Taylor, Matthew & Brayden: Nine Months

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Nine Months

My boy is 3/4 of a year old! I can just feel time slipping through my fingers - I am trying to grasp hold of this cute little man and enjoy every last moment of his first year, yet I know these days will be only a memory soon.

Brayden has hit many milestones in the past month. He went from lying on his belly to sitting up to crawling to pulling himself up on everything. He is, by far, the squirmiest of my children. I know I've said before that it is difficult to change his diaper, but now it is nearly impossible to do it without the help of another adult. As soon as I lay Brayden on a changing pad, he flips onto his belly and then begins to claw at my shirt and climb up me. He is a mover and a shaker. The baby gates are back up at our house and B is already trying to navigate through (over) them. Brayden is also starting to hold his arms out for me when I come to get him from his crib. Love it.

Brayden loves to eat. He now eats three meals a day and loves to snack with his brother and sister. Even though he has yet to cut a tooth (!), he chews really well and prefers small bites of food over purees. So far, he is a big fan of cheese, pasta, cheerios, banana, and really anything that can be picked up with his thumb and index finger.

I gave up breast feeding this month as well. It was time. Supply has not met demand for a long time. I was supplementing with more and more formula... to the point that I would have to hide a bottle from Brayden while I nursed or he would refuse me and go for the bottle. So, the end of nursing was truly a non-event for Brady. Momma was a little more emotional about it, but I am also excited to have my body back to myself for the first time in three years (or five and a half years?).

B's sleep habits have changed a bit in the past few weeks. He has been waking up about 6:00 AM, much to mom's dismay. Some days he's even up at 5:30. He is not napping as well either. Part of me wonders if his teeth are bothering him, and part of me blames myself for having to interrupt so many of his naps (not intentionally, of course, but sometimes we have places to be!). My little guy is usually pretty darn tuckered out by 6:00 PM and is usually in bed by 6:30. I absolutely love to put Brayden to bed at night. I cherish every moment that he falls asleep in my arms. There is nothing better than to hold a freshly-bathed, Mustela-lathered baby while he drinks his nightly bottle. Bliss.

At Brayden's nine-month check up, he weighed in at 18 pounds even (22nd percentile) and was 28.25 inches long (46th percentile). I am grateful that he is bulking up a bit, but let's be honest, the Bligh babies are just little peanuts!