There have been a lot of changes this last month for my growing boy! It seems as though his 1-year birthday not only marked the end of his baby stage, but it truly began his transition into toddlerhood.
At his 9-month check-up the doctor expressed some concern about his weight gain. While he
had not lost any weight during the previous three months, he had dropped to a lower weight percentile (he had dipped "below his growth curve"). We were pretty sure that this could be attributed to the fact that he had become more mobile and was using more calories. Regardless, I was instructed to add yogurt and cheese into his diet, in addition to all of the fruits/veggies/grains/meats that he was already consuming on a daily basis.
Needless to say, I was anxious to see how much weight he had gained over the last three months. Between the added dairy and the conversion to organic whole cow's milk, Jack moved from the 5th percentile to the 42nd! And the best part: his weight (21 lbs) and height (29") made him eligible to move up to a big boy car seat!
Not really sure about this change yet:
My happy boys:
Checking out the view from all angles:
"Yeah, I'm cool with this, Mom:"
Another big change that took place was that we lowered the crib mattress down in his bed just shortly after his birthday. I was certain that he would start sitting up in his bed and I didn't want any acrobatics taking place when I wasn't around. Whew! I am glad that we did that because within a few short days of lowering the mattress, Jack mastered the concept of laying on his belly and backing up into a seated position. Now, whenever I go to get him from his crib (in the morning or after a nap), he is sitting up waiting for me!
Backing up into a seated position:
Crawling ... Jack has just about mastered that concept too. It started out a lot like this:
Quite a few belly-flops:
Just about in position:
(He actually prefers this little stance. Then he drags his leg underneath him; much like both of the girls did at this stage. Also, a lot of his movement is
backwards -- babies seem to master going backwards before they learn how to propel themselves in the forward direction).
And there it is, even if it is short-lived for now:
He can move great distances in a short amount of time. I'll set him down in one room and he immediately follows me out of the room. His crawling has taken the form of dragging one leg underneath him (Steve is concerned that he looks weird doing it), but I am sure that he will be crawling on both knees in no time!). But with some scooting on his belly and spinning on his bottom, he can get where he wants to go. I am working on teaching him which areas are "off limits" (some of my cupboards and the entertainment center) without having to totally childproof the whole house.
This is "his cupboard." I removed any of the glass/ceramic bowls from the immediate front, leaving just plastic bowls and lids. He can play in there whenever he wants (and he does). This prevents him from trying to get in any of the other cupboards quite as frequently.
Playtime is a big part of our days. Jack loves to throws balls and laughs until he is breathless as he watches us retrieve them for him. He will attempt to climb into anything ... like a true boy.
For example, a box can make an inexpensive toy:
Jack discovered the girls' bean bags and while the color is not really his favorite, he loves the feel of sitting in them:
And what is it about little kids always wanting to play UNDER chairs? I must have several pictures of each of the kids under chairs at some point in their toddlerhood ...
Another source of fun for him is the basement door. When we remodeled the basement, Steve decided to take the door off leading from the kitchen down into the basement. In doing so, we were free to just cruise down the stairs anytime that we wanted without the hassle of opening and closing the door. It was convenient.
Now, with Jack on the move, we needed to put the door back up and make a conscious effort to keep it closed at all times. But ... we also needed the cats to be able to go down the basement at any time because their food/water/litter boxes are down there. So, Steve cut a hole in the door for the cats so that they are able to access the basement at any time.
Guess who loves to play peek-a-boo with that hole in the door?!
And that same little boy loves to throw his sippee cup of milk right through the opening down the stairs. Yes, no less than 12 times a day. I am working with him on that one.
Jack doesn't have an interest in climbing stairs ... yet. I am thankful for that. I am not quite ready to put up gates at the bottom of the stairs at the moment. For now, I am content with just seeing his little, round face looking up at me.
Jack babbles all the time. And he has been for quite some time. It's like he's carrying on his own conversation with you, complete with nodding his head and changing the inflection in his voice. It's adorable. When that little man officially starts talking, he will have A LOT to say.
His first word was "cheese!" As in, "cheese, smile for the camera!" Every time I get out my camera, he instinctively smiles and says "cheese." What can I say, I DO take a lot of pictures!
His second word was "cracker." Again, probably an over-used word in this household ...
Jack loves music and will start bopping to the music when he hears it. It melts my heart just how expressive he is -- at such a young age.
We also taught him a new trick just recently. He "gives five." If you hold out your palm and ask him to "give you five," he slaps your hand and attempts to say "five" each and every time. He giggles and giggles. That sound is just music to my ears.
Overall, this has been such a busy and fun month for us. I just can't wait to see what the next month has in store for my growing and developing little boy!
