9 Month Stats & blah, blah, blah

Michael recently took Harrison for his nine month well baby check up which revealed he has grown to:

Length: 28 3/4 inches (60th percentile)
Weight: 20lbs. 0 oz. (40%)
Head Circumference: 17 5/8 inches (38%)

He has come a long way these past nine months Considering he was as small as 5 1/2 pounds, he has nearly quadrupled his weight (which my arms can attest to)! In fact, I suspect he may be going through a growth spurt because lately he has been demanding to eat very often, increased his intake of pureed foods and has been napping longer during the day at home on the weekend (although he still fights naps at day care). I tried to give him "puffs" which are puffed, flavored grains that will melt in this mouth and encourage chewing solids, however after sneaking one in his mouth he literally purses his lips if I bring them anywhere near him!

Harrison can now sit up easily (at 6 months he was still tipping over and falling), crawl his funny peg-leg-looking crawl , pull himself up to standing using the couch and stand-push-walk his toy walker across the living room. Today he was in a couple predicaments where I wanted to grab him and sit him down because it was obvious he was going to eventually fall and each time he either gracefully slid down and landed softly on his bum or he would otherwise use his legs, feet, arms and hands to land without problem. He is learning to wave hello/goodbye and does so by turning his hand towards himself so that his fingers curl toward him instead of away. Clapping is also on the horizon as he is very good at bringing his hands together, he just doesn't yet recognize the idea of clapping over and over again. And at nine months just like 3 months, he still likes to explore things by touch, sun his fingers over things and dragging his nails making scratching sounds. He also continues to stick out his tongue, especially up and to the side (either side!) and he recently learned to stick out his lips like a duck which he did all last weekend.

Vocally, he still roars like a dinosaur and enjoys exploring his range of sounds. There is certainly a lot of babbling, although he makes the "dadadadada" sound a lot but does not associate it was daddy yet (he says it to me all the time as well as Michael).

I had read that it can be comforting to make a nap time ritual to help baby sleep, but as working parents we don't have time (even on the weekends) to read 2 books, rock and sing him to sleep just for a nap (and he only sleeps for 30-45 minutes at a time 3 times a day). One day I decided that when he gets fussy and tired, we go into his bedroom, turn off the lights and I hold him him upright (he will get mad if I lay him in my arms), sway back and forth and sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" three or four times softly to set the "nap" mood; I then give him a kiss and lay him down. Recently, he has really begun to recognize and dare I say embrace this ritual to the point that after the first verse he will lay his head on my shoulder/chest and nuzzle his face and stay there in a snuggle. Michael experienced it for the first time last weekend and the cute/sweet factor totally shocked him. It is one of the best parts of the day.

Another favorite part of the day is when I pick him up from day care. The door to his classroom sticks and makes a loud noise when opened. As soon as I open the door, he hears that noise and looks towards the door. There is a momentary pause as recognition fills his eyes and then his sweet smile lights up his face and he bounces up and down. It definitely makes my day, especially if I did not see him in the morning.

Everyday I get to spend with Harrison is a good day for me, even if he is cranky and not at his best. I have made peace with working 40 hours a week; it is not ideal as my time with him is limited to 1-2 hours day at best but at some point I realized I am going to work and I just have to deal and make the best of the time I can spend with him rather than mourn over the time lost. I will say without guilt that I enjoy my job, the company and the people I work with; I just wish I had the liberty to work a magical schedule so my work life balance would actually feel balanced. When Michael gets to work at home, he will make a PB&J sandwich and go visit Harrison at school for 20 minutes and I say - "Lucky!!"