Nine Months Old

Do you ever get the feeling your being followed?

You look over your shoulder as you turn a corner.

You think you hear footsteps coming up behind you...

And by footsteps, I mean the slapping of hands on the hardwoods.

Yep, Nathan is crawling!

Taking the lead down the hall.

I have tried for a week to upload video evidence (because he is always giggling while he crawls and it's just cute) but every time I try, I get an error message. Nathan's new found mobility is a mixed blessing of course. He is excited to make his way around the house on his own. He smiles and giggles while he goes along. He loves crawling with the other babies at school, happy to follow around those with a little more practice under their diapers. But, Nathan has also had a few more bumps lately as he loses his balance or tries to turn faster than his body will let him. Additionally, he is trying hard to pull himself up on bookshelves or chairs, leading to more bumps, when his arms give out. 

Determined to find a way past the gate and down the stairs.

Nine Months

Enjoying his veggies for dinner.

Another sign that Nathan is growing up is the changes to his diet. First, shortly after turning eight months, Nathan stopped nursing. When he was six months, I struggled with the possibility of losing this time for us. At eight months, however, I was ready if he was. Nathan also became frequently fussy when served purees for dinner, always choosing his finger food "puffs" over anything on a spoon. We have now started sharing more of our own food with Nathan, striving to provide a good mix of vegetables, grains and fruits. He has days where he wants to be fed and days when he'll do the work on his own (which is much messier of course). Nate loves avocado and bananas, but will eat anything on his tray. Even this afternoon, when I picked him up from care, his teachers commented on how quickly he consumed his snack, particularly compared to his classmates.

A sunny afternoon in the yard.