NINE Months Old

Bubs turns 9 months old on Uncle John's birthday!

David's 9-Month Update

• According to an early 9-month appointment on August 20, 2018:
• David weighs 17.11oz (19th percentile) and measures 27.5" (21st percentile).  
• Head measures 45.2cm (60th percentile)
• Up-to-date on all his vaccines.
• Has 3 teeth! Two front incisors and one on the bottom. Another bottom tooth looks ready to cut soon. Same goes for the rest of his entire top row of teeth.
• Definitely knows his name. 
• Size 3 diapers but I bet he'll be out of those soon.
• Wearing 9-month onesies, shirts and shorts.  Pajamas and pants aren't our thing during this hot summer season but on the very rare chilly night, he wears 12-month sleepers.
• Responds to our requests... sometimes.  We can ask him to turn around and come back to us and he usually does so.
• Dislikes his convertible carseat recently.
• Can crawl very fast when he wants to (army crawl).
• Enjoys standing. For now, he either braces himself against furniture or with our hands.
• Pulls himself up from a seated position into a standing position.
• In the stranger danger phase. 
• Blows raspberries. 
• Sometimes complains if I leave the room.
• Enjoys clapping toys together.
• Crawls as fast as he can if he sees I've built a tower out of his play cups. Then without fail, he'll smile in my direction with a guilty little grin. This is a fun little game we've incidentally developed.
• Likes to dance!  Boy has rhythm, too!  When he plays the bongo drum, he can keep a pretty steady beat.
• Pushes people away when they're touching him - i.e. if daddy's pokes his belly button or if the pediatrician places stethoscope on him.
• Prefers to feed himself table food.  Likes to use his spoon.  Daddy will sometimes feed D purees, but he's mostly switched to solids.  We're practicing a modified baby led weaning.  I will often hand David a finger-length, 1-inch wide piece of food (be it, chicken or a veggie), but I'll also cut up smaller, more easily consumed pieces for him.  It's been working for us.
• Successfully uses object permanence to locate hidden toys.
• Copies what we do and a bit of what we say.  Monkey see, monkey do!
• Will take a bottle when necessary but typically pushes it away.
• We offer water during mealtimes and man, this dude loves water!  We help him hold up his sippy cup and after each swig he lets out the most excited squeal.
• Drinks most effectively from a sippy cup versus a bottle.  So far he likes Munchkin's 360 and Take&Toss sippies.
• While dressing him, he pushes his arms through the sleeves himself.
• Is forever saying dadadada and mamamama and when Trevor and I talk to him about each other, he will look for said parent.  For example, if Trevor says, "Mama loves you so much, David!" or if I ask, "Where's Daddy?" he will search for us in the room.
• Redness in eye still persists.  Starting a second round of (different) antibiotic drops.  
• His dry skin seems to be healing.
• We discontinued Johnson & Johnson shampoo and Dove baby soap. Now, we're solely using Aveeno bath products.
• We moisturize his face with coconut oil + aquaphor after each diaper change.
• We ordered a humidifier for our room.
• Sleeps throughout the night (around 7pm - 6:30am) and, depending on the day, takes 2 or 3 naps.
• Learning to wave and give high-fives!
• Giggles galore during rough and tumble play with papa.
• Snuggles mommy more than ever.
• Baby is on the move!  Hard to keep this one on the circle mat during photoshoots.
• Growls every now and then.
• In our pursuit of completing David's 100 Foods Before 1 list, we finished early! David has tasted 104 foods!
• Protein: 21
• Chicken, Kalua pork, pastrami, ham, turkey, crab, cod fish, salmon, tuna, steak, roastbeef, sausage, tofu, egg, shrimp, pepperoni, hot dog, beans (black, refried + lima), hummus, peanut butter + chia seeds
• Vegetable: 34
• Beets, sprouts, sugar snap peas, green beans, peas, mushrooms, seaweed, onion (yellow, red + green), olives, spinach, pickles, tomato, cauliflower, cucumber, lettuce, cabbage, sauerkraut, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, parsnip, eggplant, lentils, carrot, celery, broccoli, radish, asparagus, zucchini, sweet potato, pumpkin, rutabaga, brussel sprouts, bok choy + edamame
• Fruit:  21
• Apple, plum, kiwi, yellow melon, watermelon, honeydew, cantalop, fig, pinapple, strawberries, blueberries, peach, grapes, cherries, orange, mango, blackberry, raspberry, pears, banana, coconut + avocado
• Grain:  10
• Rice (brown + white), quinoa, bread (whole grain, croissant + rolls), oatmeal, tortilla, crackers, couscous, spaghetti with pasta sauce, macaroni & cheese + rice noodles
• Dairy: 3
• Cheese (cheddar, ricotta + pepperjack), sour cream + yogurt (full fat + Greek)
• Starch:  3
• Potato, hashbrowns + corn
• Other:  10
• Pancakes, pea soup, clam chowder, chicken paprikash soup, wontons, miso soup, mustard, salsa, garlic, mint + cilantro

