James: Nine Months!

Well, I am really late with this blog post, considering how James turns 10 months in a little over a week! Better late than never!

This little boy is on. the. go. I have officially hit a stage with having two very mobile kids. And what is one activity that this little mover loves to do? Climb the stairs. And he always does it at the most inconvenient times, like when I'm washing the dishes, or cooking and have raw chicken or cupcake batter all over my hands. It also doesn't help when his big brother sits at the top of the stairs, and beckons him up ;) He also wants to be down and clearly communicates when he no longer wants to be held. He officially is up on his hands and knees and crawling like a big boy.

We hit another big milestone this past month, which was a huge deal for all of us. We joined a community bible study (CBS) and Zach and James were in classes and the nursery for the first time ever with people I did not know. We have only ever had family members babysit the boys and since I help out with Sunday school at church, they are either with me or with people we know and trust really well. After putting James in the nursery two times, I came back to him crying :( It is a hard time of the day for him, during his first nap and at a time he usually eats. Since he has awesome aunties who would love having one-on-one James time during that time, I pulled him out of CBS and he now loves that one-on-one time. (Zach is LOVING his classs!)

James also took a turn with solids and is loving food! He eats table food and has become quite the little foodie.

Eat
After attempting all sorts of approaches to food with James, we finally found a method that has taken to and actually eats. He rejected purees so we are doing Baby Led Weaning with him. And he LOVES food. James loves carbs. They are by far what he always goes for. I give him fruits and veggies and he gives me this look of, "What is this?" but he will eat them. He likes eating waffles, pancakes, toast, bananas, cantaloupe, honey dew, pears, sweet potatoes, quesadillas, black beans, and other variations of what we are eating. Eating has become one of his favorite activities. He can spend so much time sitting in his high chair, munching on food and kicking his legs. James also learned how to drink out of a sippy cup. He gets water or b-milk in his cup at meals.

As always, I'm concerned whether or not he is getting enough food/calories. He is still nursing four times a day, but has definitely decreased the amount of time he is nursing. He also wakes up at nurses 1-2 times at night. Again, I want to make sure he getting enough calories.

Sleep
Oh sleep. I miss you. This month has been rough in the sleep department. James got off track with teething, then he was sick. I honestly have lost track how many times he wakes up in the middle of the night. I have discovered that I am a softie in the sleep department. I always question why he is up. Is he teething? If he's sick, he needs to eat and get his fluids in. Did he not get enough to eat during the day and is hungry? For now, I will just keep getting up with him, knowing that one day he will sleep through the night. 

He is still napping two times a day. Sometimes his morning nap is cut short so we can go out and do things. With that, his afternoon is usually longer (2 hours) which is a nice break for mom!

Play
James likes to get up and stand on everything. One of his favorite things is the train table and he loves ripping the track apart and taking everything off the table. I have given up on trying to have the track nicely laid out. He likes to climb up and stand next to chairs, the coffee table, book shelf  (and pull the books out). He likes puzzles and taking the pieces out, and really any toy that his big brother is playing with. He has taken an interest in books and take them off the bookshelf and look at them. One of his favorite games is peek-a-boo and playing with him will bring an instant smile to his face.

Likes: Food, carbs, train table, crawling, standing in crib, books,
Dislikes: Getting diaper changed, faced wiped off, being constrained when wanting to be down.

Size:
Weight: TBD- will be going to the doctor's for his 9 month appointment soon.
Height: TBD- will be going to the doctor's for his 9 month appointment soon.
Diapers: Size 3
Clothing: Pajamas- 12 months, Bottoms- 6-12 months, Tops- 12 months.
Nicknames: Jamesy, Jamesy Boy, Little Buddy
Number of teeth: 4

Milestones:
Drink out of sippy cup: [9.4.15]
Cruising along items (furniture, train table, etc.): [9.4.15]
First time in a 'nursery': [9.9.15]
Crawling on hands and knees 

A Note from Mom:
Little Jamesy, you are growing and becoming such a big boy with every passing day. I am still in denial that you are getting to be so close to a year old. With you learning how to crawl, you have really taken off and are so fast. You love to be down and explore everything. Your brother is in a big daddy stage right now, so I enjoy having you be in your mommy attachment stage. I know there will come a day, very soon, where you will also switch over and be attached to daddy, which is ok, but I like having you looking for me and wanting me :) You fill our hearts with so much joy everyday. We love you, little one!

Nine Month Pictures: