9 Months

(He's really almost 10 months - just 3 days away - but here's what's been happening in month #9.)

Weight: 23lbs 4oz
Height: 29.5"
(As of 1/10)

Caleb has exploded with lots of new tricks and skills. We can't believe how many new things he's picked up!

Quirks:
*His "cheesy" face; a squinty-eyed, scrunchy-nosed, teeth-baring, wide-mouthed smile that seems to be designed for entertainment purposes (as pictured above)
*Fake laughs, fake cries and fake coughs
*Inventing games (such as peekaboo from behind the bumper, and stop-me-from-eating-my-feet)












Skills:
*He jabbers all the time but doesn't often say actual words (he still only says "Dada" and "Mama") but he understands a lot of them, especially "kitty!"
*Picking up and feeding himself pieces of food
*Drinking water from his straw cup
*Banging objects together
*Pulling himself from sitting to standing
*Resuming 12 straight hours of sleep at night and solid naps of about 1.5 hours












Other:
*He is cutting his 8th tooth, and I think there are a couple more just under the surface (he doesn't let me look very much)
*When he gets dressed, as soon as his shirt is over his head I hold out the arm holes and he puts his right arm in the sleeve, then his left arm - all on his own!
*He only uses his left hand to put food in his mouth. If he tries to with his right, he uses his left to guide it in. Perhaps (despite Daddy's best efforts) he'll take after Mama and be a lefty after all?

He's able to go longer stretches of wakefulness during the day, which has improved his naps. He also eats three meals a day instead of two (plus snacking on some puffs). This is his current schedule:
8am - Wake, nurse, play
9am - Breakfast
10:30am - Bath (every few days or his skin gets too dry)
11am - Nap
12/12:30pm - Wake, nurse, play
1pm - Lunch
2:30/3pm - Nap
4/4:30pm - Wake, nurse, play
6:30pm - Dinner
7:30pm - Start getting ready for bed
7:45pm - Nurse or bottle
8pm - Bedtime

Breakfast: A parfait of fruit, cereal and yogurt or cottage cheese, and sometimes also toast or pancakes.
Lunch: Could be cheese cubes, cheese toast, chunks or purees of fruit or veggies, yogurt, lunchmeat, etc.; usually at least two different foods/courses.
Dinner: Similar menu as lunch. When we go out, I do pack food for him but also try to order something with ingredients that he can eat too. When we're at home I set aside plain or lightly seasoned pieces of whatever I'm cooking.

The majority of his solid food is now pieces that he can pick up but we still feed him some purees. His favorite table food is cubes of cheddar cheese, his favorite puree is butternut squash and his favorite fruit is a tie between bananas and peaches. Although he eats plenty of solid food, his main source of nutrition is still breastmilk. We plan to go at least a year of breastfeeding and then we'll play it by ear after that.

During the day, we play on the floor (he had a lot of toys before, but now he has TONS thanks to Christmas and family members!), read books, run errands, go on walks, go to the park, he plays in his jumperoo, and sometimes we just tickle and wrestle. :) We play together a lot, but he also gets plenty of independent playtime on the floor or in his pack and play or jumperoo while Mama gets stuff done around the house or takes a time out to relax for a little bit.

There's lots more that I'm not remembering. It seems like he learns something new every day. I cannot believe it's already time to start planning his first birthday!