I think I am in denial that you are already two-thirds of the way through your first year. Where did my teeny-tiny baby go? We have had a busy and fun month! Unfortunately you have been sick for a good portion of it. You had to be on your first round of antibiotics, for a cold that you just couldn't seem to shake. You also caught a stomach bug, and were just under the weather for a good portion of the month. Although we all love your daycare, we don't love the constant battle with sickness that you seem to be fighting! We don't go back to the doctor for your check-up until 9 months, but we've obviously been quite a few times for sick visits recently, and from that I'm guessing that you are about 16 or a little over 16 pounds. You are still a peanut, but that's ok! You definitely need 9 month clothes for the length (like in footie pajamas), but you can still wear some 6 month stuff as well. I've enjoyed putting you in holiday outfits that your brother wore. They bring back many great memories, and I love to compare the pictures of the two of you! Here's some things I want to remember for this month:
Likes: You still love people, you little social butterfly! You love to be held, talked to, and to interact with people. You also love to be up in everyone's faces - you are at that grabby phase - glasses, hair, earrings are all great targets for you. You love to chew on things! I think you are about to get teeth (more on that later), and you chomp on everything, including Mommy! Whenever we set you in your high chair you try to chew on the table if we have you too close. You LOVE to bang on things - with your hands or toys. And you love it more if we say "bang, bang, bang!" I was reading posts about your brother at this age, and I said almost exactly the same thing about him! One thing you seem to love more and more is bath time. We've become more consistent about it now that you are eating food more, and you get so excited when I start running the water. You kick your legs and start squealing. In the bath you love to splash, and you also turn yourself around. Your bottom is your pivot point and you rotate (always counter-clockwise, who knows why?) your legs around in a circle! You usually end up facing the back wall of the tub. It's pretty funny to watch! You also love to rub soft things, especially when you are sleepy. You love to tangle your hand up in my hair if I'm trying to hold you for a nap, and you still love these soft "lovey" blankets that we bought you.
Dislikes: Luckily this list is still pretty short. Like last month, you seem to have come to terms with the fact that you have to be in your carseat. You don't really seem to dislike it much. The only times you seem really unhappy are when you want to be held, and we don't comply. It's pretty heart breaking when you reach out to us, and if we don't come pick you up, you give us this pitiful cry! Also, if I had to name the number one thing you dislike, it's probably naps! Which brings me to...
Sleeping: Oh, Benny! I wish I had some amazing news to report here, but you're still sleeping about the same. You wake up usually 1-2 times a night, with an occasional 3 times a night thrown in for fun (fun?!). I'm pretty sure with sickness, teething, and still needing to eat a lot, your sleep has been disrupted this month. Andrew didn't sleep through the night until after the new year, so I'm hoping that you'll do the same. I know that you will eventually, and I certainly don't want to rush you to grow up, but Mommy is tired! You also don't nap well, or consistently. Again, Andrew didn't either until he was over a year old, so it doesn't seem unusual to me. Your teachers at school have commented about it, so it seems to me that some babies must be good nappers. Apparently just not you or your brother!
Eating: You LOVE to eat! Sometimes I think if we just handed you a hamburger you would go to town on it. I know what people talk about when they say babies are interested in your food. I feel like you are looking at us with jealousy as we eat! You eat lunch at school (fruits or veggies) and dinner at home. You've had peas, pears, apples, carrots, sweet potatoes, bananas, butternut squash, mangoes, prunes, and various combos using those fruits and veggies. We also have started giving you puffs to keep you occupied while we are eating, and you love to shovel them in your mouth. You only get probably about a quarter to a third in there, but you are getting better every day! I think we'll try to start giving you very small pieces of table food after the new year. It's important to me that you still get most of your nutrition from milk, especially since you have been getting smaller (percentile-wise) each month. You are still not taking large bottles (usually about 4-6 ounces), but Andrew never did either. You nurse frequently when I am home with you all day, but you don't really nurse very well because you are SO distracted! Hopefully we can keep it up for four more months!
Milestones: You are very good at sitting, and rarely topple over (you get VERY sad when you do!). We have even started setting you in the bath without the bath seat. We are always right there to catch you if you start to tip, but you are pretty good at sitting steady even in the water. You are very talkative this month, and like to have conversations with us. It sure seems like you are trying to tell us things! I'm pretty sure you are about to get some top teeth. You have been very "chompy" lately, and you seem uncomfortable. I can feel some bumps up there, and I'd guess that they'll be through in the next couple of weeks. Maybe you'll sleep better then?! Mom can hope!
Sweet Benjamin, Benny, Benny Boo, Benny Beluga* - We love you so much! You are so precious - people comment all the time about what an adorable baby you are. You are sweet, and give great hugs. I love to see the interaction between you and your brother. He loves you so much and loves to help get you things, and to talk and entertain you. You love to watch him and no one makes you smile and laugh quite like Andrew! And although I would love to sleep more, I cherish every moment holding you and kissing your soft baby skin and hair. I try to commit the tiny details of you to memory - your fluffy hair, your tiny nose, the way you suck your thumb when you're sleepy, or the way you stroke my hair when you're nursing. We love you, and are so very blessed to have you as part of our family!
*Why do I call you Benny Beluga? I always sang/sing the Baby Beluga song to you and your brother. With you I like to change the words to Benny Beluga instead of Baby Beluga, and it's kind of stuck! Now Andrew will call you that, and he'll refer to himself as Andrew Shark!
Before I put the monthly pictures, I wanted to put some cute Christmas pics we took up of Ben before bed one night. We were trying to recreate a picture we have of Andrew for comparison. So, Merry Christmas from Benny Claus!
And for comparison sake, here's Andrew three years ago in the same getup:
And now for the monthly pics. As usual, I apologize for the quantity. When I'm looking at cute pictures of my babies, I have a hard time narrowing it down!
And now, here's a dose of real life when trying to photograph an 8 month old and a 3 year old...
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