Gray 9 Month Update

It's going by too fast! I cannot take it! Just thinking that he's 9 months old already kills me.

This cutie pie smile also just kills me, for the record!

Gray's still eating like a champ. He's not too picky, which is a new and different experience for me! He doesn't love chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, or watermelon; but he does like crackers with garlicky hummus, scrambled eggs with onion, bagels with cream cheese, and anything with ranch dressing. He's starting to suck through a straw so he's able to down those food pouches quickly! He's drinking once or twice per day from a straw cup, but still gets bottles in the morning and night. Mostly he feeds himself, but he doesn't like to hold his own cup, although he has started to try.

He continues to sleep well also. He takes two naps a day, but every so often will take three still. He's awesome because if he falls asleep in the car, I can move him to his crib and he almost always goes back to sleep! YES!! He's taken a few naps here and there in a stroller as well if we are out and about, since he no longer fits in his infant car seat. (We bit the bullet and got Nora a new seat and moved Gray to her old one.) At night I don't generally hear from him at all - he goes to sleep and wakes up around 6:30-7:30 every day. It's great!

The kids loves to play! This is a photo of him with his "baby". He gives baby kisses, and talks and coos at it. He waved bye-bye once this month (although I haven't gotten him to do it again!) Crawling has opened up a whole new world to him - although at first he was still kind of "stuck". He didn't like to crawl on our laminate flooring AT ALL, so he would crawl across the carpet, get to the laminate, try to crawl on it, get frustrated, and cry at me until I came to move him! What a goober! Anyway, he still doesn't love to crawl on it, but he's gotten less frustrated. He tries to crawl on his hands and feet, which is pretty comical. ;)

Gray is in that stage of crawling where mom or dad can "lose" him if we are not paying too close attention! He loves to sneak into Nora's room, and is delighted when I let him be in there for awhile.

He's gotten much better at walking in his walker this month. He used to think that the only real way to go was BACKWARD, and to go forward he would hop! Recently he's "walking" forward, and steering his walker around like a pro. He loves it when we take him to a park with some kind of hard surface and just let him go wherever he wants.

This month was a doctor visit month, and Gray weighed in at 22 pounds and 10 ounces! His height is 29.5 inches. He's growing beautifully, so no issues at the doctor - although he did get his Hep B vaccine. (Side note: Have I mentioned how much I love our pediatrician? She's so on top of things. I feel so blessed to have her in our lives!)

That's the "basics of the baby" for this month! ;) Until next time . . .

Gray 8 Month Update

8 Months Old, folks! ;)

This post is a little late because I had to get my photos in order. It's hard having two adorable kids and a camera! ;) Anyway, Grayson had a great seventh month. He's growing so fast it's hard to keep up!! This month wasn't a doctor visit month, so I will just say that I moved him to size FOUR diapers, and he's wearing 12 month clothes still. Sheesh. He's also jabbering a bit. His word of choice this past month was "ob".

Eating-wise, he continued on with momma's homemade baby food. He likes a vegetable or fruit mixed with oatmeal and formula. He eats a LOT! And he's also kind of picky already. He loves Cheerios and is content to just eat those all day long. He's been working on a cup - we started with a normal sippy cup with handles, but then he learned to suck, so we are now trying a straw cup. He's doing great! He's also trying table foods. No real favorites yet (besides the Cheerios), but he did like garlic bread and spaghetti on the first taste.

The kid is trying SO. HARD. TO. CRAWL. It kills me. I have been in denial, but this month he started scooting. He was going backwards, now he goes backwards and in a circle. He even rolls around in his sleep, and many times this month he slept on his stomach because he just would NOT stay on his back (even though mommy flipped him four times in one night!) He's got that frustration of a baby who just wants to move so badly and can't figure it out. But he will. SOON. For now, he just settles for getting up on all fours and rocking, or doing planks that make me kinda jealous.

Lots of outside play went on this month! Gray likes to be outside. Mostly he jumps in his sister's old Jenny Jump Up, but he plays on the ground too. He doesn't seem to mind the feeling of grass, which is definitely unlike Nora. He likes to swim and splash in our kiddie pool, and makes momma nervous as he tries to dive in headfirst. The kid loves water! We even did a baby swim class this month, and Gray had a great time.

Since he loves the water, bath time is always fun! Big sister Nora likes to "help" give brother a bath as well. Gray doesn't splash as much as he used to in the tub, but he still has a great time. He and Nora took their first bath together this past month as well.

Gray had two major "firsts" this month. We had his first tornado warning (above photo) in which he chilled on a blanket in the basement while a small tornado went in between us and the town we live nearby. It was scary, but Gray handled it well. ;) The second "first" was his first visit to our nearby beach. We went as a family and Gray did wonderfully!! He also learned to give kisses this month, which just made momma's heart melt. :)

Until next time . . .