Everyone tells you that it will happen, but it’s true that the time seems to be flying by! I can hardly believe we have a 9 month old interactive little boy now…actually 9 months and 2 weeks but who’s counting? Ashton recently had his 9 month old check-up and continues his string bean legacy weighing in at 17 ½ pounds ( 10th percentile for weight) and measuring 29.5 inches (75th percentile for height). It could be because the boy never stops moving that he’s such a lean little guy. I think we will have our hands full once he really gets going!
Ashton had a great summer, playing outside, exploring the metro parks, visiting the lake and swimming in local pools. He got his first tooth in August – when he was about 7.5 months old and since then, they have been coming in fast and furious! He has at least 6 teeth now and the doctor said his 1 yr molars are also making their way down. He starting crawling around recently and loves knocking down blocks, banging shapes together and doing laps around the coffee table (a trick his Daddy taught him :D).
He also enjoys reading. His favorite books are Peek-a-Who (he loves the last part where he can see his reflection in the mirror – it gets him every time!), Where Is Baby’s Belly Button (he loves to lift the flaps himself) and Baby Faces (he loves to look at all of the other babies). Every night, we also read Goodnight Moon and look at a picture book of all of our family members so that he can say goodnight to everyone and give kisses. He loves this family photo book so much that it was actually the impetus for him to crawl across the room the first time!
Food-wise, he continues to explore new tastes and textures. He eats pretty much everything but definitely has some favorites, including: black beans (funny, right?), cheddar cheese, prunes, mangos, sweet potatoes, bananas and pork (w/rosemary and garlic of course!). He also likes green beans, squash, apples w/cinnamon, tofu and yogurt . He has even grown to like carrots! He tried cottage cheese but was not a fan – I think it was a texture issue. He’s learning to feed himself and will usually have something to eat at each meal that he can feed himself and something that we will feed to him on a spoon. He remains fiercely independent though and often wants to ‘help’ with the spoon feeding which leads to some messy mealtimes (see pic below!).
Of course, Ashton still loves the bath and all things water related. He just started swimming lessons, which he seems to really enjoy – more on that to come. He also still loves animals, especially dogs and his newest stuffed animal, Scout, which is a little green dog that talks to him – courtesy of Granddaddy and Grandma Nat. He still sings a lot and makes lots of noises with his lips and mouth. This has increased dramatically since he’s gotten teeth and can make all sorts of new sounds now. He says Mama and Dada and definitely knows his name. He’s a very happy, smiley and spirited little boy.
Here's our favorite pics from this summer. While I miss my little itty bitty baby, we’re loving getting to know our little man!
Fun at the park
Swimming
Backyard Pool
Eating!
Randoms
Love,
K & J
