- 1-Month Update
- 2-Month Update
- 3-Month Update
- 4-Month Update
- 5-Month Update
- 6-Month Update
- 7-Month Update
- 8-Month Update
Here we are at 9 months old — nearly as long as he was growing inside! It’s hard to believe they go from those little tiny peas to these gigantic babies nearing toddlerdom in the shortest span of time ever. This has been a really fun month — more smiles, giggles and milestones than ever before it seems to me. So let me break it down by sections like I usualy do for ya!
Weight: Nearly 21 pounds, in the 56% percentile
Height: I feel like they said 30 inches (does that sound remotely correct?) and that he was in the 96% percentile for height!
Food: He’s still majority on formula but we have started feeding him bits of our food here and there, which is fun. He’s eating stage 3 organic baby foods now, so more than fruits & veggies — things like chicken pot pie, quinoa and lentils in baby food form. I love watching him try new things. Yesterday, he really enjoyed a bite of chocolate milkshake! The doctor said to buy some sippy cups and that at one year, he can have whole milk. I think we need to switch to more food, less formula but I have also heard babies naturally will gravitate when they are ready. He still seems keen on lots of formula now but has no issue with the food. The kid pretty much finishes every bite of whatever we give him! I will tell you I’m terrified of choking already — and feel like I am hypersensitive to wanting him to have no solid food yet, especially with zero teeth to speak of.
Sleep: Still mostly good though we have slip ups. If he doesn’t go to bed at his normal time, things can get out of whack. Many nights, he will sleep 7pm-6:30am without getting up. Other nights, he’ll wake up once and require a bottle and soothing. Then there are the random 3 or 4am wake ups where he will just not go back to sleep and we are all up just for the day (then he’ll go back to sleep close to 7). Napping is another story…with three days at daycare and 4 days at home, napping is not consistent. At home, he will take a solid 2+hour nap around 9:30am. At daycare, he can’t seem to nap more than 30-4o minutes, probably due to lights, noise, etc. Many days, he will nap no more than an hour all day at daycare so we deal with a very cranky evening boy. Sometimes he will fall asleep in the afternoon in the stroller but it’s really hard to get a true nap in in the afternoon for some reason. I still count myself very lucky to have a decent night sleeper.
Skills: Well he has gone from army crawling to standing up constantly. He pulls himself up on tables, in the pack n’ play, on window sills, anywhere. He loves to just stand while we kind of hold him up — and looks so proud of himself when he gets himself up! He can crawl on his elbows so crazy fast too! It’s like a mad dash to move cords, etc. He has also crawled up four stairs by himself! (with me watching him of course). He loves to “run” around him in his little walker in the kitchen and have Daddy chase him around in it. Finally starting to get “peekaboo” and I discovered yesterday, adores screeching back and forth with me. He thinks it’s hilarious! The one thing he kind of “says” is “Dada” though I’m not 100% sure he’s really associating it with Rick. It’s still adorable though!
*Also loves hanging out with cousins! He has 10 first cousins, all but two (one in a different state, the other in utero:)! pictured below:
Routines: Every morning I get him from his crib and sing “Good morning Jacob, how are you? I hope your feeling FINE!” We open the blinds and say “Good morning day!” and he loves that time. Diaper changing has become increasingly difficult but we get it done. Then we open the blinds in the bedroom and head downstairs to warm up a bottle. While it’s warming, we go outside and say hello the threes, cars, bushes, leaves and the little bunny the lives in the front yard. Jacob loves to touch the tree bark and leaves of the plants. Then he has his morning bottle, we read a book, say our prayers and I try to get him to play with his toys for like 20 minutes before we go anywhere!
Work Update: He is still doing 3 days/week (21 hours) of daycare and I’m working full time. I have moments each week where I consider adding a day but then I take it back. The two days he’s home with me force me to get my work done at odd hours and prioritize. It’s hard but I don’t want to sacrifice anymore time with him than I have to. I can’t help but think about how blessed I am to have him and that I am so lucky to have the opportunities I do and spend the time with him many working moms don’t have. So for now, we’re keeping it part time. It is not easy but he is worth it!
Mom Talk: I hate to sound like a broken record, but everything really is wonderful with Jacob! I genuinely thank God each day for so many answered prayers for him and within my marriage. Like many couples, we had a tough transition to parenthood and it was one of the hardest parts about having a baby. Everything has leveled out and we both can’t get enough of this little guy. He is SO joyful and smiley — I mean I said to Rick last night as Jacob was roaring with laughter — “There is NOTHING in the entire world better than this.” I mean not a billion dollars, not the best vacation, not the world’s best dark chocolate 🙂 My baby laughing with me? I know no greater joy. The truth is I would like nothing more than to be pregnant again NOW — but I don’t know what the future holds in that department. It would be great to get pregnant naturally but the chances of that happening are small so we will have to make a decision to pursue IVF again or adoption. That is what I am praying about right now. But ALSO, I’m telling myself to chill out and enjoy this moment of life right now and stop thinking about the future. That is something I need to work on!
All I know is being a Mom is better than I even expected and I can’t imagine not wanting to do it all over again.
For those that like video:
I’m not really into Instagram stories (though I still do Instagram) but if you want to follow along daily, you can find us on Snapchat, username Ericka81. I think it’s hilarious and fun so hope to see you there!