9 Month Baby Update

Last Thursday, Brayden turned 9 months old. As I pulled his little 9 month Mickey tie sticker out of the box, I couldn't believe there were only three left!

This past month, Brayden has grown physically and developmentally, although this little stinker still won't crawl. He's figured out how to army crawl to get what he needs and he likes to roll around on the floor like crazy. Lately, he's been staying on his hands and knees for longer periods of time, so we will see what happens!

Clothing: Some 6-9 months but mostly 9 months (he's still very consistent with clothing); sleepers are 9 month and 9-12 month
Diapers: Size 3
Nicknames: Bray-Man, Brother (cause he has two sister puppies), Love love, sweet boy, Cowboy,...and as always, "The Mick"

Weight: 22.6 pounds (90th percentile for weight)

Height: 29 1/4 inches (95th percentile for height)

At his 9 month check-up on Monday, the Doctor also ordered a CBC (complete blood count) which showed that all of his levels are right where they need to be (yay)! 

This was his first Doctor appointment where no shots occurred (besides the finger stick for his CBC) and he took it like a champ!

This past month has been full of fun moments for our little family as we celebrated Brayden's first Christmas and his first New Year! (Yes, he has a Christmas themed crib sheet. I couldn't help it...I just love Christmas!)

In December, we took an experimental overnight weekend trip with Brayden for his first time in a hotel. We also ate at the Rainforest Cafe which was his first time at a themed restaurant! Although it took a little getting used to, he seemed to have fun in the end!

We used our trip to Galveston, Texas as a way to test and see how he would do with Disney and sleeping in a foreign environment. Although we had a grand time during the day, the night time wasn't so grand at all.

I don't know if it was the fact that he wasn't in his crib or what, but this little turkey did not want to sleep. He woke up every few hours all night long. After a long first night, we attempted to make the pack and play (which was ours from home) as close to his regular sleeping environment as possible. This included a trip to Target for fitted pack and play sheets where they only had pink.....so we are now the new owners of a hot pink and light pink fitted sheet...breast cancer awareness, right?!

Despite our efforts, it still did nothing! Needless to say, we came home with a game plan to have naps in the pack and play throughout the day and hope for the best. Any other tips would be appreciated as Disney is fast approaching!

Part of our Galveston trip included a bit of time at Moody Gardens. Brayden LOVED the walk through of the lights! 

Christmas with my little guy was a lot of fun, although he didn't grasp the concept of opening his own gifts just yet. I know next year and the years following will just get better and better! :)

The picture below is my favorite picture of us from Christmas! :)

Santa was good to Brayden and left lots of goodies for him in his very first stocking! :)

(The M&M's are a joke...no, I'm not feeding my 9 month old M&M's!)

Over the course of the month, his sleeping pattern at night has gotten better and better. Although he went through a time period in the Fall where he was up nightly almost every night, that seems to have evened out now. He will wake only occasionally (maybe once a week) where it requires a bottle to help him go back to sleep. Thank goodness!! 

Brayden is still at two naps per day which range anywhere from 1-2 hours. He is able to put himself to sleep and he does this most of the time, but I'll admit - I do like holding him and rocking him to sleep. My baby won't be a baby forever and I know I'll miss these small moments once they are gone.

Brayden has also upgraded to level 3 and soft foods. He LOVES to eat. Most of the time, he'd rather eat food rather than drink a bottle. 

I'm still making a lot of his foods at home and mixing various fruits and veggies in the Baby Brezza, but I've not branched out into meats yet. A website I've found useful for baby food recipes has been Wholesome Baby Food by Momtastic. He's loved every combo we've tried so far!

He still has four teeth (two top and two bottom) and I don't feel any new ones yet. He's been chewing on teethers like crazy lately, so it might not be long!

Babbling is one of his favorite things to do! He also loves to make noise like a typical boy. His favorite toys are those that light up and sing which he received a ton of for Christmas! 

I love love love to hear his sweet laugh. Things that are funny to him include: when the dogs walk by and he's able to touch them, playing peek-a-boo, and funny noises from mamma or daddy. He's also very ticklish and tickling him will almost always result in a baby giggle.

Brayden is overall a very happy baby which we are so grateful for!

Some of his likes include:

• Toys that light up and play music
• Playing with non-toy items like the TV remote, car keys, and plastic coat hangers
• Singing to him 
• EATING FOOD
• Going for walks/runs in the stroller
• Opening doors and going outside
• The doggies
• Bath time
• Putting anything and everything in his mouth
• His walker...boy does he get around my house now! 

A few of his dislikes are:

• Having his nose wiped (omg he hates that!)
• Not paying attention to him when he wants to play
• Going too slow with food

We've really enjoyed this past month with our little sweetheart and are looking forward to the next! Before long, it will be Disney followed shortly by his party time!! I already have his cake smash and 1 year pictures booked. Can't wait!

Thanks for following along in our journey! We sure are having a ton of fun!! :)