clark wilde : nine months

n i n e   m o n t h s

has it really been a month already??  I know last month only had 28 days but it feels like I just finished writing his eight month post and now my baby is nine months old!!!  nine months feels like such a big milestone.  now he's been here with us for as long as we were waiting for him to get here!

I think Clark may have changed more this month than any other month so far!  I feel like I'm watching him grow right in front of my eyes!  he is just so smart and adventurous and fun!  it hasn't been all fun and games though...this month we encountered separation anxiety, cold #2 and the worst sleep regression yet!!!  I lost my patience way too many times (probably due to lack of sleep!) and a few times I even told Mark we're not having any more kids!  lately though, I've been trying to savor every minute with Clark.  I heard recently about a young expectant mother who tragically lost her husband and two children in a plane crash.  I can't even imagine what she must be going through...it makes me feel like my problems are nothing!  she would probably give anything to be up all night with one of her children one last time.  it's helped me remember the bigger picture and how short this time with Clark really is.  so I'm trying to soak it all in and enjoy every moment.

nine month stats:

weight: 19 lbs (56th percentile)

length: 29 in. (85th percentile)

head circ: 17 in. (50th percentile)

♥                ♥                ♥

f i r s t s

♥ Valentine's Day - Clark spent his first Valentine's getting smothered in kisses by the most important girl in his life, his mama!

♥ word - he's been saying mama for over a month now but a few weeks ago he started saying it when he wanted me to pick him up.  I'm counting it as his first word!

♥ going to the play place at the mall - since Clark is so mobile now he loves exploring his surroundings and when we took him to this play place, he had so much fun!  he loved climbing on everything and watching all the other kids run around.  he also loved flirting with all the mom's ;)

♥ climbing the stairs - I finally ordered a gate for the top of the stairs but now I'm thinking we may need one for the bottom too.  so far he's only made it to the fourth stair without either of us realizing where he is, haha!

♥ merry-go-round - we went to this awesome park with his friend Kade and Clark loved the merry-go-round!  he crawled all over that thing and loved spinning around and around!

I don't know why they're both so serious here!

f a v o r i t e s

♥ climbing anything & everything!

♥ swinging - he gets so giddy on the swing and sometimes he will hang his head down low and stare at the ground, haha!

♥ play dates - he loves playing with other kids and I love talking to another adult so it's a win-win :)

Clark's best friend Addison!  these two are adorable together!!

♥ helping mom with laundry - he's getting really good!  he helps me throw in the clothes (and tries to jump in with them), holds onto the detergent while I pour it (and tries to stick his hand under), and pushes all the buttons (well, mostly moves the dial around and around until I make him push the start button)!

♥ drinking all by himself - we love the Munchkin 360 cups, no spill!

♥ cars, trucks & all things boy - Clark has so many little girlfriends but he is still so into boy things! my mom has given him one of my old dolls on an occasion or two and he was pretty fascinated because I think he thought they were real babies!  haha, he loves this fire truck so much...it lights up, makes cool sounds, plays music, and moves in both directions!

e a t

eating samples!

well, at Clark's nine month well check the doctor gave us the clear and Clark can now eat anything!!!  so, now the question is, what the heck do we feed him??  haha, baby foods have been so easy!  we know he's getting his fruits, veggies, and protein and we don't have to worry about choking.  not to mention it's not nearly as messy!  we've been giving him table foods regularly so we're just going to do more of that and less of the baby food.  here is what a typical day of meals looks like for Clark - 

Clark's typical meal schedule at 9 months:

wake + nurse (7:30 am)   

breakfast (8:30 am)

oatmeal, banana, apple strawberry puffs, orange juice w/ water

nurse after morning nap (11:30 am)

lunch (12:30 pm)

Gerber fruit + veggie (or organic fruit & veggie pouch for on the go), yogurt, cheese stick

nurse after afternoon nap (3:30 pm)

dinner (5:30 pm)

Annie's mac 'n cheese, diced avocado, sweet potato puffs, apple juice w/ water

nurse before bed (7:30 pm)

Clark's favorite food, hands down, is yogurt!  he loves it in all shapes and forms...Gerber Yogurt Melts, Gerber Yogurt Blends, full-fat baby yogurt, but his favorite is vanilla Yoplait Light (since it's mom's favorite!)  whenever he sees me take one out of the fridge he gets so excited and immediately starts going, "mmmm!"

some of his other favorite foods this month are jam & bread, scrambled eggs, bananas, cuties, avocado, raisins, chicken noodle soup and Happy Baby teething wafers!  He really isn't very picky though and will eat pretty much anything we put in front of him...especially if it's coming off our plate!  I've given him bites of enchilada, pizza, jambalaya, chicken salad on sourdough and the occasional cookie or lemon square ;)

Grandad's bday party!

all is well on the nursing front.  we're still nursing morning + night and after each nap.  originally, I planned to wean him at a year but now that it's coming up I'm not so sure.  I'm just not ready to let go of my baby!  and to think in the beginning I wasn't even sure we would make it to three months!  it's amazing how easy and second nature it's become.  I love nursing him so much!  I don't want it to end.

one day old

s l e e p

I have no idea what happened to our great sleeper this month!!!  the eight month sleep regression is no joke.  it's like having a newborn again!  I remember feeling so accomplished that our baby was sleeping through the night by three months old, our work was done!  hahaha.  I think it has to do with all the new skills he's learning.  he practices standing in his sleep!  then he can't get back down and cries out for us to help.  he's finally learned to sit unassisted from standing and he's finally starting to sleep through the night again.  coincidence?  I think not!

