9 months old!?

9 months in, 9 months out

 How are we at 9 months already?? It took 9 months for Axel to ripen for the outside world, and now he's been "out" as long as he was "in." He still brings us such tremendous joy. Such a good and happy baby, most days. He shows little sign that he may be teething, some fussing, grabbing at his mouth, but Tylenol seems to help.

  He has apparently learned what "no" means, and he is not a fan. He started biting me when I nurse him and I'll tell him "no" and unlatch him and his lip shoots out in a pout and he cries, then he'll look me in the eye and do it again! I say "no" and again he cries... kinda bratty, right? He has also started pulling up a bit. He was doing it in the tub the other night and I told him "No, Axel, you might fall and get hurt." He sat down and cried... and repeat, at least 2-3 times. He has fallen in the tub after pulling up, so it's not idle warnings; he didn't really get hurt, but his face got wet and he was quite displeased.

  Axel still nurses 5-6 times a day and gets solids breakfast, lunch & dinner. He has a voracious appetite (apple/tree anyone??) and eats pretty much anything we put in his mouth or mesh feeder. He loves fruit. No teeth yet, but he gums small chunks of food well. He drinks well from a sippy cup, though he much prefers watered down juice to plain water, sweet tooth?

   He is SO close to crawling! He gets himself up on his knees and hands and then rocks. He gets lazy though and lets his belly fall to the floor and sometimes puts his head down. He pulls up occasionally, not for long and doesn't seem to be making the move to walking anytime soon, but it was still surprising to see him do it the first time.

  He had his second haircut a few weeks back. Just trimmed the curls off the sides around his ears; he was looking a little sloppy. I left the curls on top alone- he still rocks them. He is all curls and cheeks- everywhere we go I hear about them from strangers :)

  His sleep isn't what it once was. For a couple weeks he's been waking up by 6:30, then this past week he's added at least one midnight wake/feeding. Hoping this is a growth spurt/phase because I miss 8 hours of continuous sleep :( His nap schedule is still pretty steady, but those nights... according to the doctor he doesn't need to eat, so it's likely just a behavioral thing, so we can let him cry it out. I hate that that may be the only solution, but obviously going in and feeding him 2 times a night isn't something he needs in order to grow, etc and it makes for one tired mama, so we've got to cut that out.

  We've been enjoying the warm weather. He loves splashing in the pool, hanging out on a blanket with some toys watching the trees and birds.

Axel's Stats:

Height:  30.5 inches (99%)
Weight:  21 lbs 12.5 oz (83%)
Size 5 diapers, 18-24 month clothes (12-18 mo fits him best in pants... short legs on that guy!)

In other news, Kellen took a new position as Assistant Principal of Leadership at The NCLA (where he's been teaching). It's been a busy and challenging position so far- much to do and only so many hours in the day. He enjoys the variety and that there is never a dull moment, but would appreciate prayers to be able to do his job well, to the glory of God.