Nine months have come and gone way too quickly (let's just pretend I wrote this post right after you turned nine months instead of two months later)! Before we know it your one year birthday is going to be upon us (and I'm not ready for that!).
We had your nine-month checkup with the doctor this month, and won't go back again until after your first birthday!:
Height: 29 inches (75th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs. (50 - 75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.2 in. (75th percentile)
Diaper Size: Size 3
Clothing Size: 9 month, 9-12 month and 12 month clothes
As usual, you were a busy boy this last month; here are a few of the things you have been up to:
In your 8 month post I talked about you getting your first ear infection :(. You weren't feeling well and mommy didn't think you were up to traveling, as you were supposed to spend the weekend in Mulvane with Grammy and Grandpa. However, because they love you so much, they came to Kansas City instead on Saturday to watch you for the day and evening since mommy and daddy had a wedding and Brew at the Zoo to go to.
Not even a week after taking you in for your ear infection, mommy had you back in the doctor's office to have a sore on your chin checked out, as I was in full on first-time mom mode, afraid you had contracted hand, foot and mouth disease. My only defense is that a co-worker had told me earlier in the week her son had contracted the disease, which of course meant that you could have it as well! None the less, we were supposed to travel to Mulvane for the weekend so I wanted to make sure you were okay before we left. The doctor said it was just a sore (like a rug burn) and that you in fact did not have hand, foot and mouth disease. Silly mommy. Though the following picture is still in my defense files:
You can see the ugly red sore on his chin, poor guy!
We made our first trip since April back to Mulvane the weekend before Halloween so we could see some of daddy's friends from home and so you could spend some time with Grammy and Grandpa since you missed going home with them the weekend before. Mommy and Grandpa went to the K-State vs. West Virginia football game on Saturday, and daddy was hunting for the part of the day, so you got lots of quality time with Grammy. Daddy had been out of town for work the whole week before so once he got back from hunting, he got to spend some quality time with you as well. You really enjoyed all of the special attention (no surprise) but it was so nice to have you finally feeling better.
We got to celebrate your very first Halloween this month, and you went as a cowboy (the cutest cowboy if you ask mommy, but I may be a little biased). Mommy searched high and low to try and find you a cowboy hat to go along with your outfit that didn't cost an arm and a leg, and when I couldn't find one, we went with plan B of wearing a bandana instead. Plan B actually turned out to be a genius idea, as the bandana doubled as a great drool catcher and it was soaking by the end of the night! At daycare, Kelly got all of you kiddos dressed in your costumes and took group pictures of you all. To say the least, it was adorable. She gave us a Halloween card with the pictures to remember your first Halloween. Once we got home, we didn't do any trick or treating, but our neighbors hosted a Halloween get together for all of the neighboring kiddos. Daddy even got in on the Halloween action and (at mommy's request) put on his matching cowboy outfit. We had fun hanging out with all of the neighborhood kids and so look forward to next year!
Cutest little cowboy you ever did see!
Cousins Emma and Sadie and Aunt Sheri were in Kansas City the first weekend of November, so you and mommy went over to Aunt Christine's to see them. Emma is only three month's younger than you are, but it is so crazy to see the differences between the two of you and how much you have changed in just three short months!
Checking out your cousin Emma, in front of your audience :)
Aunt Sheri with an armful of babies!
We took a road trip to Omaha this month to finally meet your friend Linley (nothing like waiting until a year later) and also to celebrate her Grandma's surprise 50th birthday party! We took just a short trip, leaving on Saturday and coming back on Sunday. Both ways we waited until nap time to hit the road hoping that you would sleep most of the drive. You had other ideas in mind, however, as both ways you only slept an hour of the entire three hour car ride, leaving mommy and daddy to try their best to entertain you for the rest of the trip. Needless to say it wasn't your best travel trip, but it could have been worse (*knocks on wood*). We had so much fun seeing all of the Nordquists and finally getting to spend some time with Linley.
Gage giving Derek the business
Derek with Linley and Gage (there's no question Linley looks just like her daddy!)
Mommy and Daddy with Linley and Gage
"Linley, let me have your puck"
Gage and Linley with Julie
You still have quite the personality coming through and now that you are more mobile (and more confident in your mobility) we find you getting into more things. You know the word no, but definitely don't listen to it very much. Usually you will turn around, smirk at me, and then turn back around to do exactly what we just told you not to do. Stubborn (like you're mother), ornery (like your father) and Mr. Independent.
You are still doing good about feeding yourself puffs and Cheerios and drinking water from a sippy cup. However, we haven't gotten much further with the whole "feeding yourself" thing. For example, the first few times I cooked you an egg yolk, you would pick it up and eat it. Now when I try to give you an egg yolk, you don't want anything to do with it. More of your food seems to end up on the floor than near your mouth, but we'll just keep working on it.
You've also this month figured out how to give yourself your own bottle, which for mommy and daddy is a big step! It's been nice for us to be able to give you your bottle and get a few things done while you're drinking it. You're still eating most of the different flavor combinations that mommy dreams up for you (squash/melon for example) but you have started to become a little more picky when eating, refusing certain things we try to feed you. You must be getting sick of having so much cereal (twice a day!) because that is the food you seem to refuse the most.
