Elf Month

I know it's not Christmas, but "elf" is eleven in Afrikaans hence the title "Elf Month."  Hey, you learn something new everyday.  Any who, in a month's time Jayson has changed in leaps and bounds.  Almost literally.  The kid is a flurry of movement these days.  Gone are the lazy Saturday afternoons with Jayson snuggled up in my lap.  He wants to get down and get into everything (the dog's bowls, turning the xbox on and off, pulling magazines off the end table, etc). Even to look at him, he has graduated in my mind from "baby" to a toddler and he's a vocal one at that.  He's loud, he's like a bull in a china shop, and he points at everything.  In other words: he's FUN.

Weight & Height - as of an appointment on 4/7/14 he was about 19.53lbs and 29 inches long. Unfortunately this appointment was not a standard wellness visit.  Jayson was being treated for pink eye.  The good news is he seems fairly unbothered by it.  The bad news is Justin and I have to administer ointment for ten days.  Ever try bathing a cat?  Yeah... I think that may be easier.

Eating/Drinking - he is bottomless pit and don't try sneaking baby food in if there's real food around.  He'll try anything and everything and you are required to share.  He'll pitch a fit if you eat something and he doesn't get a taste.  He'll pop his binky right out and start smacking his lips together and point at whatever you have.  In other news, yogurt remains a tried and true favorite and he loves to mow down on a whole banana.  As for drinks - he's started to use his Playtex Lil' Gripper Straw Trainer cup in addition to his juice boxes. Side note: the Playtex Lil' Gripper claims to be spill proof and that's a lie.  Not only does it allow liquid to spill out when dropped, tipped, or shaken, it will slowly allow the contents to leak out the straw even when setting still on a counter.

Sleeping - No change.  We still have random nights where he's up at 2am or 4am for a feeding or diaper change.  I attribute these nights to teething, illness, or a growth spurt.  I know many people swear by the "cry it out" method, but I just can't do it.  When he cries, I'm awake.  It's not like it's saving me any sleep.  Plus, we don't see each other 8+ hours a day, so if he needs/wants comfort from mama I'm willing to give it to him.  Too soon he'll be grown and won't want mama anymore.  This too shall pass.

Clothing - Very few 9 month items fit any longer.  We're primarily in 12 months items and slowly dipping into our 18 months sized stash.  We recently picked up a new set of sneakers for him and were surprised we had to buy a baby/toddler size 4.  He's a growing boy!

New This Month -

• He now has two teeth and judging by the drool and clear runny nose, more are on the way. 
• He graduated from pivoting around on the floor to crawling like a mad man somewhere around the second week of March.  Sometimes he crawls like a little Grudge baby (if you've seen the movie, you'll understand the reference). 
• He's become better at entertaining himself now that he can move around on his own.  This does afford mommy and daddy some hands-free time to get household stuff done.
• Along with crawling has come more interaction with Riley.  We are trying to teach him to be gentle with Riley and thank goodness Riley has been patient as a saint.  The two of them are thick as thieves.  They share snacks, play tug-o-war with Riley's toys (he's such a good dog, still not taking the baby's toys) and are generally inseperable.  As a matter of fact, we had to go to the Vet's office recently and when Riley was taken out of the room Jayson became very upset!  
• As I mentioned earlier, he points at everything.  Pointing is usually accompanied by "oomph" which seems to be his new all purpose word.  
• He uses his push cart on his own now and will pull himself up to standing position whenever given the chance.  This has resulted in more frequent head bumps, but he is determined. 
•  He still hasn't consistently said daddy or dada, but he'll sign for him and yell "hey."  
• Tub time has become a bit more dangerous as he insists on sitting up unassisted and trying to grab for the spout and hot/cold water handles. 

Comparison