Bryson: Nine Months

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Weight:  At your 9 month checkup, you weighed 22 pounds and 8.5 ounces.  You went from the 95th percentile at your previous appointments to the 80th at the most recent appointment.  I am glad to see that your weight gain is regulating.  You're still a biiiig ol' boy, though!

Height: As of April 2, you were 29 3/4 inches, which is the 95th percentile.  You have been in the greater than 98th percentile until this appointment.  Again, I'm glad to see your growing is regulating some too.  I'm hopeful that you'll actually wear clothes more than once now!

Eating Habits: You are still eating 5 bottles a day, but are down to 29-30 ounces.

You decided that purees were no good and wouldn't open your mouth for them anymore.  A few times, you even swatted my hand away.  You know, I can't blame you.  Who wants to eat mush when you have teefies that can chew through ribs?  Yes, ribs.  You're a big fan of ribs.

Your breakfasts, lunches and suppers are the same foods we eat.  For breakfast, you love waffles with peanut butter and are warming up to scrambled eggs.  You always have fruit with your breakfast also and FINALLY like bananas.  Granddaddy Heald will be thrilled!  For lunch and supper, you always get a protein, vegetable and fruit.  You usually go for the vegetable first.


Milestones: You are learning to use a spoon really well.  I load it with the food and you take it from me, then guide it to your mouth.  Only when you begin to get full does the spoon fly around.


I have been trying to get you to use a sippy cup, but you just chewed on the spout.  I decided to try a new kind and since then, we have cycled through a few, but have finally found one you'll use.  You have started drinking diluted apple juice to help your belly handle all the new foods and are a master at the sippy cup!  You have knocked back 5 ounces of liquid (roughly 2-3 ounces of juice) in 2 minutes flat!

Favorite Things: You LOOOOVE cell phones.  When I take a picture with my iPhone, you start posing, then try to take the phone away from me.  I was able to capture this succession of pictures that really show how pictures are taken in our house.

I downloaded an app that's designed to help babies learn to speak.  You have  learned how to swipe the phone to change the pictures, to tap the screen to hear the lady say the word and to tap the word at the bottom to hear her spell it.  It keeps you occupied for awhile, but eventually, you get bored and my phone goes straight to your mouth.  Ha.

Your Sophie toy is still a favorite, especially as new teeth come through.  You learned how to make her squeak months ago, but now, you think it's funny to bend her neck quickly and make the squeak sound funny.  While in Target one day, you picked out a small gray monkey and it goes everywhere with you!  Along with that monkey, you have taken over a monkey Daddy had made for me on my birthday in 2008.   Maybe the monkey fascination is because I call you my little monkey. ;)

Not-So-Favorite Things:  You aren't a big fan of cauliflower.  I don't know if it's because it has to steamed so much to make it manageable or if it's the taste, but you don't want anything to do with it.  You'll eat if I make what we call fauxtatoes (basically cauliflower made to resemble potatoes) with it and mix it with something else, but you do not want it by itself.  Yet again, I can't say I blame you.

You're going through a separation anxiety phase.  For roughly 2 weeks, if I left the room, you pitched a fit.  I'm not talking about crying a little; it was much more than that.  You would scream bloody murder, throw yourself backward and cry huge crocodile tears.  Fortunately, you only whined twice when I left you at daycare and never cried, but at home, you were downright mad if I left you.  Nothing could stop it, even Daddy holding you when I walked away, and nothing made it better besides me picking you up.  It's beginning to calm down for the most part, thankfully.

Other Bryson News:

The weather is warming up and we met Kellen and his mommy, Mrs. Paige, for play time at the park.  It was your first time playing with another baby outside of school and you seemed to enjoy it.  You share very well, and even offered your half eaten cookie to Kellen when he reached for it.  We hope you and Kellen will be good friends!

Your personality has been obvious for awhile now, but lately, you are really showing what a goofball you are.  One morning, you were carrying on a conversation with Jenna and having a one-"man" dance party.  I start snapping pictures and you started showing off for the camera.  When I went back to look at the pictures I took, I busted out laughing.  You are such a little ham and keep us in stitches.  These are my favorite pictures of you so far.

Daddy and I have loved you since the two lines popped up on the pregnancy test, but with each day that passes, we wonder how we ever lived without you.  You are such an essential part of our family and we really feel like you complete it.  We couldn't ask for a better baby and are so incredibly blessed that God chose us to be your parents.  We love you, my little Stinkbug.