I'm going to roll these into one "update" post and then post 9 month photos next week when Miles actually turns 9 months. I cannot believe that he'll be 9 months in a week. It's such a strange feeling to absolutely love watching him grow and also already missing the "baby" that he was. I know that everyone says it goes fast and it really really does. It is so amazing to be him mama and I am so utterly happy. Having said that, the last month and a half have been challenging. The entire month of November was possibly the toughest month I've had so far. We pulled him out of daycare and moved him into a nanny-share, which was the BEST decision, I couldn't be happier to have him in the new/better arrangement but I learned a lot from a tough situation. I learned to trust my mom instinct and to just follow my gut. I learned that there are ALWAYS other solutions.
Reasons that November was a hard month: We finally broke him of napping in the baby swing and it's still not an ideal situation as he's taking short naps, but we're working on it. I regret not getting him out of that swing sooner. He popped another tooth, which took about a week for him to be less fussy which led to: daylight savings time, which messed up his sleep even more. He got his first cold...then 2nd and 3rd...it seemed like he was sick all. month. long. He also decided that he didn't want to eat solid food so he seemed to lose weight and only wanted to nurse (although we had no way of really checking aside from me getting on the scale with him). He didn't want to take food from us, he only wanted to feed himself finger foods or take a pouch of food and even then it wasn't a guarantee. Then we traveled to Colorado (first flight) and he was such a champ on the flights, but slept terribly all weekend. Then he got a stomach bug and projectile vomited about 5 times in one night. Thankfully he slept okay that night but it was pretty scary for him and for Matt and me. Things started to cheer up around Thanksgiving and he started feeling better and man am I glad THAT phase is behind us. It was rough. Tears were shed from both Miles and me. This mama thing is such a hard job. Sleep has regressed a bit and he's back to waking up at 2'ish and 5-5:30'ish but thankfully he'll nurse quickly and get a diaper change if needed and then he'll go back down relatively easy (within 5-10 minutes total around 2am and same at 5). The other good news about him being sick and waking up more at night is that he is back to nursing. He wouldn't take a bottle from me or Matt, he only wanted the boob so I am no longer exclusively pumping. I only pump when I'm away from Miles at work.
Stats:
- Weight: 19 pounds 7 ounces he dropped from 72% in weight to 44%. He only gained 1 pound in two months. The doctor wasn't worried at all because he's still gaining and hasn't fallen off the curve AND is more active and burning more calories, but I gotta say that drop had me worried.
- Height: 29.25 inches (90%)...which means he's pretty much outgrown his "bucket" car seat and moved into the "big boy" car seat. Moved him on Oct. 24.
- Head: 18.5 inches (94%)
Likes:
- Eating: he's back on the "I like food" train, thank goodness, more details about food below
- Crawling: he had been dragging himself across the floor with his hands for about a week but "officially" started crawling on Nov. 20 a few days after turning 8 months old
- Pulling up to standing: he started doing this on Nov. 28...only a week after he started officially crawling, over Thanksgiving weekend, which meant that we dropped his crib mattress lower too so that he'll be contained if he decides to pull himself up in his crib.
- Waving: he'll sorta wave at people with a huge smile when they wave back, then he'll start clapping...it might be the cutest thing ever.
- Talking: he loves to babble and he's pretty solid on "da-da" and "ba" and even "ca" and "ga"
- Kirky: Miles is obsessed with the cat, smiles at him, and chases him (now that he can crawl), loves to try and "pet" him (we are teaching him to be gentle and to not grab)...Kirky is sweet when he wants to be, and can also be the biggest shithead and scratch/bite so there are no un-supervised visits between Miles and Kirky.
- Being outside and in public: he loves to people watch and loves being outdoors. We had a 45 minute trip to Whole Foods last week and he was SO fascinated with all the people and the fans and all the bright colors. He was totally making friends with everyone we saw.
Dislikes:
- Sleeping in: We had a couple days where he'd go back to sleep until 6:30-7 but most normal wake ups are 5:30-6 these days. I keep reminding myself (and Matt too) that there will be a day when we are trying to pry him out of bed at noon. This is just a phase. This too shall pass. But damn I miss sleeping. I haven't set my alarm clock since he's been born. I was the queen of the snooze button. I'd set my alarm for an hour before I had to get up so that I could hit snooze like 5 times. That doesn't work with an infant. No matter how I plead with him "shhhh...it's still bedtime...go back to bed for just 10 more minutes".
- Diaper changes/clothing changes: oh my gawd. it's like a WWF match every dang time I try to change his diaper or put clothes on him. I need some advice. He is so strong and squirmy and gets SO pissed!! How DARE we try and put clothes on. It's even worse that it's been so cold lately which means layers and sleeves and socks AND pants. So far there have been no issues with the messy diapers...maybe because he knows that he needs to get cleaned up and "allows" us a quick window to do the deed but once the new diaper is on...wham...he's flipped over to his tummy and trying to climb off the changing pad. I'm one step away from gluing my iPad to the wall next to his changing pad to buy 60 seconds to get his clothes on without me having to flip him back over 20 times and him screaming and me saying in my calm "mom voice", "Miles, we don't flip over on the changing pad, that's not safe. Please just let me put your clothes on and then you can go play".
