news from chicago: 9 Months!

Happy 9 months James! You know what this means right? Yep, we’re now only 3 months away from the big 1 year. Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? Each day just flies by and every one of them is filled with laughter, smiles, studious exploration of toys, food, furniture, and everything in between. Our little guy is growing up so fast. He’s not so little anymore – he looks more and more like a little boy each day. He’s so adorable right now – a perfect mix between little baby and little boy.

James waves, he rolls and he’s talking up a storm. Now while we eat, he’s no longer in his little dinner chair. Sadly, he’s outgrown it. Well, I’m not committing to that statement yet. I still use it while I’m in the kitchen or when we’re doing laundry. I probably should not use it as James is way too big for it; but I just can’t bring myself to tell Doug it’s time to put it away. It’s time for the Bumbo to go away too and it has been for a long time. But you know what? It’s still out. It’s hard to have your child grow up so fast. Anyway, James sits in his big boy highchair and snacks on his crisps while we eat. Doug and I just felt it was not fair for him to watch us eat and not have anything for him. James really enjoys being able to look at us and be an active part of dinner. We’re officially a party of three. The bouncer is on its final size. That’s right size 3 and then the bouncer too will have to be put away. Sigh. At least we still have the office and the ocean play mat – which has been enjoying a bit of a revival lately. We were ready to pack that away and then realized – James can sit in front of it and be at eye level with all of his toys. It’s been great.

James has been doing some really cute things lately. He flaps his arms when he gets excited or wants to play. He swings his legs in excitement and buries his head into my shoulder when Doug gets home. He squeals with excitement. When it’s time for the bath, James is almost out of my arms trying to squiggle out into the tub before we’re even ready for him. He twirls his feet in circles when he plays and when he’s sitting – on the couch, floor or in his highchair. Not his legs, but his feet – just around and around and around. It’s adorable.

Separation anxiety has arrived. It’s something that cannot leave too soon. I do not enjoy seeing our son get so upset and I’m sure that James doesn’t like it too much either. It all started on the 19th when Doug’s friends Scott, Ryan and Mike were coming over. As a side note, it was great to see them and cannot wait to see them again! I moved our car so that they could park in our extra spot, James saw me drive away and Doug said he started shaking and crying. After I got out of the car, James was glued to me like my Dad in front of a Jets game. James couldn’t be peeled off of me. Since then, James gets upset when I leave the room to reheat my coffee. But, we’re working on it. And Dr. Hirsh said that this was all completely normal, it disappears on its own and it’s a sign of a healthy and secure attachment. So, woo-hoo Mom and Dad for creating a safe, healthy and secure attachment!

Speaking of Dr. Hirsh, James had his 9 month visit today. It wasn’t raining, but it was below freezing. Luckily for us, the doctor’s office is less than 3 blocks away from our house. But still, it was that kind of cold where your clothes are immediately freezing, your face hurts immediately and your throat burns when you take that first deep breath of cold cold cold air. But you know what? The sun was out. So that’s something we can all be happy about!

Anyway, Dr. Hirsh and Mom talked about all sorts of stuff including the separation anxiety, naps, and crawling. Some of the stuff I will keep private for James’ sake. Let’s just say that we’ve got to introduce some more water into his diet. With that water, we get to bring in little bits of poultry and meat too! And yogurt, pasta, veggies, fruit etc. By his 12 month, I mean 1 year (!!) check-up; we should only be spoon feeding him foods that require it – like soup, yogurt and applesauce. James’ iron levels are within the normal range but on the low side, so we’ve got to beef up the green veggies. James will not be pleased but we’ve got to do what’s best for the little man.

They took blood today from his finger which was awful to watch. They checked his iron levels and are going to test for lead levels too. Everyone please say a prayer that these come back signaling everything is normal. James also got his hepatitis shot too. Poor guy. He’s sleeping it off as I type. Dr. Hirsh said James looked great and it right where he needs to be developmentally. She said he was a very strong sitter and called him super talkative (My son? Talkative? Surely you jest!). James weighs 23 lbs 3 ounces – this is the 75-90th percentiles – he’s back on the normal chart!!!! James is 28.5 inches long which is the 50-75th percentile and his head is 47.9cm which is above the 95th percentile. And if you’re saying, well big heads mean big brains, we’re totally with you. James is a genius. If you’re an avid reader, you know this! :o) As we were leaving, I made his 1 year check-up – April 29th at 11am. I thought I would make the appointment for the day after his birthday to let him enjoy his birthday without having to deal with shots.

As this entry has become the length of a short story, I will leave you with our favorite shots from the past month! Love you all and miss you all!