grass, just off our back porch. the view was still beautiful, but it wasn't exactly how mommy and daddy pictured the vacation starting out.

things turned around once you went down for your afternoon nap. mommy and daddy escaped the confines of the room (with the monitor of course) and talked--above a whisper--about everything. we were on vacation from that point on.

there was a "special" menu for dinner on new year's eve, starting at 7pm. mommy and daddy originally considered the idea of hiring a babysitter for the evening so we could eat dinner later than 6pm, but after all of the "excitement" earlier in the day, we opted to have a family dinner, in the bar area (since the main dining area was set up for the festivities) instead.

{all dressed up for new year's eve. notice the fortress of pillows mommy built around you!}

mommy and daddy have never been big partiers, even on nights like new year's eve; however, this year we set a new record! we walked into our room for the night at 6:37pm on new year's eve. but we had a nice time and you were happy to be back to the room for bathtime!

full day two was perfect! we had breakfast (and lunch) at the beach...played in the sand...took LOTS of pictures...daddy got a massage.

day three was our last full day. it was filled with much of the same, except mommy got a massage.

{our dinner the last night at Old Bahama Bay}

{one last photo from our back porch. notice the pair of lounge chairs--that's where mommy and daddy would sit while you were sleeping. one afternoon we even laid in the hammock while you napped!}

on monday, we slowly made our way back to tampa. we all had a wonderful time, but we were all glad to be back home.

oh, and your souvenirs: a stamp and a tshirt. mommy and daddy got a map for their map wall. :) it was perfect!