Grayson's 9 Month Update!

 

I love doing these updates! It's so fun to see the progression. I know the updates are probably too detailed for most, but I treat this as Grayson's online baby book and I don't want to forget anything ;) This update was originally written at the beginning of the month (when he actually turned 9 months old), so things have changed slightly since then. Grayson has officially been out in the world longer than he was in my belly -- he is 9 months old! This month is bittersweet because I realize that his first year of life is quickly coming to a close. He's transitioning from an infant to a toddler right in front of my eyes and is looking more like a little boy these days. With that being said, being his mommy just gets more and more fun. I love my little man! 

Weight & Height: Grayson is 19 lbs. 10 oz. (33rd percentile) and 29 inches long (73rd percentile). He is starting to thin out, but he still has those chunky thighs that I love! ;)

Feeding: Grayson is down to 4 feedings a day including the bedtime feeding. It makes me sad to think breastfeeding him is almost over, but I'm happy that he is naturally weaning himself off breast milk. The solids category is still a work in progress -- but that's okay! Grayson still loves yogurt, puffs, and drinking water out of his sippy cup, but this month, he started eating more table food and doing more baby-led weaning. Grayson is a very independent child and would get so upset that he couldn't hold the spoon when I was feeding him. He prefers to feed himself, as well as, hold and drink out of his cup himself. We have been letting him feed himself more often which he enjoys. I don't know how much food he actually gets in his mouth, but he is getting better and better at it. He likes to eat strawberries, watermelon, eggs, and bits of bread with peanut butter on them. He is eating more and more off my plate and eats what we have for dinner sometimes. Grayson is still eating purees when he is in the mood, but that's more of a random thing right now. He won't eat straight up veggies, so I buy a lot of the fruit and veggie combos and he does okay with those. As a whole, I am seeing a lot of progress in the eating department, so I am happy about that!

Sleeping:  Sleep has been all over the board this month! Grayson was doing much better with his bedtime routine and going to bed earlier. He was only waking up like once a night which is really good for him. But then we went on vacation...and that messed it all up. He slept in the Pack 'N' Play while we were at the beach and really didn't like it. He was up twice each night and woke up at 6am each morning...so much for a vacation! When we got back, he was sleeping absolutely terribly. Like worse than ever. I assumed it was teething, but it continued to get worse. We took him to the doctor and it turned out that he had an ear infection. I felt awful for not knowing it was an ear infection and just thinking he was teething, but to my defense, his symptoms were almost the exact same as when he's teething. Lesson learned. Once he got the right meds, he was sleeping more normal, but still waking up in the night. He was waking more out of habit than anything else and didn't know how to self-soothe himself back to sleep. After talking to the pediatrician, we started letting him cry when he woke up in the night and then going in every 10 minutes and patting his back, reassuring him, and walking out. The goal was to let him know we were there, but not get him out of his crib and not breast feed him for comfort. And this goes without saying, but it's been extremely tough and heartbreaking. No parent wants to do that to their child. On a positive note, it has been working. He has been sleeping so much better and is finally learning to self-soothe. He has been getting in the habit of sleeping from 730-5 or 6am without waking or waking but putting himself back to sleep which is basically a miracle to us. It's all still a work in progress (can you tell that's a theme for us?), but overall, he is slowly becoming a better sleeper and I think the sleep training is working!

Clothes: He is in a size 4 diaper and is in 6-9 and 9 month clothing.