Eating:
- Milk: I send 3, 8 ounces bottles with him to the nanny. They are about 1/2 breast milk and 1/2 formula. I'm getting anywhere from 11-14 ounces a day pumping at work. I pump three times a day for 15 minutes each session. I'm usually getting 3-4 ounces per session. When I'm with Miles I nurse on demand and before naps and haven't had to supplement with formula at all.
- Solids: We are in full on food mode. We started with purees when he hit 6 months and moved into finger foods as well, with some guidance from Baby Led Weaning. He much prefers to feed himself over being fed. Although he will now suck down a pouch quickly if he's hungry and then likes to graze with the finger foods. Here are all the things that we've given Miles: oatmeal, banana, avocado, spinach, green beans, broccoli, kale, sweet potato, mashed potato, peach, pear, apple, melon, berries, bagels, bread, pita bread, noodles, peanut butter, eggs, turkey, cheese, veggie burger, waffles, black beans, brown rice, salmon, and his favorite puffs...we are at the point now that we'll just give him the same food we are eating. He hasn't shied away from anything we've given him. We started out with just veggies and fruit and then moved forward and he's pretty happy with the variety. It's so amazing to watch him feed himself. He's got a great pincer grasp and will pick out the ONE tiny piece of cheese among the sea of fruits and veggies. If I had to pick I'd say his favorite foods are cheese, applesauce, and bread/carbs...I guess he takes after me in that regard.
Sleep:
- goes to bed at 7pm, we have a solid routine that we've stuck to for the last 6 months and it's working
- gets up 5:45-6 most mornings
- wakes up twice a night now. He was going 7pm-6am before November hit and then when he was teething/sick I couldn't let him cry at night and now I think he's back in the habit of waking up at 2 and 5, although some nights he's only up at 4 and then back to sleep until 6...basically it's still changing and I don't have it figured out and it can always be better. But I guess it can be worse too. I'm not complaining, just stating our reality right now.
- naps are a struggle. we've been getting better/more consistent at home but he is napping poorly with the nanny. at home I can get at least an hour in the AM and about 45-1 hour in the PM. With the nanny he'll do about an hour in the AM and only a 1/2 hour in the PM. He's had a few days with only one 1 hour nap as he cries and cries when she tries to put him down. He's been super happy with the nanny and isn't fussy, she actually always comments on what a happy/smiley kid he is...he's just tired. There are 2-3 other kids around too so I always joke that he has FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and doesn't want to nap for fear that he'll miss the party. we're working on it. napping is important and he needs his rest, but he is one stubborn dude when he doesn't want to do something.
Diapers:
- regular: size 3 Honest diapers
- cloth: Bum Genius 4.0 one snap down and four snaps open across
- nighttime: size 4
Toys:
- teethers: he has a few teether toys that he likes. mOmma walrus, honest butterfly, wubbanub Teddy
- exersaucer: he loves hanging out in this. he'll bounce straight for 2 minutes, it's hilarious
- play table: sorta of like this one but it has food on it.it was a hand-me-down from a friend and Miles loves it. i on the other hand think it is biased towards junk food. there is a pizza and when you push the buttons it says "yummy pizza", and a juice cup that says "yay juice. more please" and cookies...oh the cookies. There is one small section with a banana, blue berries and an apple...and the noises for that are so boring. maybe I've been living in berkeley/oakland too long but i with this little table would get as excited about the healthy food as it does the junk food.
- balls: he loves rolling this ball
Development:
- teeth: he has two teeth, the bottom two. I haven't seen/felt any on top yet but I know they are coming next
- crawling: he is super mobile now and crawls over things and under things...don't get in his way
- pulling up to standing: on the play table, on the couch, on my leg, on the dishwasher door (when it's down), on the bottom shelf of the kitchen island...we have an amazon order coming with a bunch more baby proofing items.
And for the photos...enjoy!!
^^8 months old
^^Hanging out with Dad at 1/2 time of the Cal game
^^Miles and mama getting to meet Oski for the 2nd time this season
^^Good morning Miles
^^First trip on an airplane "The Boss" loved it!!
^^Eating his puffs on a big boy plate
^^Little bear before the Cal v. Colorado game in Boulder
^^Miles and Matt heading to brunch in Denver
^^Helping mama shop at Trader Joe's
^^1st Thanksgiving
^^Post-Thanksgiving trip to Apple Hill
Loved reading your update! It's amazing how much Miles and Daisy have in common (can you say napping issues!?!) and how other things are so vastly different (D is totally not interested in crawling and totally loves being fed). Keep the updates coming. :)
Posted by: julia | December 11, 2013 at 08:34 PM