9 Month Update

Soon after our Moogle turned 3, baby Buddy turned 9 months.  We had his doctor appointment a little early because he had developed hives after breakfast one day and the doctor wanted to get him in for some allergy testing.  We opted for the blood tests instead of the skin scratches at this time.  I was surprised to find that they draw blood from a 9 month old the same way they would for most adults - from the arm.  I held the little guy on my lap and he was so intrigued by what they were doing - no needle issues from this guy.  He did very well with the blood draw!  We got the results back at the end of last week and the good news is that he did not react significantly to anything they tested for (mainly grains/breakfast foods and nuts).  Course, now we are not sure why he got hives and we just have to keep an eye on him and hope it was just some fluke occurrence.  He weighed in at 18lbs 6oz and measured 27" at his appointment and the doctor was please with where he is at developmentally.  So, aside from the hives and occasional rashes, he is doing pretty well. 

He is cruising like a pro and every now and then lets go and can stand for short amounts of time.  He has also figured out how to bend down to pick items up and how to fall to his butt (instead of his head).  He can climb stairs and up on Adara's step stool and her orange chair and..... :P  And, yes, he will stand on these items and give Mommy a heart attach. :P  He has also taken to rearranging any item in the house that is not nailed down. :P    

Exploring is his favorite pass time.  He loves to check everything out!  He often carries a ball around with him and will test how it rolls on various surfaces and where he can fit it.  He LOVES throwing items down the stairs.  He'll pick up a new item turn it over, look at it from all sides, taste it, then bring it over to the gate and see if he can fit it under or lift it over then he'll watch how it goes down the stairs.  Of course, you can guess what happens next.  :P  He gets very mad when items are taken away from him and it can take a bit of creativity to get his mind onto something new.  He likes getting Adara's attention by doing things he shouldn't (turning the knobs on the receiver, trying to play in the potty water) because she will run over to tell him "No!" and then try to find a toy for him.  :P  He is still very focused on his big sister and wants to do everything that she does.

Verbally he is doing great.  He babbles quite a bit.  Still mostly da's, ba's and Adara, but he is also getting into adding the ee sound "Daddy," Mommy" and he waved to me and said "Hi!" this morning, lol.  Today he also said "Ooooo.." as we turned down an aisle at the store that had a bunch of stuffed toys and then said "Hi" and waved to a stuffed red dog he seemed to especially like, lol.  No, Scott, I did not buy the red dog. :P

He is a great imitator!  He pushed the step stool over to the fridge and tried to climb up to get water like Adara does. He will clack his tongue and blow raspberries if he hears these noises.  Him and Adara get little "Zerbert conversations" going in the car sometimes. :)  He will also lift his arms above his head (touch down!) if he seems someone do this.

He has two bottom teeth and is working on a top tooth right now.  This past week or so he seems to have finally figured out that food is FOOD and is actually swallowing more instead of spitting it out.  Yay!  His favorite foods are peas, yogurt and cheerios.  The other night he ate a whole banana, 1/4 cup cheese, about 1/2 a cup of Cheerios and some apple bits.  I was amazed!  He has also been wanting our food more.  I seriously thought he was going to jump out of his high chair to get the steak and veggies we were having the other night! :P  He's also started going to his high chair when he is hungry.  Today he wanted to eat 4 different times!     

Sleep.... well, we're still working on that... ;P  But, he's always so happy to see me it's hard to be upset with him at all.  Just love my little guy and so excited that the kids are starting to interact together more.  :D