Wouldn't You Know It

As soon as I bragged about being cold free so far this month, hear comes....you guessed it...a cold. And a nasty one at that. We've got coughing, a runny nose, watery eyes, and a tired baby Jack. Where is spring?

Nine Month Update

Today Jack had his 9 month appointment at the pediatrician. I know it's a little late considering he is 9 months 2 weeks and 5 days old today, but we ran into a few scheduling conflicts. None the less we were at the DR today and Jack weighed in at 21 lbs. That's the 55th percentile in weight. Oh no!...his first average statistic! I'm not sure how I feel about that. I'm so use to having the "big boy". He sure feels heavier than that, I think the scale was malfunctioning. As for height, he is still up there in the rankings...28 1/2 inches, that's the 75th percentile. Don't ask me how! We also got the go ahead on feeding Jack adult food, (which we have already been doing for about a week now). Which by the way, he is REALLY enjoying. All in all, the DR and I both agreed he was perfect and he was right on target. I also thought it would be appropriate to revisit Mommy's 9 month wish list for Jack.

It was as follows:

1. more teeth...we got 2 on the bottom 4 months ago...where are the rest?
2. bigger feet...I sure hope they catch up with his body this month
3. a slimmer waist line...with all of this crawling, surely that's not too much to ask for
4. creative mobility...he is pulling up on everything, but I wouldn't mind a little cruising
5. restful naps...since crawling, they are far and few between and he NEEDS them
6. no ear infections or colds...wouldn't that be nice?, just for 1 winter month
7. baby sign language...we've been working with him, but no response yet
8. an utter of the word "mama"...with meaning
9. and of course more of the same...lots of smiles, giggles, crawling, and playing hard

Now for the update...

1. We have MORE teeth! 4 new ones pushing through on top! Talk about pain and whining!

2. Unfortunately, his feet are still growing at a snail's pace...maybe next month.

3. I have recieved 3 comments in the past week about how is getting longer and leaner. I still think that his waistline is rather plump though. Must be true though...statistics don't lie.

4. Jack is doing a little semi-cruising. He travels around his music table while shuffling his feet. Unfortunatley, we've removed all of our coffee tables, so he doesn't have much to practice on. Maybe the couch?

5. Ahhh...naps! Much better! He actually lays down and stays down when I put him in the crib now. And since teething, naps have extended close to 2 hours some days....those pearly whites wear him out.

6. So far (fingers crossed) no colds or ear infections. However, we did get a nasty stomach bug. I should have been more specific on that wish....I meant NO illnesses!

7. No baby sign language yet. But, he does wave , clap his hands, try to imitate The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and attempt high fives with daddy.

8. Of course no "mama" yet. But, we've got "DUCK"...go figure!

9. And YES! Lots of playing , smiling, laughing, and enjoying life! LOVE this baby!

Jack still has a little time before his 10 month birthday to finish up his list. However, Mommy thinks he has done a fabulous job so far. Keep up the good work, little buddy!

If You Are 9 Months Old...

This is what The Itsy Bitsy Spider will do to you...IF you are 9 months old. I couldn't resist sharing!

One more of my cutie...can you tell how much I love him?

Okay, I promise, last one...both of my babies this time.

"Du, Du, Du"

I've debated blogging about this in fear that someone might think I'm crazy. But, Clay can vouch for me...he witnessed it this weekend. The big news is...Jack said his first word with meaning. Of course it didn't exactly sound phonetically correct, but I knew just what he was talking about. It all started about a month ago. Every evening I take him upstairs to his bedroom and we undress for bath time. He has figured out the ritual considering we have been doing it since his newborn days. But now that he is a crawler, as soon as his clothes are stripped off, his naked rear end takes off for the bathroom. When I meet him in there, he always has a handful of his yellow rubber ducks. And for the past month, I've been saying, "Jack, you've got your ducks". Then off to the bath we go, ducks and all. He loves those ducks. He just wouldn't even think of bathing without them. The baby duck goes straight to his mouth and the Mommy and Daddy duck float around in and out of Jack's wet slippery hands. It's the same thing every night. Well, a week ago, we did what we always do at bedtime...upstairs and undress. This time when Jack's naked rear end took off to the bathroom there was something different. Instead of squealing with delight, he was chanting, "du, du, du, du". Now I know what you are thinking he was probably just saying "da da", as all babies do at this age. But, I promise there is a clear distinction in his vowels. Initially, I thought "no way, he doesn't know what he is saying". But, sure enough I met him in the bathroom with a handful of ducks and he was still chanting "du, du, du". He even went as far as to hand me one and repeat "du, du" over again. I was pretty sure, his new sound had meaning, but I wanted to give it some more time. From then on out, every time we saw a duck, I showed Jack, repeated "duck" (stressing the /ck/) and sure enough he would start chanting again. This past weekend, during Daddy's bath duty, he saw and heard it too. This time there was even a little /ck/ with it (just a little one). So, I'm not an over analytical proud Mommy. It is true...Jack said his first word with meaning! I won't lie, I was hoping for "mama" first, but I guess "du, du's" with an occasional /ck/ are easier. Or at least I'm telling myself that...maybe "mama" is next!
And yes, that is a bruise and a scratch on Jack's face...war wounds from our "all boy" crawler!