 

 

Mood: Aside from Grayson being sick and having an ear infection, his mood has been great! He did great at the beach and was happy the majority of the time. He is so curious and interested in everything going on around him. He is on-the-go and into everything these days. A very active little boy :) He loves to explore and is entertained by me giving him random objects around the house or out of my purse (lotion caps, anything that shakes or makes noise, a hair tie, etc.)! I love Grayson's silly personality that is starting to come out! He is such a goofball. He has the biggest smile and shares it with everyone. He is doing much better about going to others and usually has good days even if mom and dad aren't around. Josh and I joke because he is so independent in a lot of ways, and yet he can be very clingy. Grayson definitely loves his mommy and daddy! Can't complain there :)

 

Teeth:  Grayson has 6 teeth! He got his 6th tooth the day we left for the beach. I am thankful teething has left us alone this month although it was replaced with an ear infection and constant congestion. The change in weather has left Grayson with a constant runny nose :(

 

 

School: Grayson is doing so much better in Mother's Morning Out and nursery at church. It just took a lot of consistency and persistence. He is happy and learning to have fun with his classmates and teachers. I'm so proud of him! He absolutely loves other children and lights up whenever they are around.

 

Milestones: Grayson now says, "Ma-ma", "Ba-Ba", and "Woah" along with a million other sounds (He is very chatty and vocal!), he also says what sounds like "Yes" and "No", he is "army crawling"!, he is cruising the furniture...I can look away for a second and he is half way across the room!, he can now throw the ball himself when we play catch, he has started baby-led weaning and feeding himself.  

 

Loves: Giving Cedric his dog treat and feeding Cedric his own food (he thinks it's hilarious), sharing and giving you what he has then taking it back (again, hilarious to him), Grayson is a giggle monster and loves to belly laugh!, loves to clap and dance, crawling to Cedric's food and water bowls, loves drumming on everything, loves watching mommy and daddy brush their teeth (random, I know!), loves people watching, swinging at the playground and being outside instantly calms him.

 

Things I Want To Remember:

First hair cut -- I held off on cutting Grayson's hair for a long time. I wanted to wait until he was a year old, but the poor baby couldn't even see, so I gave in (after a lot of peer pressure from my husband!). I am so happy with how his hair looks although it does make him look like a little man. He's so handsome though and I love this length on him! Surprisingly, Grayson did awesome with his first haircut. There were no tears, just lots of driving his "car" ;)

 

 

Grayson's second visit to the beach -- We had a wonderful week with friends and really enjoyed the quality family time together. Grayson was happy the entire trip and really seemed to enjoy the beach!

Aquarium -- We went to the aquarium to celebrate my 27th birthday (you get in free on your birthday, woot woot!) and we had a lot of fun. Josh and Grayson had never been, so it was neat to experience that with them. Grayson was loving the fish!

 

Grayson's 8 Month Update!

**This post was originally written on September 4, 2015

It's that time of the month again! Our little man is officially 8 months old and fun as ever! I couldn't get a decent 8 month shot, but I thought these pictures were a good snap shot as to what Grayson is like at 8 months old. He is ALL boy and on the move!

Weight & Height: Grayson is weighing in at 19 lbs 7oz., although to me he is solid! His height is between 27-28 inches. It's hard to get an accurate measurement with Grayson squirming! 

 

 

Feeding: Grayson is still breastfeeding, but he is only feeding 3-4 times a day plus his bedtime feeding. He goes about 4 hrs. between feedings and isn't as interested as he used to be. (He also has bitten me a few times recently, so that's been fun...not!) I'm fine with this because I hope to have him weaned by his 1st birthday. Grayson has done much better with solids this month! He is still very moody when it comes to food and can eat nothing or a whole jar in one sitting depending on how he's feeling. His favorite food is yogurt. Grayson loves puffs and drinking water out of his sippy cup. He is very independent and loves to hold the cup himself. Grayson has surprised me this month by liking pumpkin and spinach in the little pouches. (He loves to chomp on the plastic nozzle.) Grayson is at a fun age with food where he is able to try more random things off my plate that meet the texture requirement and lately, he has enjoyed mashed potatoes, refried beans, and beef. I believe that teething really takes a toll on him when it comes to wanting to eat solids. When he is in pain and cutting a tooth, he wants nothing to do with food, but when he is feeling better, he will eat much more.

