9 Months and counting!

While it is fresh in my mind, I will start with Henry's 9 month stats:

Height:  30 1/4 inches (96th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs, 11 oz. (79th percentile)
HC: 98th percentile

Its hard to believe that (hopefully) Henry's next doctor's appointment will be his one year check-up.  The doctor said he looks great and he was all smiles and giggly for her.  He only had to get a single shot today (flu shot!).  I was shocked because Amelia cried with hers and Henry didn't cry a bit.  He didn't even whimper!

His sleeping is still good for the most part.  I told the doctor that most nights he sleeps 12 hours and then takes 2, 2 hour naps for a total of 16 hours of sleep each day.  She was surprised given that most kids his age are only sleeping 12-13 hours, but reassured me that he just needs a little extra right now.  She also advised that I enjoy it, since the days of that much sleep are probably numbered.

Henry is crawling on his hands and knees 100 % of the time now and is remarkably quick.  He is still pulling up, climbing on everything, and cruising quite a bit.  Twice this week, he has let go of the couch and stood by himself for a few seconds. Amelia's room and the dog's water bowl are his most desired destinations currently.

It feels like we've been extra busy with Amelia on cycle break, but luckily he is pretty go-with-the-flow.  Until last weekend, that is.  We had a SUPER busy weekend and Henry was crabby from Sunday evening on.  He continued his fussiness on Monday and I could not even put him down on Tuesday without him full out screaming. That afternoon, I took him in to see the doctor fearing an ear infection.  At the least, I thought it might be teeth (he still has NONE!).  Turns out, the doctor is pretty sure it was all behavioral.  Yikes!  Hopefully that isn't a glimpse into my future.  She mentioned his bottom gums are pretty swollen, but he was completely healthy otherwise.  She asked if he stopped fussing when I picked him up. When I answered "yes", she politely pointed out that most pain doesn't go away just because our mothers are holding us.  Hmmm....not sure why I didn't think of that BEFORE forking over my $20 co-pay.  The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that he was still exhausted from our dinner out, football game, breakfast out, parade, late night Oktoberfest, visit to GG and Papa's, church, and zoo weekend.  Wouldn't you be? Things have been much smoother after we took it easy on Wednesday and he rested all day.

It seems like Henry, too, is going to have Jason's metabolism.  A typical breakfast for Henry is a medium bowl of oatmeal, 1-2 pancakes, and half a banana.  Lunch might be a grilled cheese sandwich (the WHOLE thing), 1/2 jar of green beans, and a handful of crackers.  Dinner is usually whatever we are eating--in a good sized portion!  He does not miss meals.  Ever. And he still nurses multiple times a day.  But yet, he is loosing ground on the percentile chart.  If only I were so lucky.....

And his best friend is still his sister.  There is nothing more exciting to him than crawling into her room (especially when its time to wake her from her nap), pulling up on her bed, and squealing with delight at catching a glimpse of her.  Sometimes he will pull on her shirt (or her hair) if she is within reach.  He definitely has sounds that are reserved only for his interactions with her.  Thankfully, she is also pretty amused by it--most of the time.

According to Henry, the low points of the day are definitely getting dressed and diaper changes.   The high point (besides waking up Amelia) is still bath time!