Hi guys!

Ready to grab a blade of grass.

Dad moves D around for refocusing.

Cracking up!

First time D's had his name on a Starbucks order.

Baseball watchin'

Mommy's 9-Month Postpartum Update

Body
Doing my best to allow opportunities for me to start over, again and again if need be.  So David's now 9 months old, and here we go again - I'm restarting my fitness journey.  During D's mid-day nap, Trevor encouraged me to visit the gym at LA AFB and mark off day #1 of my goal.  As always, I went easy on myself - especially after finding out I have plantar fasciitis in my left foot.

In terms of my measurements, I'm holding fast at 124lbs (same as two months ago) although I do feel a bit smaller than before.  Aside from the foot injury and feeling tired most days, I'm doing okay.  I'm interested in finding a natural way to add an energy boost because... your girl needs it.

Something to note: My tailbone hurts. In fact, it's been hurting. Although it's not really something I notice often, occasionally it feels bruised. Gotta admit, it's kind of a funky thing. Maybe I had more back labor than I thought? Word on the street from other mommas who have experienced this is it'll take awhile to go away.

Breastfeeding
My right boob is trying to peace out on me, y'all.  Left boob is doing what it can to keep David fed + happy, but my nursing journey might be dwindling.  We try our best to supplement with formula but we're coming across a few obstacles.  For one, D might dislike the taste of formula.  We've tried Enfamil, Similac and are currently providing Nature's Best Organic - all three of which are of the sensitive variety.  Secondly, he struggles to latch onto a bottle.  We have plenty of bottles in our arsenal; however, he's not really a fan of any of them.  After swinging by Target tonight, we have a few new sippy cups to try out.  So far he's more keen on drinking from a sippy, so we're following his lead to see if any of these new finds past the test.

Mind+Spirit
After admitting during a doctor's appointment that I've been feeling depressed, I was referred to an on-base psychologist.  We met for two sessions and she's pushing me to ween David early and begin anti-depressant medication.  Having a background in mental health studies, I'm familiar with the signs and symptoms of depression.  As you've read in previous posts, I've been an open book as to how low I've been feeling.  In assessing myself I would say I have situational depression.

That is to say, I'm sure this heavy weight will be lifted once we're on our own again.  Prayers would be much appreciated as Trevor takes the ASVAB on Thursday!  We're crossing our fingers that a physical therapy assistant position or an x-ray technician slot will (basically, magically) open up for him.

In the meantime, I'm working hard to pour into David, be present during his development and to be kind to Trevor.  I'm fully aware it's a disservice to everyone, including myself, to miserably focus on fast-forwarding my life while the present joys pass by my observation.  I am intentionally choosing happiness.

With that said, when I do think of the future I envision myself dancing... and cleaning.  I love to dance, more so when no one's watching.  🤣  But wherever we land, I plan to find a dance studio and take a lesson or two.  As far as cleaning goes, I'm one of those weirdos who finds cleaning relaxing.  Therapeutic, really.  I'm eager for that invigorating fresh start as I clean our new place from top to bottom and provide a safe, warm home for our family to enjoy.  And to you the reader, I hope you visit!