9 months in, 9 months out

December 03, 2012

It's hard to believe my little guy is 9 months old already! He's been out in the world for as long as he was growing inside me - really crazy when you think about it. At his check up he weighed 21 1/2 lbs (70%), and is 29 1/2 inches tall (90%). The past month has seen plenty of challenges. He now has 4 front teeth, which means he bites everything (including me). He has also discovered how to grind his teeth, a trait that he has clearly inherited from both his mother and grandmother. He's working on the next two teeth and I'm wondering how many nights in a row I'm allowed to give him Motrin...

I know the next few months are going to mean even bigger changes as he starts expanding his sounds and vocabulary. From the beginning I was convinced that Parker's personality would be very different from his big sister. However they seem to be more and more alike each day. He is already (literally) on the move - crawling, standing, cruising on furniture, chasing the cat, and climbing the stairs (time to break out those baby gates again!) He will certainly be walking by 11 months (like his big sis), if not sooner. Those big Bowlin feet do help our kids to maintain their balance! And just like Ainsley, he seems to have limitless energy. He plays hard but he also sleeps hard - two good naps a day, plus 11 - 12 hours at night. When he wakes up he's got a big smile on his face and is ready to go!

He has already started becoming the "annoying little brother" by always trying to play with Ainsley's things. His "playing" includes chewing on her puzzle pieces, biting her crayons, shredding her coloring paper, crawling around with her socks in his mouth, splashing her in the bathtub, pulling all her dishes out of her kitchen, and pulling her hair. Luckily, Ainsley is a wonderful big sister and we've been working on the appropriate language to use when Parker is bothering her. We're also learning the best places to keep our activities (mostly the kitchen table) so they are out of reach.

Being an only child myself, it is very funny to watch the two of them interact. Ainsley will be yelling about Parker taking her doll one minute, and then the next minute she wants to help change his diaper or pick out what he'll eat for lunch. She is turning out to be a wonderful big sister, and he continues to be fascinated with everything she does. Their new favorite game is to play "follow the leader", when Ainsley will crawl around the house and Parker will follow her. I can't wait until they can really play together - what a joy that will be to watch!

As I prepare myself for the exciting months ahead, I smile as I think about my handsome, loving, happy little guy...