earlier this month, we experienced a little something called separation anxiety.  not fun!  I couldn't set Clark down without him screaming and he would only be happy sitting in my lap.  it made simple things like eating and going to the bathroom insanely difficult.  now I know what moms mean when they're like, "all I want to do is pee in peace!"  I think this also had an effect on his sleep.  we've always just put Clark down in his crib, drowsy but awake, and he's gone right to sleep since he was barely a month old!  but all of a sudden he was needing us to rock him, sing to him, pat his back, do whatever it took to get him sound asleep.  if we left and he woke up, we would have to start the whole routine over!  for awhile, putting Clark to bed took 1-2 hours!!!  this is insane when it took about 15 minutes for the first 7 months of his life.

there was one week that was particularly bad.  he had a cold and couldn't breathe through his nose so he would wake up constantly and needed to be rocked to sleep each time.  after a few days, we were so exhausted we resorted to crying it out.  it kind of worked.  he never actually cried himself to sleep but usually during the second interval of leaving him to cry, he would wear himself out so much that when we went in again, he would immediately fall asleep in our arms.  Mark hates cry it out but I actually don't mind it so much!  haha, I mean, it totally gets under my skin to hear my baby cry but I'd rather teach him good sleep habits and learn for him to soothe himself to sleep then become dependent on us to put him to sleep.  I guess, he never really learned that part though because he would still wait to fall asleep until we eventually returned.  stubborn baby!

we're still not completely back to normal but it's been getting easier and easier to put him down at night.  we still have to wait until he's basically asleep but now he falls asleep much faster and doesn't wake up once we put him down.  I heard that when a baby whose previously been STTN is sick or going through a sleep regression, you should try and stick to your routine as best as possible and wait it out because they will go back when it's over.  and he has.  back to two naps a day for an hour or more each and sleeping 11-12 hours at night, waking up just once, usually 3 hours after he's gone down.  so for now, things are good again!  we'll see if they last :)

p l a y / d e v e l o p m e n t

I wish I had nothing to do all day except play with Clark.  he is so much fun!  he is crawling on all fours, walking while holding onto something, and can sit from standing completely unassisted.  it's nice that he's so mobile now and doesn't need me to carry him everywhere.  on the other hand, now I have to watch him like a hawk!  this kid has no fear and will pull himself up on the most dangerous things...the shutters (which can close on his fingers), shelves much too high for him (he uses the wall for assistance), the toilet (especially when I'm on it) and anything with wheels!

Clark will play pretty independently on his own as long as someone is in the same room with him.  but if I leave even for a second, he's high-tailing it out of there after me!

got me!

when he's not pulling himself up on things, he's investigating everything.  when I'm getting ready in the morning I bring him into the bathroom with me and it's a minefield of adventure for him!  he opens all the cabinets, pulls everything out and when he's bored of that he heads for the bath tub!

I don't know why we bother buying him toys.  he would much rather play with things like toothpaste, empty boxes, tupperware, silverware, food containers, his pacifier clips, and anything tiny that he can hold in his hand like hand sanitizer, chapstick, mom's makeup!

one exception...he does loves his cars!  one of his favorite things to do is stand at the coffee table and race his cars around!

it feels like every day Clark learns a new trick.  Grandad has been out of town traveling a lot and whenever he comes back, he notices how many new things Clark has picked up.  he has mastered the pincer grasp and even though he puts practically everything in his mouth, I swear he knows the difference between food and non food items.  I also am pretty sure he knows which things he's not allowed to eat, like leaves, because he always looks at me and slowly brings them to his mouth, waiting for me to stop him.

little adventurer

Clark loves making choices!  when presented with two options ("this one or this one?") he grins from ear to ear and chooses one.  I can't wait for him to start making all my decisions for me!  he also loves being shown pictures and having us point out the people.  Grandma taught him this...she goes around our house and shows him family pictures, pointing everyone out, 'mama,' 'dada,' 'baby', and he just thinks it's hilarious!  Grandma also taught Clark to pray.  he likes to keep his eyes open and watch whoever is saying the prayer and when they say, "amen," he looks around and laughs!  he pretty much thinks everything is funny!

nine months.  how?!  I remember when nine months felt like such a long time...like being engaged, being pregnant, living with my parents...but this has flown!  it feels like yesterday the doctor laid you on my chest, all red and wiggling around, and I laid eyes on you for the first time.  the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen...

the other day I was standing over your crib, rocking you to sleep, when it hit me how precious this moment was.  how precious all of it is, every single second.  I can't even tell you how many people stop and tell me, "enjoy it.  it goes so fast."  I never really think much of it at the time...I mean, there is no time!  but sometimes, I'll catch myself in a moment, usually something very routine like nursing you or putting you to bed, and just close my eyes and breathe it in.  but I don't shut them for too long because I'm scared I'll open them looking for my baby and instead I'll find a little boy, running around and creating mischief.  then you'll be sixteen, sleeping till noon (hallelujah!) and eating me out of house and home.  and before I know it, you'll be away at college, getting married, and having kids of your own.  and I'll remember how once, a very long time ago, you needed me to rock you to sleep.