This has definitely been the biggest month of change for Jack physically, mentally, and even emotionally. He is moving more than ever, which made the photo shoot harder than ever. Normally I just pose him and he looks at me all cute and handsome and I shoot away. This time, I had to have someone else with me to spot him when he was on the bed & chair and he was having nothing to do with taking his picture in the crib and just wanted to crawl out! The best pictures I got were when we posed him with Jake and he was content…he just wanted a friend to take pics with! He’s physically changed so much in the last month because of the medicines he is on, but his eye is looking great!
Size: You are a big boy! Last week you weighed 20 pounds and had gained 2 pounds in 4 weeks thanks to the prednisone…You have the biggest cheeks and a few chins currently. You have the chubbiest little legs, too! You are currently wearing 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. We’ll get your official stats next week when we visit the doctor for you 9 month appointment.
Sleep: Well, I wish I had better news but you are still not sleeping through the night. Each time I think we’re heading in the right direction something happens. Since you have been on your medicines (about 5 weeks) you have been eating lots and have been waking up at 2 or 3 to eat and then again at 6:30 or 7. We are trying very hard to coax you back to sleep during the mid night feeding and you have been better about skipping it, but not every time.
You go to sleep between 7 and 8 (sometimes later if you have had a good/late afternoon nap) and wake up about 6:45 or 7am, which has been earlier than normal.
You pretty much only sleep on your side and your stomach now. Most nights you can sooth yourself to sleep, but when you get upset or wake up upset, someone just has to rub or pat your back for a while and you relax and go back to sleep.
Activities: You are a busy body. You always need activities around and you have lots of them. Once again (multiple month in a row) you love your jumper. You also have lots of new favorite toys that you play with daily (lots of these were Christmas presents)! You will sit and playwith your car steering wheel, your old school ring stacker, and you pick up and down and bang together all your small toys. You have even turned your toy storage basket into a toy at times! You have started stacking large blocks and are working and picking up smaller objects and placing them into cups.
You have started playing with the front of your walker where there is a hole to put the balls and shapes through. When you put the ball in the hole, it lights up and plays a noise and you do it over and over and over again.
You still love your Baby Einstein videos and they captivate your attention, even when you are fussy.
Food: You eat three solid meals a day and are eating all kinds of foods. You are eating meats now in addition to all the fruits, vegetables, oats, grains, and cereals. You will pretty much eat it all! You eat 7.5-8oz 4-5 times per day (depending on if you wake up in the middle of the night).
We are also working with you on eating puffs and mum mums. You pick up your puffs and bring them to your mouth, but often spit them out. You also like to pick them up and just store them in your hands. Every once in a while you gag while trying puffs and it scares the heck out of me. We are starting to venture out and give you foods when we’re at restaurants but nothing too adventurous.
You hold your own bottle to feed yourself and very rarely let us hold it for you even when I am rocking you before bed. You only nurse every once in a while, but are on about 50% breast milk and 50% formula.
Nighttime Routine: We have had dad around more lately which has been great! After I pick you up from school, you will eat solids for dinner. Then you either play in your jumper and watch mom cook dinner or play on the ground with all your toys. We’ve also been taking family trips to the trail for a run/walk and you are content riding in the BOB. Dad gives you your bath (which you LOVE) and puts your pj’s on while I get your nighttime bottle and medicine ready. He then brings you to me in the rocker and I give you your medicines and bottle and put you in bed. We also try to read a book as much as possible. This normally depends on your mood after your bath and if you fall asleep during your bottle.
New things: You aren’t quite crawling but you are moving around! You can do 360’s on your stomach, push yourself backwards, and roll over consecutively to get places. You also get on all fours and rock, but still aren’t putting it all together to crawl. You reach up to grab our fingers and pull yourself up, but you haven’t pulled yourself fully standing on an object quite yet. You do pull up onto your knees. You constantly want to stand. I have trouble sitting you down in front of your toys alot because you just want me to hold you in standing position and you will not bend enough to sit.
We lowered the crib to its lowest height and you are no longer allowed to sit on the bed or couch unless we are holding you.
You have been holding your own bottle, but now can hold it with one hand.
You currently do not like being changed (clothes or diaper). You want to be entertained on the changing table and start grabbing all the diapers, powder, brush, etc that’s around. When I lean you back to change you, you have started to throw a fit where you cry and arch your back…sometimes, but not all the time.
Examples of this back arching can be seen below in outtakes from the 9 month pics.
You rode in the grocery cart for the first time and it keeps you very entertained. You love people watching and when we go to restaurants your favorite thing is to watch the waiters. If one walks behind you, you whip your head around so fast so that you can keep your eye on them.
People are contstantly commenting on how cute you are and everyone loves your cheeks. Your teachers at The Pineapple School have told us you are one of the favorites of all the teachers and they always come by to say hi to you and see you smile. When we go to restaurants all the waiters/waitresses and random people will stop by the table to say hi to you and you always just smile away at them.
You went to the hematologist and he put you on two medications for your hemangioma. The good news is these medicines have shrunk the hemangioma, but along with these results is a BIG weight gain over the last month. The doctor told me your face would become swollen and it has…those cheeks just keep getting bigger and I can’t believe it! You should be off one of the medicines in the next 3 weeks and the swelling should reduce.
You have taken a new interest in Jake and love to watch him and pet him. He still licks you a lot and sometimes knocks you over he is loving on you so much, which you sometimes don’t like. You squint your eyes and turn away in anticipation whenever he is near.
