Nine Months

Three months until we celebrate the first year of John's life.  I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE. IT.  This year has FLOWN. 

But for now, I will focus on month 9.  This has been John's month.  The month we have been waiting for since he was six weeks old.  You see, I thought that six weeks was a magic number, a turn around time for mom and baby.  That proved true with little baby Ada, but not John-John.  So, I began to say, 3 months, 3 months will do the trick.  And then, six months.  Surely by six months, he will be a happy baby!!  Well, folks, 9 months it is.  He has finally reached a place of being happy when he is awake.  Before now, if John was awake, he fussed and cried if I wasn't holding him.  But now, he can finally entertain himself and be happy for extended periods of time.  This is a  HUGE  break through for us!!

At nine months, John still prefers me over anyone else, but Ada and Scott come in at a close second and third.  Ada is the only one who can consistently make him laugh out loud.  He loves her and is constantly trying to get into whatever she is doing, which drives her a bit crazy.  He is crawling all over the place, but he, thankfully, can't climb the stairs yet.  I sort of dread that.  He is also pulling up on everything, and once he pulls himself up, he looks around so proudly, as if to make sure Ada and I can see what he has accomplished.  Then he stands there for a while, just grinning and bouncing.  He is still my cuddle bug and such a little chunk.  I just squeeze him and kiss him all day long. 

He nurses several times throughout the day (on no certain schedule), and, let's be honest, a few times throughout the night as well (again, no schedule).  On the one hand, I am exhausted, on the other hand, it's just one year, and it's absolutely worth it to me.  I have asked myself several times throughout this year when I was burned out with the nursing, what is my goal?  And for me, the benefits outweigh the costs.  I am nervous about the weaning process.  How will I ever wean him?  I am trying to get him to eat more and more baby food, so he won't be so dependent on me for calories.  Some days he does great and other days, he hardly eats anything other than milk.  I also am letting him play with sippy cups filled with ice water, just to get him used to it a bit. 

He's a quick little thing, and any time I have to change his diaper or his clothes, it is a battle.  Seriously.  He flips himself over before I even know what's happening, and I sometimes get quite frustrated.  It's our first little "discipline" issue.  Which, by the way, I have started saying "no-no" in a very firm voice about certain things--flipping when I am changing him, trying to touch electrical outlets, grabbing things that he is not supposed to grab, etc--and every single time he laughs out loud!!  The sterner my voice, the funnier he thinks it is.  Oh dear.

His breath holding spells are becoming less frequent, but when he does do them, they seem more intense.  He actually had two today.  They are always triggered by something, so I try to tell myself not to worry, but I hate it every time.  In fact today, Scott was holding him while he was in the midst of the spell (Ada had accidentally "head-butted" him, and that was the trigger), and I just closed my eyes.  I can't stand to see it.  It's scary every time.  Afterwards, I held him and rocked him because he is so weak when it's over.  I plan to talk to the pediatrician about it once again at our next well-baby visit. 

He is growing up, our little grumpy John:)  I can't remember life without him; I truly can't.  I think Ada would say the same.

 And below is a failed attempt at a picture of both of them.  It never fails, Ada always ends up choking him when she gets in a picture with him. 

 And he's free.

 Always right where she is, always.