Nine Months old!!

I can't believe my little Bear is getting to be such a big boy. This month has been especially shocking because he changed so much so quickly. In the span of about a week and a half he went from only army crawling to getting up on his hands and knees, "proper" crawling (is there a word for that?), pulling up, cruising, walking holding our hands and walking with a push walker. He also threw in eating three times a day, taking a bottle or cup, and formula, if desperate, and clapping. I feel like I have whiplash! It also seems like he might be developing some early language skills too. I'd been noticing that when he really wants me he will say, "Mama! MAMA! Mamamamama!" and when Joe came home from work he switched his babbling to "Papa dada pa pa pa!"


It will be so strange for us if he starts talking around 1 because we're just not used to it. Z is all we know, so for us delayed speech seems normal. Z also was in no hurry to walk, so that's going to be a big difference too. Not to say that Bear is smoking Z's milestones in every area. Z was and continues to be a much better sleeper. He was on table food by this time and Bear still gags on pretty much everything but purees. They're just incredibly different and unique, which is such a wonderful and fascinating thing. 

The stats!
Height: 29 inches

Weight: 19 lbs. 14 oz

The Good!
It's been exciting and fun to see Bear reaching all of these new milestones. I love his look of pride when he accomplishes something new and seeing what an adventurous and bold little spirit he is. He loves to be with us all the time, loves to play with Z. He likes to be tickled, held upside down, sung to, danced with, his jumper, bouncing on his chubby legs while standing up, smacking everything, playing the wooden xylophone, trying to take anything Z is playing with, Z's sippy cups, and eating paper whenever I'm not looking. He is generally taking two good naps a day with an occasional third snooze that's usually quite short.

The BAD!
Along with the new milestones (and working on four more teeth) Bear's sleeping improvements have disappeared. He was slowly getting better and now it's a descent into madness. I also think he's been having some tummy issues as he adjusts to eating all of these new foods. I started giving him gas drops before bed and that seemed to help, as well as a good spritz of saline to keep his nose clear. I assume that the lack of sleep won't literally kill me, but some days I'm not positive. (Pours another cup of coffee) 
That's really the only complaint I've got about the little dude. He has started to have some stranger danger, but he doesn't cry when given to a stranger. He just gravely surveys them and if necessary begins to lean as far away from them as humanly possible. Generally speaking, he is still a really jolly, happy, easy baby.

The Awesome!!
Bear is just a cute little sweetie. He's not as snuggly as Z but he's still super smiley and I love his grins and adorable babbling. He gives lots of kisses, likes to pat our faces and explore the range of his vocal chords, mostly deep, throaty squawking.