You are still eating four times a day. We have cereal with fruit for breakfast, and then what's left of your 6 oz bottle. You will eat 4 veggie cubes or 3 veggies and one meat for lunch and around 6 oz of formula. You get a 6 oz bottle for your late afternoon snack when you are at daycare, and then will have more cereal and fruit and 2 veggie cubes for dinner.
You are our good nighttime sleeper, going down for bed between 7 and 7:30 pm and waking up around 7 am. Naps however, are another story. You began boycotting your afternoon naps or not sleeping nearly as long (maybe an hour?), so we began working with Kelly to shorten your morning nap to 30 minutes to hopefully get you to sleep for longer in the afternoons. It seems to be helping a little bit, but in total you still are only napping about 2 to 2.5 hours a day. Your dad and I agree though that we much prefer that you sleep good at night, so we can deal with the shorter naps.
With crawling and pulling up has now come climbing. You like to climb over mommy and daddy, into the dishwasher, wherever you can. You have become especially good at climbing the stairs, I think it's become your favorite place to play. It's too bad we still haven't figured out yet how to put a gate in front of the stairs to the basement, so for now we just have to make sure someone is always with you. Here's a couple of examples of what I mean:
Climbing up the stairs
Managing to climb into the dishwasher to help mommy
No new teeth this month, though the way you were drooling and chewing we were sure you were working on some. We'll just have to wait and see if any will come through soon!
You are still not a fan of being contained (which includes diaper changes, clothing changes, confinement to your exersaucer/jumperoo, etc). All you want to do is be free to crawl around and get into whatever you want, without restriction. At home, this isn't such an issue, but at daycare, there are certain times of the day she needs to "contain" you so she can feed the twins or tend to something else. To say you don't like it would be a definite understatement, but we are reassured that this is a typical phase for your age :).
Here are a couple of videos from the last month I thought were cute:
Swinging with Ben
Babbling and playing in the dishwasher
Here are a few of my other favorite pictures from the last month:
Neighbor Ben got out the baby swing for his swing set for you to swing in!
Having so much fun!
Such a happy baby! Can't wait for warmer weather to do this again.
Cowboy GW and Mommy
All of us on Halloween
Two good lookin' cowboys
You also had a stick horse to go with your costume
One of your new favorite activities, opening and closing the cabinet doors
Gage and cousin Nate
Playing with the dishwasher
Linley with her cell phone and measuring cup, what more could a girl want??
Nothing like playing naked with your toys before bed (and finally getting some hair!)
Love the hat, but he tore it off about two seconds later.
Here are a few outtakes from your nine month photo shoot:
Gage, we are so blessed to be your parents, and we can't believe how quickly nine months have come and gone. Before we know it, we'll be celebrating your first birthday!
It feels like I just sat down to write your seven month post. Time continues to fly by and you continue to grow and change right before our eyes.
Your height is a bit of a guess since we won't have another doctor's appointment until your 9 month check-up:
Height: 28 inches
Weight: 20 lbs. (according to the scale at urgent care :( )
Diaper Size: Size 3
Clothing Size: 9 month, 9-12 month and some 12 month clothes
As usual, you have been a busy boy this last month; here are a few of the things you have been up to:
You haven't exactly been feeling the best for a good part of this month. Earlier in the month, you had a lot of congestion and stuffiness due to your top two teeth coming in. Once they finally broke through, you had a few days where you seemed to be feeling better, but soon developed a cough and cold. After about a week's time, just when I thought you were starting to get over your cold, you seemed to come down with another one, which lasted for another week. By the time the 18th rolled around, you had a fever when mommy picked you up from daycare, so instead of heading to Wichita for the weekend to hang out with Grammy and Grandpa, you and mommy went to Children's Mercy Urgent Care to find out you had your very first ear infection. Poor guy can't seem to catch a break this month. We got you hooked up with some amoxicillin and Motrin, which seemed to help pretty quickly break your fever and provide you some comfort.
You road tripped to Manhattan this month for your second K-State game. Luckily it was not nearly as hot as the first game you went to, which made the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone. We went for the Baylor game (sorry buddy, you still haven't witnessed your first K-State football win) which also happened to be Harley day. You do NOT like the Harley's. We tried to put swimming ear plugs in, but they just didn't stay in very well, so you had a bit of a freak out when the motorcycles went around the stadium. Other than that, you did pretty well, and you even managed to catch a quick nap during the game.
We finished up swimming lessons this month! Each week you seemed to get more and more comfortable in the water. Towards then end you would even let mommy dunk you a couple of times without even crying! We still can't figure out how to get you to close your mouth before going under. That pool water must taste good!
You are starting to show your temperamental, stubborn side (I wonder where you get it from??). There was a stretch during the month where you would eat well from every one else but mommy (tear*). Mommy felt a little better though after talking to Kelly at daycare as it seems that this is pretty normal. By the end of thie month, you seem to have gotten over it though, so I am grateful that it was short lived!
