Oh my goodness, Z is nine months old today! As my husband reminded me today, Z has now spent as much time outside my belly as he did in it.
So now it's time for the monthly rundown of Z's development. According to the authors of the What to Expect... book series, our baby Z...
... should be able to:
... is probably able to:
Well, Z... the "probably" list wasn't promising. So the "may possibly" list is going to be a hoot.
... should be able to:
- work to get a toy that's out of reach
Check. And now that he's finally "crawling" (sort of) he's off to the races after those toys. And he's almost to big for the Bumbo, since if he drops a toy, he'll practically pop himself out of it stretching to reach a toy that's out of reach. - look for a dropped object
Check. Thankfully, this has not become a game... yet.
- pull up to standing position from sitting
Still no. Geez, Z! What gives? We still haven't even lowered his crib yet. He doesn't even try. - creep or crawl
Creep, yes. Crawl, no. He gets up on his hands and knees, but when he wants to get around, he's back on his belly. He looks like he has no use of his legs as he drags himself around. However, his time in the jumperoo confirms: his legs are fully functional. - get into a sitting position from stomach
No. Gosh my baby is a slacker. Instead, he just props himself up on his elbow when he's laying on his side. But he won't try to actually sit. - object if you try to take a toy away
Definitely yes. Enough said. - stand holding on to someone or something
Another no for the probably column. Hmm. Z is not into being upright. - pick up tiny object with any part of thumb and finger
Nope. He still grabs those Puffs with his whole hand.
... may possibly be able to:
- play patty-cake (clap hands) or wave bye-bye
No. - walk holding on to furniture
No. - understand "no" (but not always obey it)
No.
(this should be good)
- "play ball" (roll ball back to you)
No. - drink from a cup independently
A cup? Really? Was I supposed to be giving him cups? - pick up a tiny object neatly with tips of thumb and forefinger
No. - stand alone momentarily
No. - stand alone well
Still no. - say "dada" or "mama" indiscriminately
Um, no. He says "baba" and "yaya" indisriminately. - say one word other than "mama" or "dada"
YES! "baba" I'm not getting too excited. It is very indiscriminate. - respond to one-step command with gestures ("Give that to me," said with hand out
Really? OK, no. My baby cannot do that. Whatever. Why do I do this every month?
More about Z:
- Z still only has the two teeth (both on the bottom). No new teeth this month.
- Z is regularly sleeping through the night. He's in bed between 7-8 and wakes up around 6:30. He's been a little sick lately, so he's been waking up around 5. We are hopeful that this passes when the virus vacates our home.
- Z has been spoiled and has been being rocked to sleep every night up until this last month. Rocking suddenly became playtime instead of relax and fall asleep time, so he's been put in his crib awake. He is not a fan. But he usually falls asleep within 30 minutes, which is wonderful! And as I said, he's sleeping through the night.
- Z still has a solid two naps, but they are also pretty variable. Never know whether he's going to sleep for one hour or three.
- Z is still eating stage two baby food. But he's also a huge fan of crackers. Actually, he's a huge fan of anything edible. If he could get food out of the pantry without my help, I'm pretty sure I'd have a 100 pound baby.
- Z still has a pacifier when in his crib. Mommy is still not happy about this.
- Z LOVES peek-a-boo. Whether we cover his eyes while changing his diaper or peek out of the pantry while he's in his highchair, he is all smiles and giggles.
- Z can play by himself for long periods of time without getting fussy. As long as he's not hungry or sleepy, he can amuse himself quite happily with his toys while Mommy and Daddy take showers or do laundry or work.
So all in all, I'm pretty happy with this little baby of mine. He may not be sitting or cruising or standing, but he is sleeping through the night, plays by himself, and falls asleep on his own within thirty minutes. All in all, I'd say he's a keeper. Plus, he's super cute.
