Owen is 9 Months Old!

Our darling baby boy is 9 months old! He is growing and changing so fast! We cannot get enough of this sweet little thing!



At 9 months old:

* Owen weighed 18 lbs. 8 oz. (18%) and was 28.75 inches (60%) today at his well check. His head circumference was 45 cm (41%). He is sticking to his long and lean profile. :) Dr. P. was very happy with his growth and weight gain.

* He wears size 3 diapers. His clothes are mostly 9 month, 9-12 month, or 12 month.

* He still has 2 teeth - bottom central incisors.

* He is an eating machine! He still nurses 4-5 times a day, and eats 3 baby food meals. He has tried all kinds of new purees this month - blueberries, bananas & mixed berries, sweet potatoes & corn, spinach, mango, and pumpkin & banana. He sometimes makes a tart face with some of the fruits, but has yet to refuse anything. The boy is a fan of his food! He also loves puffs and Mum-Mums. Thus far, he has only had fruits and vegetables. Dr. P. said that we could start to add yogurt and meats. I've already got the Yo-baby ready and waiting for in the morning. :)

* They asked me today if Owen was playing peek-a-boo on his own (hiding and then revealing his own face). I said no, and immediately felt badly that I wasn't practicing with him more. Of course, he decided to show off and start his own game of peek-a-boo with his bib when we got home. ;)

And then proceeded to figure out how to take his bib off. Awesome. Mealtime is about to get much messier...
* O is taking 2-3 naps a day. If we are home all day and he gets to nap without being woken up, he takes a 1.5-2 hour morning nap and a 2-3 hour afternoon nap. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I usually have to wake him up from his afternoon nap to go get Clayton, so he takes a short evening nap as well on those days. He is sleeping 11-12 hours at night (knock on wood!).
* This month, Owen learned how to go from lying down to a sitting position all by himself. He did it first on January 16th, but I convinced myself that Clayton or Drew sat him up, because I didn't actually witness it. I just knew that I had laid him on the floor, and then turned my back only to see him sitting up when I turned back around. He did it again the next day, and I saw it with my own two eyes. I had a "my baby is growing up" teary moment. Those strike me at the weirdest times...
* Owen isn't crawling in the traditional hand, hand, knee, knee form so much, but that little booger is the fastest army crawler that I have ever seen. I had my first, "Where did he go???" moment the other day when he crawled from the playroom into his bedroom while I was bathing the big boys. Oh my, life is about to get very interesting...

He starts out like he is going to crawl regularly, but then flops on his belly and army crawls. :)

* He is cuh-to the razy about his Johnny Jump Up! He gets some major air in that contraption! It is so fun to watch him bounce, bounce, bounce.
* Owen has a few baby tricks that he has learned this month. He is a fake cough master and knows how to shake his head "no." He knows that either trick will get him a laugh, so he does them over and over again. He says a lot of "ba" "da" "ma" and "guh" but not necessarily associating them with any person or object. He also will lay his head on my chest and give me a snuggle when I say, "Give Mama some love." He is less consistent with that trick, but I melt into a puddle of mush when he does it. Oh, so sweet...
My Darling Boy,

Will you ever know how crazy I am about you??? I positively cannot imagine my life without you. I am so grateful to God that you are mine. When we decided to have another baby, I had no idea how you would bless my life. God knew that my soul needed you.

The other day I was lamenting the fact that your first year of life was 3/4 of the way over. And, all of the sudden I had a light bulb type of moment. I just realized that I get to spend the rest of my life knowing you. Isn't that cool? What a privilege it is to watch you grow. I'll know 1 year old Owen, and 2 year old Owen, and 3 year old Owen, and 55 year old Owen - God willing. I love you the way that you are now, and I'll love every future version of you.

You have grown a ton over the last 3 months! I remember holding your tiny 6 month old body and commenting on the fact that when your neck was in the crook of my elbow, I could still hold your tiny little bottom with the palm of that same hand. I could hold your whole body in one arm. Now, when I cradle you in my arms, your legs spill off of the edge of my lap! It's crazy to me how much you have physically changed in the last few months.

You have such a sweet spirit, my Love. You have been such an easy baby, and I am so grateful for that. If I could order up 4 more of you, we would be a family of 9! Ha! You are one in a million, though, Precious One. And, I love you to bits just for being you!

I love you to the moon and back,
Mommy