What's Buzzing with the Brasfields: 9 months...a little late

Tyler Glenn - You are 9 months old!

Another late monthly post...things have been busy around here! Better late than never, right?? You have grown so much and are doing super fun things at this age. You are just full of personality and energy and we love it!

You are into 9 month clothes now and can even wear some 12 month things. I have been working to transition your closet to Spring/Summer since it has been unseasonably warm! This has meant lots of consignment sale shopping and storing your winter clothes in tubs.

We are finishing up our last size 3 diapers and are moving on to size 4!

Sleep is still going great! You are going to bed between 7:30-8:00p and sleep until around 6:30a. You play in your crib until 7:00a and sometimes longer on the weekends. We have changed up you nighttime routine so that you have your bottle first, then bath, pjs, rocking and singing with Mommy and bed. We are finding that you are more tolerant and less fussy with your belly full. We lowered your crib all the way down to the lowest level this month, too. Daytime naps are a little better at daycare, as you are averaging 2 naps for an hour or more a day. Of course, on the weekends, you take 2 naps for at least 2 hours total.

Things you LOVE:

Eating is still a favorite pastime, but it has definitely changed quite a bit this month, as you are eating more finger foods per Dr. H. We are striving for 3 well-rounded meals a day with a snack. You are still getting some stage 3 baby food, but you have been eating yogurt, cheese, chunks of banana, oranges, pears and avocado, shredded chicken and turkey. You also take 4 bottles a day - 1 when you wake, 1 at night and 2 during the day. I am not gonna lie...the switch to finger foods has been a challenge for me. It means more prep time before daycare and that I have to go to the store more often. Dr. H said that he should and can eat basically anything that we are eating, but in smaller bites. But that's still hard considering that Russ and I don't eat together during the week because he gets home so late. I am adjusting and trying new things to see what works for us, the time I have and our schedule.

You love to play with anything that isn't a toy...of course! Your favorites are newspaper (any paper, really), your hairbrush, plastic hangers, Mommy's keys and sunglasses, anything with cords (vacuum, space heater/fan) and anything that Bonnie has!

What is this fun thing to play with...

So much fun!!

Caught in the act!

I left the paper on the floor, turned
around and it was everywhere!

Newspapers are fun!!

OUTSIDE!! I don't know if this is a boy thing or what, but you adore anything about the outdoors. You get SO EXCITED when I open the backdoor, kicking your legs, smiling and laughing. And most of the time we aren't even going out! I have started leaving the door open so you can look outside and you love it. You will crawl right up to the glass door and stare out. I swear you would do this for hours if we let you! We will definitely be stocking up on outdoor toys for the summer.

Looking out the front door.

Happy boy!

Pulling up and banging on the glass.

Love this sweet face!

Your favorite song is "The Itsy Bitsy Spider". Hooray! A welcomed change from all those months of singing "The Wheels on the Bus"! Ha! We still cuddle and rock at night and I sing you "Baby of Mine". I love that song and when you hear it you know it is time to settle down.

NEW things this month:

The biggest NEW thing is CRAWLING!! I honestly did not know if you would be a kid that ever crawled, since you were pretty efficient and content with just rolling around and spinning on the floor to get places. But you are doing it and it is so fun to watch! You are exploring places and things you've never been able to before...you especially love our master bath and Bonnie's water bowl. Granted, this means we have to keep a closer eye on you...especially since the house is still not really childproofed. (Who has time for that?!)

Another biggie for the month is that you are pulling up to a standing position on your own! You have always loved to "stand" since you were teeny tiny and now you can do it on your own. You legs are pretty strong but you do still topple over from time to time, bumping your head and causing some tears. This is probably the biggest change for us because it means you can get to things that you couldn't reach before. Plus, pulling up on unstable surfaces (such as the skirted table in your bedroom) is just an accident waiting to happen. Might need to rethink that one...

He went from pulling up to his knees...

...to pulling up on his feet, all this
month in a couple of weeks!

You can now "give me 5" when we extend our hand. You haven't quite figured out the "high five", but I'm sure that's not far behind. We are also working on waving bye-bye and blowing kisses.

You are still a little talker. No new words really, but you are making lots of sounds include "l" and "r" that I can recognize that are new this month.

We started a babysitter swap with some neighborhood friends that have 2 kids, ages 3 1/2 and almost 1. We each picked a date in March when we needed a sitter and our kid(s) went to their house for the evening. Our night to sit came first - Tyler had fun playing with his buddies and their kids did great over here, too. Tyler went to their house a few weeks later and went down in their pack and play with no trouble after his bottle! Yay! We both have already picked our April dates. I think it will be extra fun as the little kids get older.

Tyler and Emery playing. They are about 2 months apart.

You have some separation anxiety now, especially from Mommy. It doesn't really happen when we leave you with someone, but more when I leave the room. You now realize you can crawl after me, which is so sweet and sad because you are crawling while tears are spilled down your sweet checks! Aww. But as soon as I pick you up, you are fine. You also want Mommy over anyone else at night when you are tired and if you don't feel good. But that only seems to apply when you see me...out of sight, out of mind still seems to work. For now.

The Mommy infatuation is soon to be tested, because I am leaving you for an entire weekend for the first time this month to go on a weekend church Women's Retreat to Pickwick. This is a good thing, because I have 2 longer work trips in April and this will help prepare us all! Granna is in town and helping out Daddy.

Here are my favorite pictures of you over the past month. I have been playing with my DSLR camera so some of the lighting may be a little off...forgive me while I learn!