The big NINE MONTHS. This might not seem like a huge milestone to you, but it does to me. I remember folding and putting away Simon's 9-month-sized onesies when I first organized his dresser, thinking that they were absolutely huge. Now, those huge onesies are in the 'wearable' rotation and fit him perfectly. Nine months means that it has been 3 months since Simon began [successfully] eating solids, so it's probably time for us to venture out from fruits and veggies a little bit to trying more "Big Boy" foods, like cheese, meat, and possibly a few grains. And most importantly, 9 months means that we are 3/4 of the way to Simon's first birthday, a day that will make me smile with pride and cry like a baby. This child has now been outside of my uterus for as long as it took for him to grow inside of it, and my mind has seriously blown while trying to negotiate how time flew by so quickly. Nine months is now here, and we definitely aren't able to turn back!
playful boy
investigating the shiny band-aid
fever baby
Our big boy continues to grow and change. During his 9th month, teeth #5 and #6 made their debuts in the middle top row, leaving a toddler-like smile on my baby's face. We met Simon's new pediatrician at his 9-month well baby checkup, the first doctor's visit that Daddy unfortunately was not able to attend with us. The little man weighed in at 18 pounds and 5 ounces (about 12th percentile) and measured 28.8 inches tall (about 59th percentile). Simon didn't have any shots during this visit, but did have his hemoglobin checked (which came back negative). He handled the test like a champ and was rewarded with a shiny, silver band-aid wrapped around his pricked finger. The scheduling of this visit came in perfect timing with Simon's first fever, which hit while we were in Tahoe, two days before his appointment. Our little angel threw up, had a 2-day temperature above 100 degrees, and had bouts of sleepiness and lethargy. As a mommy, it was so sad seeing my baby not feeling like his usual happy and playful self and not being able to do more for him than give Tylenol and lots of snuggles. I was relieved that the fever had passed by the time we saw the doctor, and was glad to know that his pediatrician wasn't concerned with what was apparently just Simon's first tummy bug.
new jumperoo
first shopping cart ride
cloth diaper baby!
As our boy quickly became a crawling machine, we had a difficult time keeping him safely in one place (i.e., away from the entertainment unit, out from behind the couch, off of the banister-free stairs that we've yet to figure out how to block off). Because at this point his swing was only being used for climbing, I decided that it was finally time for us to upgrade to a jumperoo. We had originally received the exersaucer from our Babies"R"Us registry during my pregnancy, but ended up returning it to help afford other items we were in greater need for after Simon's birth. After lots of searching, I found a Fisher-Price Rainforest™ Jumperoo™ on Craiglist in great condition and scored it for only $35! Simon loves it and is already an experienced jumper thanks to his doorway jumper, which he's long since become too tall for. The jumperoo has three-position height adjustment, so this will grow with him as he continues to become taller. I also recently decided that Simon was big enough to try sitting in the front of the shopping cart. We made our first attempt during an evening shopping trip to the grocery store and he was perfect! The different perspective was captivating to him, as he barely made a peep the whole time and couldn't stop staring at everything around him. And while we're on the topic of new additions and big changes, I am happy to share that we are now a cloth diapering family! I'd like to write a separate post about this if I ever have the time, but for now I will just mention that I was interested in cloth diapers during my pregnancy, but it wasn't something we were able to begin immediately. So far, we've had a great experience and I'm loving the change we've made!
catnapping next to Dad
sweet snuggles
a late-night snooze
We are at the heightened state of separation anxiety with Simon, which has led to complete and utter refusal from him in regards to sleeping in his crib. Because the phrase "co-sleep or no sleep!" is so unbelievably true and as working parents Eric and I are in desperate need of rest, Simon made the return to our bed and sleeping in my arms all night long. His constant noise-making and tossing and turning quickly began keeping Eric awake all night, so my poor husband started rotating between sleeping on our bedroom floor, the couch, and the living room floor. On the morning that Simon turned 9 months, Eric was sleeping downstairs and the most horrific, it-happens-to-everyone-at-some-point thing occurred in the middle of the night: Simon rolled off of our bed. He woke up crying; I began screaming; Eric was up the stairs in two strides; and I was traumatized for the rest of the day. I was absolutely terrified of letting this happen again, especially without Eric being in the bed with us, but there was still no getting Simon back into his crib. So, I decided to try sleeping with Simon on the floor in his room. I made us a nice, little bed with several blankets and pillows and Eric tucks us in every night, putting up the baby gate in the doorway for safety. It's cozy most of the time and I surprisingly sleep pretty well (as does Simon, too, when he sleeps!), and Eric has been able to return to our bed. While it's not a long-term solution, it's mostly working for now. On the unfortunate occasion when Simon refuses to go down with me, Eric will take a shift so I can catch a couple hours of sleep in our bed as he walks around with Simon in his arms or in the Ergo until the boy falls asleep or finally gives up fighting and passes out on the floor. I very much miss sleeping in the same room as my husband, but we've agreed that for now we have to make this sacrifice in order for all three of us to sleep at night. We remind ourselves that this phase won't last forever, and any good night's sleep we can get is a reward in itself. I also try to take comfort in the fact that some day--sooner than I expect--Simon won't want to sleep or cuddle with me anymore, so I'm trying my very hardest to cherish this time while I have it. When he sleeps well, I absolutely love snuggling with him, and deep down I'm honestly in no rush for my baby to grow out of wanting to be held by his mommy.
