9 Months old

Weight:

He was 21 pounds 10 ounces a week ago

Height: 29 inches

Clothing Size:

12 months...some 18 month one piece outfits.  Gabe is going to look like a litte Mexican when his 12 months shorts get too tight and he has to move up to 18 months.  His legs are so short they are about an inch away from his ankles.  I may have to do some hemming.

Diapers:

He needs to be in size 4.  We bought another package of 3s about a month ago.  I thought he had finished them and started putting him in 4s.  Then, I was going through his closet and there was half of the box of 3s sitting there.  He will be done with them in about a week.

Feeding:

He nurses 4-5 times a day.  Sometimes he goes 5 hours without nursing, and I do not even notice because he is content.  I guess he is getting enough still.  He eats 3 meals and has 2 snacks a day.  He eats a lot!  He is not picky.  He is not a huge fan of white potatoes or eggs, but he will still eat them. 

Hair/Eyes:

Blue eyes...I think there is some hazel forming around the pupil...like me! His hair is a light brown.  The more we are out in the sun, the more blonde it will become.

Sleep:

It has gotten great!  I started letting him "cry it out" after he turned 8 months old.  He finally got to the point that he was not hyperventilating when I would put him in the crib before he was completely asleep.  I couldn't do it before I knew he could self-soothe.  It took 25 minutes the first time, 15 minutes the 2nd, and so on.  Now he may cry or fuss for about 5 minutes.  He takes two 1.5 hour (give or take) naps a day.  Then he goes to bed about 8:30 and wakes up 7:00-7:30.  He really does not cry at night.  He grabs his blanket, rolls over, and goes to sleep.

Favorites:

Water to splash in and drink...bath tub, dog bowl, pool, sippy cup

Outside
Max and Caroline
Harley and Shelby
Food
Walks in the stroller
Sitting on Tony's shoulders

Fun stuff:

He has taken a step and has started standing on his own in the bath tub.  Hello, Gabe!  Why can't you do this where you will not fall face first into water?

We went to the Tennessee Aquarium.  Gabe touched a sting ray!  He was really excited about them swimming around, so we took advantage of him not being fearful.  They had their barbs removed.  It was not dangerous.

He also played peek-a-boo in the car with his blanket all by himself on the way to Tennessee.

Talking, singing, and dancing a lot now!  Of course no serious words, but I think it is close!  He says dada all the time.  He says it to Tony, and he says da to the dogs.  Maybe he is saying dog. He is starting to sound out mom.  I just can't wait for him to look at me and know thats me who he is saying to. He will yell in the car when music is playing like he is singing, and he likes to bounce to music.  He really gets going to "Dance! Too much booty in the pants!"  We had an 80s and 90s dance party in the kitchen the other night. 

He is starting to clap a little bit.  He really likes to pat his knees.  He will hold my hands while I clap, and tries to get me to clap more when I stop.  We are going to starting working on waving and clapping a lot this month.

He is a lover!  He has been giving kisses since around 4 months old.  He just keeps giving more, and he gives the best hugs.  He will squeeze tighter if you squeeze tighter.  I love it!  He will not sit still, but the other day he put his head in my lap and stayed there for about a minute.

Not so fun stuff:

At his 9 month appointment, he had a penile adhesion that had to be pulled back.  Ouch!  Oh it was so sad, but he is all better and doing great!

He had his first dentist visit to look at those yellow spots on his teeth.  Well, ends up that the enamel did not form correctly while in utero.  He said it could be from illness while i was pregnant.  The dentist gave him a fluoride treatment, and we will be going back every 6 months already.  Eventually, we will probably get them filled, so we will not have to worry about decay.  We have been brushing his teeth, but now we give him water after he nurses before falling asleep to rinse off any sugar.  Did not know this:  our mouths dry out while we sleep, and that is when bacteria grows in our mouths.