Happy 9 Months, Elliott!
(Mom’s note: Zoom in on those cute teeth popping through at the top!)
Elliott is a lucky boy – for many reasons, but he must think it’s his birthday too! Natalie sang him “Happy Birthday” the other night at the dinner table…. He was grinning ear to ear. This boy loves his concerts from his big sister. Now, if he could only get his hands on her Minnie Mouse guitar….
Weight / Height: On Dec 31st, he was 22 lbs 12 oz (90-95th percentile), 29 inches (85th -percentile – though I think he was a bit short changed on this one), with a head circumference of 18 7/8 inches (98th+ percentile). Don’t you love his chunky canckles? (Photo credit: Natalie)
Personality: Sweet, Easy Going, Smiley, Curious and Content . We recently set up a new toy shelf and he loves scooting over there to check out cars, balls, Natalie’s guitar and whatever else he can find.
Hey, what's happening?
Interests: His sister. If it’s Natalie or something of Natalie’s, he’s usually interested in it. (Don’t tell Nat this but on the rare occasion when only he and I are in the house, we sneak into Natalie’s room and I let him play with her Minnie figurine, a Hello Kitty doll, Baby Ellie… stuff he usually doesn’t get to get his hands – or slimy, drooly mouth – on.) He seems to like cards and dollhouse. He likes making the door stopper bounce back and forth. Unf, he likes putting shows in his mouth – he is still obsessed with putting everything in his mouth.
Thanks for being my data to my big sister's Dora Dance birthday party, Grandma!
Foods: This boy can eat. Everything and anything. He eats healthier than any of us – lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and soft meats/proteins. No eggs or peanut butter yet. We haven’t done a lot of tough meats – we’ve erred on the side of turkey meatballs, roasted pork, fish. He mostly drinks breast milk (~5x a day), but I’m typing this as I fly back from Boston… and I know he definitely needed to have some formula while I was away. I’m a lot more relaxed about nursing this time around – I figure, we all do the best we can and a little formula every couple of days is not going to hurt him. And will help me stay sane (pumping is the worst!).
Allergies: He had a bad reaction (hives) to amoxicillin (which is in the same family as penicillin), so I doubt he’ll be getting that ever again. I am allergic too but didn’t have a reaction until 4th or 5th grade. And, I thought that we might escape the inhaler with him, but unfortunately, after our 4th doc visit in about a month, he was sent home with an inhaler for a respiratory infection. He thinks its a fun, chewable toy though!
Yum - delicioso!
Milestones: He has 4 teeth! I think #3 finally poked through around Dec 8th and the 4th around Dec 11th. His top two teeth were just bulging for so long – I felt so bad for him. He is really great at getting around…. He effortlessly transitions between stomach/crawling and sitting, so he can pivot all around and it’s hard to figure out where he’s going next. As most of you know, we live in a long, narrow house, so when Natalie and I will go from the living room to kitchen to get something, he might quickly whine, but then we stick our heads out to encourage him and he tries his darndest to catch up. Usually. Then, Natalie will freak saying that he’s after her feet, and I remind her she is way bigger and can just run away. I wonder how long that will work for.
Schedule: Thank goodness I’m on a reduced work schedule – otherwise, I wouldn’t get to see this boy much! He wakes up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. (Dad usually handles the morning stuff, since I try to work out a couple times a week or have back exercises to do – see below) and is in bed by 6:30 p.m. He usually doesn’t wake up at night, but when he does, I send in Dad – under the excuse that I smell like milk. He is down to two naps a day and the range between 1-2 hours. One nap at 9ish and another at 1pmish. (I’m including Elliott’s schedule in posts more than I used to because Alex and Jira seem to ask for my opinion on baby schedules every couple months, so this will be an easy historical record!)
Guy Time!
Any Downsides?: Elliott is a tank, so between lifting he and his big sister (and doing other stuff around the house), I threw out my back about 3 weeks ago. Luckily, I have a great Physical Therapist on speed dial – and an awesome husband who constantly encourages me to let him do the heavy lifting and carting – so after a week, I was feeling significantly better. And, Elliott poops a ton. His sister did too… hers were more explosive, but Elliott’s are much more frequent and often show the entire contents of his last meal. I’m sorry since that’s probably TMI, but I just don’t get how ½ inch green bean can pass threw undigested.
Overall: Elliott is an absolute joy and we are so lucky to have him in our family.
Can Natalie have another bday soon? This is fun! I get to invite my friends too!
