First Steps

Last night you took your first steps without holding on to anything. I don't think you're ready to walk yet, but you sure took 3 steps alone! You wanted some of my potatoes and you were getting very ansy! You were standing at the footrest, then all of a sudden you let go and BAM ... BAM ... BAM three independant steps later you were at my chair. I don't think you realized what you had done, or even meant to for that matter, but you did! What a big boy!!

Today you had your first blood-boo boo. You were playing with Maysen's Leapster, flinging it around, chewing on the corner, etc. You laid back holding it and it fell on your face. It's not the smallest thing in the world and it fell and cut your left eyelid. I think it scared you more than anything but you were fine within a few minutes.

You're starting to be very vocal these days. You will do this funny thing where you grunt and then you'll wait for us to grunt back, like cavemen. It's your way of communicating I think. You are also saying a lot of "La-La-La-La's". I think you like the feel of your top teethies. And you've discovered the fun of hair-pulling. I think Daddy started it. He'd lay on the ground on his tummy and let you yank on his hair to pull up. Now you think it's great to pull hair. In fact, you get very excited about it ... and IT HURTS!

Your brother is still hard on you. He will knock you over and bang your head and take toys away. But I'm starting to see you rebel on him a bit. You've been crawling over to him and will start whacking/slapping him on his head. I am not looking forward to the ER visits as you both get older!

Language

One little note. It wasn't until this morning that I realized you can understand what I say. You were looking everywhere but at me, so I finally said, "Griffin, watch!" and you immediately stopped and faced me like, "What, mom?" I thought it might be a fluke but when I repeated it again this evening I got the same response. Amazing .... (like you'll be listening to me in 10 years. Ha!)

9 Months

Dear My Boy,

A few days ago you turned 9 months old. It seems you are developing new things and trying them every single day in rapid succession. Yesterday while at Aunt Jessica’s and Uncle Josh’s you discovered how to clap on your own. You don’t bang both hands together, but rather will sort of set one hand stationery and bang the other one on top of it. Then today while in a very whiney phase, you wanted picked up and I had walked off. Well, you lost it and starting wailing, but you started crawling toward me when I heard, “…Ma….Ma….Ma….Mu … Ma….” You were saying MaMa for communication purposes. Big milestone! Of course daddy says “Well, he’s been saying ‘Dada’ for a long time!” My arugement to that was that you just say it to say it … not that you are “calling” for daddy or saying his name. But it appeared this time to be so! You’ll even clap on demand, so that’s very fun to watch.

You love getting into the toilet and that’s become an issue. At first it was just flicking your fingers in the toilet water but now you love to pull the TP down and dip it into the water. Your brother loved the same thing. So when we can’t find you … check the bathrooms!

You love to pull hair. You use it mainly to pull up to stand and you’re very rough when you do it!! But that is what makes you laugh very hard .. the harder you pull the more excited you get J Very funny.

You went to your first football game this month – Creswell High. We sat you back in your stroller and you loved it! You watched the cheerleaders most of the time (already!).

This month we have been trying to get you to sleep longer through the night. You were up 3 times a night and it was getting ridiculous! So, we had to start letting you cry out those periods when you woke up. I hate hate hate listening to you cry and know I can’t just go pick you up. It’s time for you to learn that you can comfort yourself back to sleep and you don’t need us. So, now you’re only getting fed once a night and that is helping the sleep factor.

Your top two teeth were born around September 11th. You ran a fever for 2 days the week prior but nothing poked through. So you now have a matching top and bottom pair and MAN DO THEY HURT when you like to "nibble". You’re getting more independent with eating. You’d rather be eating OUR food versus yours. You like real food like bread, crackers, yogurt, applesauce cottage cheese, cheese, pretzel twists, and I give you smashed things off our plate. I have introduced you to a new soft nipple topped sippie cup so you can have more independence with eating that, but you still kind of make a mess. You blow IN to the sippie cup, and in response milk comes out this little hole in the top and onto your face. So, it’s messy … but I’m hopeful you’ll catch on and I can just let you hold the cup and drink.

You’re getting good at walking with your walk toy. You would just fall down with it, but you do have pretty good control of it now and will walk until you run into something. You have learned to click with your tongue. It’s something I have always done to get your attention and now when you click, I will click. Or if you hear me click, you’ll click back. It’s pretty cute!!

