Yup - my baby's growing up!!!

Well, it's the 2nd of the month once again - and that means our monthly installment of "oh my goodness - my babies are growing up way too fast". Hunter turns 9 months old today, and it blows my mind. I mean 9 months is 3/4 of a year old! WOW! So some info about Hunter right now:

Weight: 17 lbs (5%)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (25%)
Head circumference: 45 1/2 cm (50% I think...maybe more)

The dr said he was a shrimp, but considering how small Gabe is, she wasn't concerned. I went to a different dr today for our well-check (or normal dr wasn't in) and I was very happy. Our normal pediatrician is very good, and popular - but he's also super busy. So most of the time I feel rushed when we have our visits, and the wait alone is frustrating. So when they asked if we were willing to meet with the other dr in the office I said sure - and I was really happy with her. So we might meet with her from now on. We'll see. Anyway, she said he looked great, and gave me some suggestions for helping him sleep better (most which involved letting him cry it out a bit...) So that went well.

At 9 months Hunter....

• ...is a great baby food eater. He LOVES veggies - especially green ones like beans and peas, or mixed veggies. He's not a big fan of fruits - unless they have bananas mixed in them. He doesn't really like apricots, peaches, or apple-sauces - tart and tangy friuts. He eats Cheerios, or baby puffs like crazy and is getting antsy to feed himself. He's also nursing well, and at this rate, will probably still be nursing till he's ready for kindergarten (not because I want him to - but because he's not interested in sippy cups or bottles at all!)
  
• ...has been putting more weight on his legs, and has even stood up on the couch (after I placed him there) for a few minutes without help. I'm not pushing him to stand or walk yet - but it's neat to see him doing new things. He also LOVES bouncing and jumping in the jump-er-roo we borrowed from
  
• ...plays peek-a-boo. He pulls a towel/bib/blanket over his face and doesn't pull it off until you say "PEEK-A-BOO!" It's so cute!
  
• ...isn't quite crawling yet - but is getting the army-crawl down. He does this thing that reminds me of swimming the breast-stroke - but it gets him around, and fast. Today I found him in his closet playing in a pile of clothes. And that's NOT where Cory left him :).
  
• ...is quite a mommy's boy. He can go from screaming to completely content when I pick him up. I feel bad for those who he cries for - but I do kind of like it when he snuggles on my shoulder.
  
• ...loves to fall asleep in the car. He almost always falls asleep by the time we get into town. However, he is getting better about actually taking naps in his bed some too.
  
• ...is surviving being hugged to death by his older brother (so far). Gabe LOVES to squeeze his baby brother and this week I have had to pry Gabe off of Hunter more than once. Gabe likes to play a little rough - but Cory keeps trying to tell me that it's normal for little boys. Let's hope Hunter makes it to being a 'little-boy'.
  
• ...puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. He has gotten better about pulling my hair, and putting that in his mouth - but he does put everything else right in for a taste-test. His favorite is anything paper - grocery lists (his favorites), junk mail, books, toys, goobers from the floor, drawers/walls/mouldings - anything he can fit his gums around. It makes reading to him difficult - he can't handle me reading to him - he just wants to put the book in his mouth. I guess this is 'normal' for kids - but Gabe didn't do it, so it's a new realm for us.
  
• ...is such a smiley little guy! It's so fun to coax the grins out of him - it's so great to see his big gummy grins. Everybody comments on how smiley he is, and we love it!
  

So there you have it - 9 things for 9 months. He's a joy to have in our lives and we feel so blessed to have our little Hunter.