Sleeping: At the beginning of this month, I was at my whit's end. I was delusional from exhaustion and so discouraged because Grayson was still sleeping horribly. I decided to try to get him to bed between 7-8 pm and stick to a more strict bedtime routine (bath, lotion, pjs, feeding, rocking him to sleep). I had tried this a few months back and it didn't work, but I wanted to give it one more good try. It's worked really well! Every night isn't perfect, but as a whole, Grayson has slept much better this month. He wakes up 1-2 times a night as opposed to 3-4 times. He gets a bath around 7 and is in bed around 7:30 most nights. He has had a lot of 7, 8, and even 9 hour stretches of sleeping straight by going to bed earlier. Some mornings are rough because he wakes up early (cue the 5am wake-up calls), but usually he sleeps until 7-8am. Grayson takes a morning and afternoon nap. He isn't a big napper, so they are usually only 45 minutes each. Overall, Grayson has had a much better month of sleep with this new schedule and I'm extremely grateful!

Clothes:  Grayson is in 6 month and 6-9 month clothing. He still wears a size 4 diaper.

 

Mood: Grayson has been much happier this month! Although he has been cutting teeth, he has handled it like a champ. Grayson is so much fun these days. He is full of energy and personality. He lets you know when he doesn't like something or when he isn't happy, but he is the first to give a stranger a huge grin at the grocery store. He loves being around other people and children. He observes, smiles, and giggles at them. Grayson is still very vocal and chatty. He cracks up laughing all the time, sometimes at completely random things. I love that he is full of so much life! He has started cuddling and reaching for both Josh and I. It's so sweet! He is still stubborn and determined. When he wants something, he goes after it and doesn't give up. (I wonder where that trait came from...?)

 

Teeth: Grayson cut 2 teeth this month which makes the grand total 5! I can see the 6th tooth coming in too. He has had a runny nose for most of the month and some diarrhea. Cutting teeth is tough business!

 

 

School: Grayson started "school" aka Mother's Morning Out this month. I was really nervous because he was going through separation anxiety at the beginning of the month and wasn't doing well being passed to others. But that was just a confirmation that being around other adults beside mom and dad would be a good thing for him! The first few times were rough, but Grayson has been doing really well recently. There have been minimal tears and he is really enjoying the other children. As a mom, I was really worried each day he went to MMO in the beginning (especially because he was always so upset), but I'm getting better and starting to let go more. The positive reports and happy pictures really help! I'm excited for Grayson to get to have that interaction and fun with other kids. I think it's important for him.

Milestones: Grayson said "Da-Da" for the first time this month!, he started school, he can get himself down from laying on the couch to a standing position on the floor, and he loves to put his hand over his mouth while talking and make funny sounds (like the Indian chant).

 

Loves: Standing up (he barely needs support these days), any dog (he cracks up laughing and giggling around animals and I'm so happy he is an animal lover!), jumping like a mad man in his jumper, people and children (Grayson is a people person! He might not always love being held by a stranger, but he smiles and laughs at them all the time. He loves watching other kids play and is very interested in other children.) and playing "catch" by rolling a ball back and forth (again, the giggles and cracking up start almost every time we play!)

Things I Want To Remember:

-- First Tea Party - Grayson went to his cousins', Emma & Sophia, tea party birthday party and looked very snazzy in his little tux outfit from my father-in-law! He reminds me of a baby James Bond ;)
 

 

--First Day of School

 

--Playing With His Hair - I couldn't let Grayson's long hair go without doing this at least once. Although this was a good indication that a haircut was in his future. Grayson has the thickest and prettiest hair! Sorry buddy! ;)

 

--Uncle Taylor Visiting - My brother was able to visit this month and he hadn't seen Grayson in person since March! I loved watching these two interact. My brother had never even held or been around a baby until Grayson, so it's sweet to see them bond. I love Grayson's expressiveness! Ha! In all seriousness, he loves his Uncle Taylor!