And Baby Makes Three

We are still hanging on to the bouncy seat, but its days are numbered now that Benjamin's feet are hanging over the edge.

Here we are rounding the corner to the end of 2008, and Benjamin is suddenly 3/4 of a year old! He is busy, busy these days. In fact, we’ve been busy as a family the past few weeks (thus the shortage of posts here at And Baby Makes Three).

We just returned from a Thanksgiving visit to Mama C and Granddad’s, where the whole family was together for the first time since Benjamin was born. It was a little crazy having 12 people staying in one house, but we had a great time. I’ll post some pictures from that trip some time this week. But on to the topic at hand: Benjamin at nine months.

Benjamin’s Growth

• Weight – 16 lbs. 5 oz. (He’s in the 3rd percentile for weight, but his doctor was encouraged by the fact that his rate of growth increased this month – it had leveled off the past couple of months)
• Height – 28 inches (He’s right around 50 % for height, which tells us what we already knew – that he’s tall and skinny.)
• We’ve been given the go ahead to start giving Benjamin table food and juice, so that should be fun. Yogurt, mashed potatoes, and apple juice – here we come!

The Daily Routine

• He wakes up between 8 and 8:30 most days, and happily chatters to himself in his crib for awhile before I go in to get him.
• After a diaper change, it’s time for breakfast (mama’s milk, followed by oatmeal and fruit).
• He plays for about an hour after breakfast, spending time in his play room or the living room.
• Then it’s time for his morning nap, which usually lasts for 1 1/2 hours.
• Around noon, Benjamin has his lunch (milk, rice cereal, veggie, and fruit).
• Afternoon play time means more time in the play room or living room. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons he goes over to Aunt Cara’s around 1:00 so I can go teach my class.
• His afternoon nap usually lasts from 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (Depending on how long the afternoon nap was, sometimes Benjamin will stay awake until bedtime afterwards, but if he didn’t get enough sleep, he will fall asleep on a walk, or on rare occasions, in his crib, for a 30 minute nap.)
• Late afternoon and evening is more play time, and this is usually when Benjamin will watch a Baby Einstein video from his high chair in the kitchen (so I can get dinner ready). When he’s fussy, the Baby Einstein “water” video soothes and calms him.
• Several nights a week, weather permitting, we go on a walk as the sun is setting. This is often my time for phone calls, since Benjamin is perfectly happy to lay back and take in his surroundings (or sleep). It’s difficult to focus on phone conversations at home when I’m chasing him around!
• We eat dinner as a family, with Benjamin eating more of the same (milk, veggie, fruit). Afterwards, he’ll play awhile, and then it’s time for his bath.
• He loves his bath. These days we put the baby tub in the big tub, so it’s easier to clean him from head to toe (we found the baby safety seat for the tub a bit cumbersome).
• After the bath he usually has one last burst of energy and enjoys playing in the living room while Brad and I relax on the sofa.
• Around 9:00 Benjamin is ready to settle down for the night, so I nurse him, he falls asleep, and off to bed he goes around 9:30. Then Brad and I eat a snack and watch one of our tv shows.
• He rarely wakes up in the middle of the night any more, but if he does it’s teething related.

So not too much exciting about our typical days, but we enjoy the comfort and simplicity of them.

Benjamin’s Favorite Things

• Baby Einstein water video – He is mesmerized by it!
• Looking out the window in the play room – Especially if it’s a breezy day, and the tree branches are swaying.
• Knocking over block towers – Brad and I enjoy seeing how high we can stack the blocks before Benjamin comes barreling across the room to knock them over. This activity provides him with endless satisfaction.
• Clapping – He claps to music, when it’s time to eat, when we get him up from a nap, etc.
• Jumping – This is his latest acquired skill. I guess I should call it “bouncing.” He does this when we’re holding him in our lap, or when he’s in the exersaucer. His exersaucer jumping makes me think of Animal (the muppet) playing his drum set.
• Saying “da da da” – He is so cute when he says this. He whispers it quietly, over and over.
• Giving hugs – He has recently developed a knack for giving sweet, strong hugs. Especially when he is sleepy.
• Exploring – About the time we went to Ruston for Thanksgiving, Benjamin decided his designated play areas were too confining, and since then he has tried his best to venture out into new territory. At my parents’ house that meant the kitchen and dining room. At our house that mainly means Brad’s office, a world full of cords and electronics. We need to figure out a way to make that room remotely safe for him in case we ever lose track of him in there.

Benjamin’s Health Regimen

• At his last pediatrician appointment, the purpose of which was a weight check, Benjamin’s doctor decided she wanted him to get more calories. (He had only gained 4 oz. in a month, and was 15 lbs. 8 oz.) Per her suggestion, we started giving him formula twice a day, as a supplement to breast milk. The first day was hard, with him crying and rejecting the formula, but on day two he suddenly decided that he liked it! Since then, it seems that he has started gaining more weight (I’ll find out for sure tomorrow at his 9 month checkup), and he has started eating more baby food, too.
• At that appointment we also had some routine blood work done, and everything came back fine, except that Benjamin has a slightly low hemoglobin count, which means he is borderline anemic. The treatment is iron supplement drops, twice a day. So every morning and night Benjamin has to endure the metallic taste of the drops. He doesn’t even make the “yucky” face any more, though. He’s a trooper! I hope we don’t have to keep giving him the drops indefinitely, because they really do stink!

To not end on the stinky note about the iron drops, here are a couple of pictures of Benjamin out and about. He remains a happy, healthy baby who is very curious about the world around him.

Here we are at a Tech football game. It was chilly out, but Benjamin was warm and snuggly in all his layers.

Benjamin had a great time at the Lady Techster game, even though they lost.