Caleb’s Nine Month Update

The Numbers

We have our nine month checkup this week so I don’t have exact numbers yet, but I’m guessing little man is weighing somewhere around 17 pounds.  He’s currently rocking 6-9 month everything, but I did take advantage of Black Friday sales to order some 12 months stuff for when he moves that direction in a few weeks.  That noggin of his is still pretty impressive and I had a nostalgic mama moment the other day when I looked at his little hands and they seemed SO much bigger than they used to do.  What in the world am I going to do when he’s a big ol’ toddler wandering around?

Some Milestones

Caleb is this close to crawling but not quite there yet.  He’ll go from a sitting position to all fours and rock as he reaches for something he wants, but he tends to just fall onto his belly instead of actually crawling.  I have a feeling this one will definitely happen soon!

He has started pulling up on things though, which makes me a nervous mom since he’s still so top heavy.  If we put him next to his Exersaucer or play cube he grabs the top and does a little squat to pop right up! He is so delighted in himself every time he does this and his little shrieks crack us up.

Maybe my favorite new thing this month? Clapping! I was singing to him while I was cooking dinner one night and when I sang “If You’re Happy And You Know It” to him, he looked right at me and clapped during the pause! I was over the moon at his sweet little grin and giggle as he did it and now it’s his favorite thing to do.  Any time one of us says “Yaaaaaaay!” he clap clap claps and it seems to be how he communicates any and all happiness these days.  So basically it’s adorable!

How He’s Eating

Caleb is a hungry hungry hippo and loves purees, but still isn’t convinced that anything chunky is worth his time.  He hasn’t liked chunky baby food since we introduced it a few weeks back, so I’m thinking this next month we’ll start working on table food and see if he likes it when he can feed himself! At this point he’ll gobble down just about anything we feed him as long as it’s soft, so I’m hoping that lack of pickiness will translate to table food too.  We shall see! We are also still breastfeeding and I’m hoping to continue that until he’s at least a year.

What He’s Liking

Let’s see…since Mama has been rewatching Gilmore Girls in honor of the new reunion season, Caleb has been loving the theme song.  He stops whatever he is doing and stares mesmerized at the TV as soon as it comes on! Weirdly enough, he has the same reaction to steam.  If I’m washing dishes or cooking he will stare at the steam with wide eyes for quite a long time.  I love that he’s getting more curious about the world around him!

Caleb seems to be taking delight in so many things these days, and we love hearing his little giggles.  He loves when Daddy tickles him and wrestles him and he shrieks with delight any time our dog Olive comes near him (which is often).  He very clearly recognizes both me and Jordan and I love his sweet smiles every time he sees us!

What He’s Disliking

Being left alone to play for much longer than a few minutes is not high on his list of favorites, although he does pretty well in his Exersaucer.  For some reason, he has also hated when Jordan tried to take him on a jog.  He does great on walks with me very day but when daddy tried to take him for an afternoon jog to give mom a break, he cried hysterically! We don’t know if it’s the speed, the jostling, or what, but he was NOT a happy camper.  Here’s hoping he grows out of that one because I am looking forward to daddy-son afternoon runs and the break they will give me!

Lastly, he is not a fan of when mom takes away something he wants (like the monthly update sticker that he grabbed off the monkey while I was trying to take pictures).  His little hissy fits are mostly just funny now but I know they won’t be very, very soon…

How He’s Sleeping

I’m happy to report that sleep has been much better and more consistent this month! I think I’ve just realized over time that Caleb doesn’t need quite as much sleep as some kiddos do, so right now he’s getting about 10.5-11 straight hours of sleep at night and somewhere between 2.5-3 hours of naps a day (spread out over a morning and afternoon nap).  He has been so much more consistent these days, and even though he’s my little early riser and probably always will be, I’m grateful that we haven’t had as many short naps or middle of the night wake ups this past month.  Here’s hoping things just keep getting better and better as he gets older! And maybe one day he’ll sleep past 6 AM.  Right? Right??!

A Parent Update

Where last month was challenging and exhausting in a lot of ways, this month has just felt fun.  Jordan has been around more and I love the time we’ve gotten to spend as a little family.  Now that Caleb is sleeping better, he’s able to stay content and awake longer and we’ve had fun taking him to restaurants, shopping, and out and about a lot more.  In general, I just feel like my relationship with Caleb has started to deepen and grow and I love that he’s my little buddy during the week while dad is at work. I love dancing around the kitchen so he’ll let out that sweet little laugh and I love when he claps his hands or blows bubbles to communicate with me.  I can’t wait until he can talk and I can hear what’s going on in that little brain of his!

This month I’ve started to feel a lot more confident with switching up our routine and that’s been really freeing.  Caleb has never really been a kid who could be stretched way past naptime or bedtime and still be content, but this month he’s started to be a little more flexible and it’s felt so freeing for me.  We’ve gone to church more consistently, hung out with friends more consistently, and just been out and about more, and that has been a really great thing for me and for our whole family.  I finally feel like we’re starting to find a good balance between Caleb’s sleep needs and our needs and that is a beautiful thing!

With Christmas coming up, I am feeling oh so grateful for this sweet little one and all the joy he brings us.  These nine months have been challenging in so many ways but I love how deeply my heart loves and longs for this little boy who pretty much melts me.  Happy nine months, Caleb! We love you more than the moon and the stars!