Brody is 9 months old!

My little man turned 9 months old on the 11th. He was 9 months and one day when I wrote this! Haven't had time to upload pics and was further delayed when I left my camera at a party over the weekend. So, here is the post. Look for related pictures soon! Oh, and I should probably say at his 9 month appointment on the 17th he was 19 lbs 6 oz (gained 1/2 a lb in one week!). He is in the 75th - 90th% for height and 25-50% for weight. So fun.

Brody is 9 months. *Sigh* It has been a fabulous couple of months around our house, but things have really gotten exciting in March. On March 1st we noticed the bottom tooth buds and by the end of the week we had actual teeth! On the night of March 10th, as Brody was battling with teething/sleepness related to a little cold, Ben and I watched on the baby monitor as he rolled over and over eventually pushing himself up to a sitting position! Time to drop the crib! I am sure it is much later than when we moved it down with Cadence, but it marks such a big milestone! It is the official movement from helpless baby to independent creature. It is fabulous and sad in the same breath.


As we have made this transition we are also moving through our baby gear. And with this being the end of the baby trail for the Smith family, it means saying goodbye to some gear that has really helped define our relationship with the kiddos.


For Brody, I had to have a second baby bouncer. It was brown and the overhead bar had a removable owl that he removed all the time. Well, after he started sitting by himself and the exercauser was the confine Brody to the kitchen tool of choice, we decided we were done. It was donated to Brody's day care where the wee ones will sit and drain their bottles (felt great about this because the one they had before was there from when Cadence was there still, I think).


The other thing that has been packed away is the baby swing. This swing is a working mom's best friend. For the early mornings and late nights when Dad is already at work and you have to cook food for the older kids...whew. The swing IS your other set of arms. We have been done with this for awhile (maybe December?) but have left it up. It is the largest symbol of babydom in our house and now it is moving away! Right now we have it posted on Craigslist to try to recapture some of the cost of having the kids!


The next big step for me is to pass on the breast pump. Monday was the last official pump day for me. And althought I have carried it with me to work everyday this week, I haven't found/made the time to pump. Brody hasn't really wanted to nurse this week at bedtime either. In comparing the two kiddos, I pumped longer for Brody - made it almost to 9 months with at least some breastmilk. But for Cadence she got only breastmilk until 8.5 months (we started supplementing Brody seriously around 7.5/8 months). This also means my nursing cover will no longer be used. I am deciding whether or not to save it for posterity, add it to a kids "memory" quilt. Or to suck it up and pass it to another mom to treasure. I noticed that I have about 12 DHA supplement pills left that Brody never benefitted from...a bunch of vitamin drops that I added to the breastmilk that he hasn't used.


But enough about me and my issues! Back to Brody... :)


While he is not crawling, he is definitely mobile. He tends to stick to one room, but can't be contained on one blanket. He will lay down and roll to wherever he needs to get whatever he wants. And usually he is after whatever is NOT his toy. Favorites have been mom's shoes and the baby wipe package, as well as any Cadence toys that have been left around. He is SO curious and wants to touch everything. He sees it and immediately wants to feel it. With everything. He had is second cold this week and at the doctor's office we looked at all the cartoons on the walls, then went over to touch them so he could really figure it out.


We do expect the crawling to come any day. He is regularly getting up on all fours and rocking away. Sometimes one of the legs is still getting stuck underneath him, but he is ready to move. He wants to go see and get everything. I am sure it will be a matter of a few weeks!


Brody has always had an amazing, distinguisable laugh. Cadence would laugh but we couldn't really tell if it was a laugh or a cry. When Brody chuckles, you can't help but smile. And he is much more ticklish than his sister (same as his daddy!). At one of our doctor appointments, our doc told us that Cadence would be able to make him laugh unlike any other. And we have seen that a lot more lately. She will come sit by him and use his bat to hit against his toys. He thinks this is hilarious. Ben and I will replicate, and while we get smiles, Cadence gets belly rolling, can't catch your breath, laughter...as a mom it warms my heart to see it.


Brody is a rock start with his food. For breakfast he regularly eats 3 scoops of cereal and a fruit jar after downing a 4 oz bottle at wake-up. Then 2-3 hours later, a 6 oz bottle and another jar of fruit. For lunch, another 2-3 hours after that he has a fruit and a veggie AND another 6 oz bottle. The in the late afternoon he finishes the day with another 6 oz bottle...finish that with a meat/veggie and fruit combo and a 4 oz bottle at bedtime...your result...a very full and happy little boy. So WHY is it he still isn't sleeping though the night?!? He is up usually between 4-5 hours and take a 4-6 oz bottle then too!


Sleep has been continually elusive at our house as we deal with the three little teethers. Cadence is working on her 2 year molars, Chloe has gone through 2 baby teeth in 2010 already (and one wiggly one that will be gone any day), and of course Brody's chompers. What we have determined from all this is we need a bigger bed! Makes for more fun Saturday morning cuddle time! Where the whole family can fit!


Other fun things have been going on with Cadence and Chloe too. Both girls are getting smarter by the minute! Check in to the blog regularly (or at least monthly) and I will try to get another update soon!


*Update: In the two weeks since I first penned this post, Brody has gone from sitting up occasionally to a fully mobile creature. He sits up and lays down, rolls around, and CRAWLS as he wishes. Usually he wishes to hang out in the general area or near some piece of furniture or other non-baby proof item. But usually he just crawls across this room. THIS morning was the longest adventure yet! While playing in his room, he noticed Chloe's room across the hall. Of course her room has lots of shinny things and lots of things on the floor right now. Well, he had to be there immediately and booked it across the hall. When I finally found him, he was all the way at her down, about ready to explore the pile of coloring books and activity books we have yet to decide what to do with! Good times, let the adventures of Brody continue!