The obligatory 9 month post

By the time Cole turns - insert number of months here - it seems as though everyone else's baby has already turned that age, so it almost feels anti-climactic to be writing about it, especially considering we've been telling people that he's "almost" 9 months for about 2 weeks now. (And by everyone else's baby, I mean the several blogs I follow whose babies were also born in May). It's the same way I already feel 34 even though my birthday is not for another 2 months. So this is it. Cole is 9 months old. I was pregnant for 9 months. Add that together and you have 18 months. A year-and-a-half since his creation. Happy Birthday Cole!

To celebrate his birthday he woke up numerous times last night. So much so, that by 6:45 a.m., neither of us was budging when he woke up for the 15th time. We were just THAT tired. But, he was in the partying mood, ya know?

So, February has been an exciting month. So far Cole has gotten:
-an ear infection
-an allergic reaction to the amoxcocillin given to him for said ear infection
-a stomach flu he caught from his daddy
-three top teeth - all at the same time - oh BOY!

Thank God February is over with tomorrow. We're both looking forward to March.

What does Cole like to do?
Crawl around the house and chase after the cats
Open cabinets and inspect their belongings
Chew on spoons
Stand outside his exersaucer
Touch the television
Watch the television
Listen to classical music
Dance with mommy or daddy
Look at the snow
Grab the phone and remote control for afternoon inspection and snacks
Listen to mommy sing
Be worn around the house or the store

What does Cole not like to do?
Eat solids at home (he eats them at day care just fine)
Fall asleep by himself
Be told he can't have the phone or remote control
Jump in his jumparoo (it's almost time to retire that thing!)
Have his diaper changed or his clothes changed

What is Cole eating (at day care)?
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Rutebegas
Peas
Pears
Apples
Bananas
Mango
Parsnips
Broccoli
Potatoes
lentils
peaches

or some combination of the above foods

Appearance
-Cole has gotten heavier since his last well-baby visit, just a few ounces over 19 pounds. But it makes all the difference. My back and forearms will attest to that! Luckily, the constant lifting has helped strengthen my arms for yoga (more on that later).
-As you can see from the numerous pictures on this blog, he has continued his cuteness. What is interesting is that he finally has some hair. It's funny because before he was born, I would see other babies who were hairless and I said to myself, Not my baby. He'll have a full head of hair. After all, most of the babies on my side of the family (myself included) was born with thick black hair.  Then Cole proved me wrong.

Personality Traits
- Determined (once he sees something he wants he goes for it)
- Persistent (once he sees something he wants he tries for it, again and again until he gets it)
- Loving (Keith is convinced he's been trying to kiss us whenever he tries to "bite" our noses or mouths)
- Good-humored (usually when he's cranky or crying if we can make him laugh he will. He can also laugh at himself when he falls.)
- Curious (this is not a unique personality trait, I'm sure all babies are curious, it's just cute to watch his curiosity at work)

Motor Skills
He's still at the crawling and cruising stage. Although I thought he'd be an early walker, I don't see it happening for another month or two. Maybe more. I think he's content crawling right now. He's really fast and he doesn't fall doing it. He was practicing walking for a little while, but I think the aforementioned illnesses set him back a bit. Two weeks ago, before all of the illnesses began, he was beginning to practice standing on his own. He would do it for a few seconds and then either fall or lean on something. But he hasn't tried that in at least a week. Although it was exciting, it's not a big deal that he has slowed down. He has plenty of time. Like Keith said, he'll walk when he's ready. Why rush it? Right now is a time for exploration.

He's also perfecting the pincer grasp and able to pick up and hold blocks and balls pretty well now.  He enjoys smacking his wooden blocks against things.

Sleep
He still wakes up every 2-3 hours, sometimes more often if he's not feeling well or his teeth are hurting him. Sometimes we'll get a 4 hour stretch and we'll be pleasantly surprised. After some reading up on the topic I discovered that if he had a routine napping schedule he might actually sleep better at night. I've read this in numerous books (and believe me, I have the spectrum of sleep books) and it's come down to this: he needs to nap around 9 or 10 a.m. and again around 1 or 2 p.m. It's been hard to see the consistency since I only see him during the day on the weekends, but so far this weekend, that's when he's gone down without a fight (for the most part). At day care, they put him down when he's REALLY tired and he usually takes two 30-minute cat naps, which every sleep book yells is NOT RESTORATIVE sleep. So by the time I get him, he's one cranky baby who does not sleep well at night. So we're going to ask that he be put down around the above times. I'll get back to you in a few weeks and let you know if it works for them and, if it does, what the effects are on his nighttime sleep.

Here are some February photos....

In the kitchen with the Dino

Waving at Mommy

Investigating one of the kitchen cabinets

Ruddy complexion due to the rash (it was actually worse than this!)

Keith's photo - baby toes

Baby fingers

Look at those lashes!

Happy boy

He's got hair!

Smooch for mommy