a whopping 9 months old!!

Okay so this post is better late than never I suppose… here’s the update on our precious little 9 month old!!

It’s official, my tiny baby is gone!  Charlie is growing like a bad weed and learning something new literally every day!  It’s crazy to think that 9 months have gone by already, but what a blessed and fun 9 months it has been!

Stats-

Weight-19 1/4 pounds
Height- 27 1/2inches
Teeth- still NONE!!!  Which is crazy, especially since Jay had 6 by 9 months.  However, the little guys has been pretty grumpy and ran a fever (a low one) a few days ago so I have my fingers crossed that they are coming soon.

Things of Note-

*Sleeping- Charlie is still sleeping like a champ.  He goes to bed between 7 and 8 every night and usually sleeps until about 7 or 8 in the morning without so much as a peep during the night.  His naps are  a little less predictable although still pretty good.  Frequently he will sleep for 1-2 hours (sometimes 3)in the morning and then do that again in the afternoon.  The only time I have trouble with him is if we are not home, he likes to sleep in his bed and not the car, or if a certain older brother wants to be super loud during his morning naps :(

*On the move-  Charlie gave up the slow and steady crawl and is full on trucking now.  If little guy wants something he makes a mad dash for it and figures that nothing is stopping him.  He will also speed up if Jay is following him or if you get close to him to pick him up and when you do grab him he usually smiles and giggles at you- silly boy.

*Cruising-  He is not only pulling up but cruising the furniture now.  Jay is not a huge fan of his “safe” couch being within limits now; however, Charlie enjoys being about to grab more things that he would like.  He also loves walking behind his push lion.  He stops from time to time to dance to the music but LOVES the fact that he can push it along on his own.

*Eating-  We have gotten over the picky eater stage as long as we are talking about food that he can put in his mouth himself.  This little guy can eat and will eat pretty much anything that he can put him his own mouth.  He does have his favorites, mini club crackers, cheese, Mommy’s homemade Mac and Cheese, but is not all that picky about food anymore.  When it comes to fruit and veggie purees he does have his opinions though- he likes them cold and carrots are still at the top of his list.

*”Yay Charlie!”-  He doesn’t wave or clap yet but he does do “Yay Charlie!” which is basically “so big” with one hand.  He pumps one fist above his head when you say “yay Charlie” and is so proud of himself for doing so.  By the way, Mommy really loves this trick and will say “Yay Charlie” frequently throughout the day just because it makes her smile.

Likes-

*Peek-a-boo.  This is probably Charlie’s favorite game and one that will guarantee giggles, especially if he is playing with Daddy after bath time.  He loves to pull the towel off of his head and have Jamie say a big “peek-a-boo” which is usually followed by some raspberries and lots of giggles.

*Bath time-  Charlie LOVES his bath these days and along with that hates getting out.  During the day (unless the door is kept closed) he makes a beeline for the bathroom and just stands up at the tub banging on it and smiling.  I think he is hoping that someone will put him in it.  And at night he loves to play in there with Jay and if he would stay on his bottom I am sure that Daddy would let him play in there as long as he wanted.

*Music Table-  The music table is still one of Charlie’s favorite toys.  He will stand there for very long periods of time pushing buttons and dancing along with the music.  And while he sometimes will crawl away and play with something else he usually ends up back at the music table.

*Lion Push Toy-  The loin is probably Charlie’s other favorite toy.  He stands up and dances along with the music and pushes it around the family room (thankfully he hasn’t decided to venture further yet).  He will sit on the floor pushing it back and forth and knows exactly where to push to make it sing for him.

*Touch and Feel books- For a while Charlie wasn’t great at sitting and listening to books, he was too busy snatching them out of your hand to try and eat them.  However, lately he has taken a strong liking to the touch and feel books; That’s Not My Dragon and That’s Not My Baby being among his favorites.  He sits very patiently in laps while we read and touches every page, maybe we have a tactile learner on our hands :)  He also really likes Peek-a-Who?,  which is not a touch and feel book.

*Bella’s food dish and water-  One of Charlie’s favorite games lately is “Race you to the Kitty Food”.  Regardless of how far away he is from Bella’s food and water he will eventually make his way into the kitchen and after crawling through the obstacle course of kitchen chair legs (he could go around the table but under is so much more fun) he will make his way to the bowls, tip them over and bang them on the floor.  If you, ‘catch’ up to him before he gets there he will usually speed up and give you a really large smile or laugh when you grab him.  Thankfully Bella being as chubby as  she is usually doesn’t leave any food for him to spill everywhere which is nice.  However, the water is another issue all together.  We have a pet fountain which cannot be moved but that is fun to play in.  Sometimes a “No, no Charlie” will stop him from dunking his hand in it, other times not so much.  Needless to say this whole game has made supper time prep much more interesting.

*Jay- It goes without saying that Charlie and Jay adore each other.  They are starting to play together really well which is just adorable and Jay can make Charlie laugh like no one else can.  I love watching their relationship grow daily, it makes the crazy that is our lives with two young children so worth it.

Dislikes-

*Being on his own- He is a second child and, well, doesn’t really like to be on his own.  He can be happily playing on his own in a room but if you leave (and Jay is not there playing too) he quickly gets upset.  Frequently you can find him crawling along after Jay from room to room.

*Being hungry- Honestly, this is Charlie’s one huge dislike.  The child is happy, just happy to plain exist (it’s wonderful and endearing all at the same time) BUT if he is hungry watch out he will be fuss-y and nothing will calm him down other than eating.  I can almost guarantee if Jamie is not home to eat with us before 6:30 that I am going to have one fussy boy on my hands.

I didn’t get too many of the fast little guy on his own until I called in reinforcements… not sure my reinforcements really helped all that much ;)