Mommy's little pumpkin
hayride with Daddy
Simon-o-lantern!
The weekend before Halloween, Eric and I took Simon to The Pumpkin Farm, a family-owned pumpkin patch that is right behind our house and just a short walking distance from our front door. I was so excited to share this Fall festivity with our boy and appropriately dressed him up in a Jack-o-lantern body suit. The three of us did the hayride on the tractor around the property and Simon was entranced by all the new sights surrounding him. We looked at crafts, treated ourselves with a bowl of apple slices and caramel sauce (just plain apples for baby!), and set out in search of some pumpkins. I sat Simon down on the ground in front of a batch of beautiful, orange gourds for some photos and his 'boy instincts' quickly took over, as he dove his hands right into the piles of hay beneath his knees. Eric and I just stood back and watched with enjoyment as Simon was fascinated with the straws of hay, picking them up and waving them in the air. With his face covered in dirt, he then began playing on the large pumpkin nearest to him, which to me clearly indicated that it was the one to come home with us. On our way out, Eric remarked that when we return with Simon next year, he will probably be big enough to play on a few of the many attractions that The Pumpkin Farm has set up for children. Either way, I look forward to continuing our pumpkin patch tradition with our family for many years to come.
The Muppet Family
our Animal
trick-or-treating gang
Celebrating Simon's first Halloween was such a complete joy for our little family. With a tip from a fellow mom on Facebook, I purchased Simon's and my Halloween costumes from Costume Express back in May during a major clearance blowout where costumes were clearanced down to between $3-$8. I scored an adult Miss Piggy and 6-12 month Animal costume for $15 including shipping! All that was left was to get a Kermit shirt for Eric, which I easily found on eBay in early October for $7, and green pants (actually scrubs) and hair color which totaled roughly $13. I was so in love with our family costume, which was quite a hit while we trick-or-treated. We were happy to be invited trick-or-treating with our friends, Taylor and Stephanie, who just bought a house one neighborhood over from Athena's parents. Since she and James were out with Lilly near her parents' house, they were able to meet up with us in one big, happy group. Justin came along in costume, and my dad also joined in to witness Simon's first trick-or-treating experience. Our boy was fantastic and didn't fuss one single bit. I carried him the entire way (we walked for about an hour and a half), and Eric joined us at every doorstep, proudly kneeling down to Simon's level and handing out his pumpkin bucket for treats. We were surprised at just how much loot our little Animal earned and loved the reactions our costumes received from the candy-givers. We had such a blast spending the evening with our friends and their children (as well as all of the grandparents in tow!) and we hope to be able to trick-or-treat with our friends and their wonderful families again next year.
handsome boy
beautiful Lake Tahoe
Mr. & Mrs. Eric Veater
As I briefly mentioned above, we traveled to Lake Tahoe to see our friends, Eric and Meko, get married at the beautiful Edgewood Tahoe golf course and country club. This was Simon's second trip away from home and first stay in a hotel. We got a room at Mont Bleu (none of us were impressed with our stay here and would not recommend this hotel), where the wedding party and most of our friends stayed, and mostly spent time together alone as a family on Friday night since we were the only ones who brought their child. Eric, Simon, and I got dinner at Cafe del Sol, one of the casino's restaurants, and hung out in our hotel room watching TV and relaxing. The morning of the wedding started off a little rocky with Simon's fever, but after a few phone calls to the nurse practitioner we decided to still try going to the ceremony since we'd already made the trip. While he was a little fussier than normal, Simon actually did great at the wedding despite not feeling his best. He gave smiles and tolerated being held by some of his aunties and uncles, and a couple nursing sessions and doses of Tylenol got us successfully through the reception. We had been so close to going home and missing the entire event, but our boy ended up being a tough little champ. It was so beautiful sharing in the newlyweds' special day, and we look forward to bringing Simon back to Tahoe for a second, hopefully illness-free trip.
chillin' with Cho-Cho
big boy bath time
meeting Elle
Life with our little monkey never includes a dull moment. He is loved by us so much and clearly has lots of love for us as well. Simon also has bunches of love for his Cho-Cho, who is still babysitting while Eric and I are at work. The two of them have such a special relationship and really enjoy their time together. In light of Simon's fall off of our bed, my dad began teaching Simon how to get down from the furniture safely by sliding down on his tummy. He picked up the skill in no time at all and it's the funniest thing to watch him do! And speaking of special relationships, Simon was just finally able to meet my friend Chelsea and her daughters, Emma and Elle. Chelsea moved to Texas with her family back in January before Simon was born and was recently back in town visiting with her girls. Being pregnant at the same time (Elle was born about 2.5 months before Simon), Chelsea and I had spent time together talking about pregnancy and all things baby. As Elle was baby girl #2 after big sister Emma, Chelsea was a wealth of knowledge for me and had lots of valuable information to share as I prepared for Simon's arrival. Getting the babes together and spending time with Chelsea during her trip home was very special for me. It still surprises me after 9 months how much life has changed and how our priorities have shifted. Mommy dates and family time have become among my most cherished moments so far during parenthood, and I excitedly look forward to thousands of more special moments to come.
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