We love you!

Momma

First Cry-Out

Check out the feet ... you're in "gonna stand up and walk" mode but just can't get there. You've been a pill the last few weeks. Your top 2 teeth were born last week (slow movers!) and you have one I-Tooth that is coming through that has caused a bruise but yet no break through. Poor baby. But with your crankiness has come some waking up at night wanting held. I admit, I had given into this, but it was causing no sleep for momma!! You'd be awake at 11p, 2a, 5a. More than when you were born! Finally daddy talked me into letting you cry it out after you were up from 11:00pm until 3:30am one night. So, Sunday night you woke up at 11:00 and cried so daddy slept on the couch (I can't stand to listen to you cry) and let you cry it out until you went back to sleep. It took you until 1:00 to go back to sleep. But you did! And ever since then *knock on wood* you haven't gotten up at night until like 6:00am to eat. Thank you!!

You're standing on your own now. You crawl 100mph to get to where you're going, pull up then you'll let go and stand until you get nervous and fall to your bottom. That's what Maysen did before he started walking so I think that's around the corner!!

ouchie teeth

You just got over your first bad bout with teething. You ran a fever for over 2 days straight. You were mopey, whiney, tired, and looked miserable. Thanks to Tylenol and some extra care, you are feeling much better now. I am still waiting for those babies to poke through but it should be very soon. You still have your lonely 2 in the bottom, but before we know it you'll have all of them poking through.

You're walking with your walker now. Before you would pull up and start to walk but just fall down. Now you're taking steps and can walk with it for a good 10 feet before your legs give out. Who knows, maybe you'll be walking at 9 months like your brother. You need to get a jump on him. He's a pretty good big brother, but he likes to get a little rough with you sometimes. You'll be showing him who the Little Brother Boss is before you know it!

8 months

Dear Pretty Boy,

You will be 8 months this week and I still can’t believe how fast the time has gone. This month you have exploded with new things. You started crawling and have mastered it by now but it still frustrates you to have to crawl to things – you’d much rather just walk or run to them. You started out by crawling with one leg/knee but would keep the other foot flat on the floor and kind of half-walk with that foot. Before long, you had gotten the whole knee/arm movement and are crawling great now.

You got your first 2 teeth at the end of last month and they are big and bright now! They are your bottom front teeth and you jet your jaw out trying to munch on things. You’re now eating Stage III foods and loving every drop! You also are eating solids now, such as cheerios, bits of bread, Club crackers, bits of cheese – really you will go after just about anything!! You slide it to the side and gum it until it breaks up. You like drinking water/milk out of a cup although it still is a bit much for you. You recognize when others are eating/drinking and majorly want part of the action!! Your newest thing are the teething biscuits – which are supposed to not break apart easily. Well, #1 their messy as all get out, but #2 is you break them apart in no time so I have to really watch you!

You still get up in the night once. Its usually around 1:00am, then you get up at 7:00 to eat again but will generally go back to sleep until 8:00 or so. You nap around lunch time and if I’m lucky (and ONLY if I’m lucky) I can get you back to sleep around 4:30. You get a bath still around 7:30 and are in bed at 8:00pm….unless you refuse your pm nap then you’re in bed a bit earlier than that.

You’re also pulling up on things. You will crawl right over to the couch, grab on, and pull right up! You’ll crawl over to me in the kitchen and pull up on my pant legs. That’s less successful, but you try J You get frustrated very easily and will give that half whine/half cry bit when you’ve had it.

For a small while you were doing this fake smile that was hilarious. You’d squint up your eyes/nose/lips in this smile like “yep!” and then you’d just stop …. So we all knew it was a fake one. Another hilarious thing you’re doing right now is you’re doing a very similar thing like your brother’s “hooting”. Whne you laugh/giggle, when you breath back in post laugh you will suck it in loud and drawn out like “Hehehehe ….. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWW”. It’s hilarious!

You love Bailey. If she’s laying around you’ll crawl over to her and scratch her with your nails … more for the feel for you, but Bailey loves it, until you decide to bite her ear. You are pretty ruthless with those little kitten teeth!! Very sharp blades!

I think that is it. I can’t wait to keep watching you grow and change.
Love,Momma