You tried a few more flavor combos this month, and I'm happy to report you don't mind meats as much as you used to hate them! You've tried both chicken and turkey now, as well as some other veggies and fruits. You still aren't a fan of the blueberry/quinoa/brussel sprout combo (I wonder why???), but you have warmed up to the pear/pea/spinach combo! I am determined that you will like your veggies! You also tried some steamed apples with cinnamon this month, so maybe we will try adding some more spices to your food.
We started letting you have puffs and cheerios, as you are getting really good at chewing your food and feeding yourself! I think in the next month or two we will probably be able to switch you to table food, but in the mean time we can take baby steps! I'm thinking some egg yolk and pasta to start with and then we can go from there.
You are still eating four times a day. We have cereal with fruit for breakfast, and then what's left of your 6 oz bottle (though lately you haven't been finishing your bottle). You will eat 3 veggie cubes or 2 veggies and one chicken for lunch and around 6 oz of formula. You get an 8 oz bottle for your late afternoon snack when you are at daycare, and then will have more cereal and fruit and 2 veggie cubes for dinner.
You like having your sippy cup, and you will slurp down the water. I've also been giving you ice cubes in the bag feeder which you LOVE! I think it feels good on the teeth you must be working on constantly.
You are still such good sleeper. You go down for bed between 7 and 7:30 pm and usually wake up between 6:30 and 7 am.
You are taking two naps a day, with a shorter nap (usually an hour) in the morning, and a longer nap in the afternoon (around two to two and a half hours). Daycare is really trying to limit your morning nap at this point so that in the next few months we can start weaning you down to just one nap a day in the afternoon. Umm....does mommy get a vote??? I feel like it was just yesterday you would sleep 20 hours a day!
You quickly graduated this month from crawling to pulling to standing up. I have a feeling it won't be long before you're cruising along the furniture and/or standing up unassisted. Where did my baby go?? Here's what I'm talking about:
Gage pulling up to stand!
You still hate to be changed. Diaper, clothes, it doesn't matter. You squirm and whine and squirm some more. We do our best to distract you while we change you, but usually it doesn't last very long. Mommy and daddy have become record fast diaper changers!
You HATE to be contained....hate it! If we try to put you in your jumperoo or exersaucer, you may be okay in there for a few minutes, but you start to antsy and whine until we let you out onto the floor. You just want to be free and on the move!
Your personality/attitude is really beginning to come through, you are definitely a little person these days. You are stubborn (like your mommy), ornery (like you daddy) and independent (like both of us). You are not patient enough for snuggles or rocking any more, unless it close to bed time, and mommy may be able to sneak in a little bit of snuggles. Seriously breaks my heart, but I love that you are wanting to learn and discover everything around you.
You finally broke through your top two teeth! They came in within two days of each other, and since then you have no longer been waking up in the middle of the night. Sometimes we have to be careful of where are fingers are in proximity to your mouth, because you will chew on them if given the chance, and your teeth are sharp!
Mommy got you a toothbrush and some toothpaste this month so we can practice brushing your teeth (now that you have 4 of them!). At first you were not too fond of mommy coming at you with the toothbrush, but you now will let me brush with no problem. I think you maybe like the taste of your toothpaste.
You still love your new daycare situation, and so do mommy and daddy. Seriously the best decision we could have made. I was a little nervous though because at the beginning of October, Kelly was on vacation for a week, so we had to take you to ANOTHER new daycare while she was gone. Luckily we were able to take you to her brother and sister in law's house (who had met you before) and the transition went so smoothly. It was while you were at their house you learned to start pulling up, and you even got to go down the slide a few times while you were there. I think you had a ton of fun with all of the other kids (their daycare is twice as big as Kelly's).
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last month:
Getting a little play time in before swim lessons
Love those baby blues
Ready to watch the K-State game in my purple overalls!
I'm coming for you mom...
You have something I want....
Please let me play with your camera!
Big boy with my sippy cup
Getting ready to go down the slide at daycare
Working on my standing skills
"What?"
Mommy must be pretty funny
Standing up!
Petting the doggies
Mommy and daddy forgot to tell cousin Abby what your new tricks were. This picture was included in a text that said, "Um, did you know he was doing this?". Yea buddy, mommy and daddy weren't ready either.
Hanging out with Grammy before the K-State/Baylor game
Trying to keep you calm during the Harley intro. Paci and orange ear plugs. They still didn't help :(
Choosing to play with the diaper bag, instead of the 20 toys behind him!
Here are a few outtakes from your 8 month photo shoot. This is definitely not getting any easier!
Happy baby!
Seriously, this face kills me
Even with an ear infection, you are so stinkin' happy
Here I come mom!
LOVE those chubby baby legs
I remember when he was only half as tall as the couch cushions :(
Working on crawling and climbing
Such a big boy
Just too excited!
Gage, it is so hard to believe that just a few short months ago you were a newborn who needed so much help from both mommy and daddy. You are already becoming such an independent little guy, whether we like it or not! We both love you so very much and love watching you grow and change each day!
