Month the 9th

Frazier is nine-months-old today. Are the month-birthday posts getting closer together or is it just me? 9 months means that in three months he'll be a WHOLE YEAR! I have to say that month 9 has been my favorite thus far. Or at least my favorite in a while. Maybe it's just because months 7 and 8 were not favorites. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, just not as much as the ones that preceded them or this one that has followed them. I think it is because for a couple of months there he changed so drastically I didn't know what to do with him. He was suddenly too mobile for me, but not mobile enough to be as independent as he wanted to be. So we were both frustrated a lot. I felt like I never knew what he wanted and he felt like I never knew what he wanted and was angry not only that I didn't, but also that he couldn't do it either. He also didn't nap well so he didn't sleep well at night and meals were hit and miss. It seemed that everything was a battle. But magically, things are smoother now.

After months of army crawling (which was too inefficient for him to get where he wanted to go as fast as he wanted to get there), he is now crawling on all fours and getting from here to there far faster. I can't go anywhere anymore without him following me, and it's wonderful. He really only crawls, though, until he gets somewhere he can stand...and that's anywhere there's something to hold on to...tables, ottomans, doorfacings, dining chairs, me. And once standing, he's not only pretty surefooted, he's also able to walk the perimeter of something (like the coffee table), move from one object to another (like coffee table to couch) and go from sitting to squatting to standing and back down again easily! So he rarely bonks his head, thank God. He's loving the new freedom of movement and because it entertains him, I am too! Not that he doesn't have to still be watched all the time, but since it's more like, only every other second now, I actually get other stuff done some days. Like laundry and cleaning my kitchen.

I also instituted a schedule which has made all the difference in the world. Frazier sleeps from 8 to 8 with one feeding in the early morning. Breakfast is at 9ish, nap at 11ish, lunch 12-1ish, nap 3ish, dinner 5-6ish, bathtime 7:30ish followed by bedtime. There are roughly five nursing sessions in there, too. We adhere to it as strictly as I can, which is a bit limiting, but works best for everyone in the end.

I imagine the pendulum will swing back and one day putting him in the carseat will be a battle again. And then there's walking (which is close) and will present a whole new set of challenges. Already, all I have to do is look at him sideways and say "What do you have?" or "What are you doing?" and he's off...even if he doesn't really have anything he isn't supposed to! Chasing him down is super easy right now...

Well, come what may, I'm loving having a nine-month-old. So I'll just revel in that for now. :)

Frazier, Mommy's thrilled with you. Cheers, darling!