Ephram at Nine Months

Ephram turned nine months old on September 30th.  Yes, that means he is actually ten months old now.  And yes, that also means that I have finally slipped to being more than a month behind on blogging.  Let me tell you, taking care of a nine month old baby is quite a bit different than a six month old.  My little bug is all over the place and into everything all the time.  And I love all of it... well, most of it.  Here is my nine month old summary!

The Stats
Height: 27 3/4"  (31%)
Weight: 21 lbs 5 1/4 oz (63%)
Head Circumference: 48 cm (98%)

His stats are fairly similar to his last well child check-up, which was at six months.  Except his height and weight percentags have both gone down a little bit.  His head circumference seems to be comfortably stuck at the top of the range.  And I do get a lot of comments about what a big head he has.  I also get a lot of comments about how he looks so healthy.  My response?  "Yes, yes he is."  See, I remember how tiny my baby was when he was born.  And I remember how hard we fought for nursing to be successful.  And I am proud of every pound my healthy baby has put on.  And he truly is such a happy and healthy baby!

Milestones

Learned how to wave - 35 weeks
First word (Boone) - 35 weeks
Moved into 12 months clothes - 35 weeks
Pulling up!!! - 36 weeks
First attempt to move to the crib overnight - 36 weeks
First bloody injury - 36 weeks
First time in a toddler swing - 36 weeks
Started swaying to music - 36 weeks
Second word (Mama) - 37 weeks
Cruising!!! - 37 weeks
First attempt at independent steps - 38 weeks

Oh... so much to talk about, where to start?  I think you can look at the list and see how busy he was!  This month I started to see glimpses of the toddler he's becoming, and I think we're in for quite a ride.  He started using words this month, and we were all surprised at his first choice... Boone.  Not dada, not mama, not even Charlie... but, Boone.  The dog.  All I can say is that he must be tied to the Hayman side of the family.  My grandpa loved dogs, and so does Ephram.  He also sprinted forward from crawling to cruising.  He worked so hard at pulling up for a couple of weeks, and then one day he just did it.  And three days later he started cruising.  A week after that he started turning away from things and trying to take a couple of steps.  (Thankfully he is still working on that part... I'm not sure I'm ready for that!)  He also had his first bloody injury this month.  He cut his mouth while aggressively teething on an exersaucer toy.  Mouths bleed.  A lot.  That was fun.  Of course, once he started cruising and starting to attempt walking, he was falling down and getting new bumps and bruises all over the place!

Teeth
Ephram still had six teeth on his nine month birthday... no change since July.

Food
Ephram is still quite interested in nursing, so we are continuing that all day (and all night).  He also eats three meals and a snack every day now.  He is eating everything he was before plus:
Chicken
Pasta
Yogurt Melts
Freeze Dried Fruits
Gerber "Crunchies" (which are kind of like smart puffs)
White Potatoes


This month I was able to start giving him some of the food that we were eating for dinner.  Not much, but it's a start.  It is very exciting for me to know that someday in the near future he will be able to eat the same things we are.

Favorites
Song - The Wheels on The Bus
Book - The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Activity Center - Fisher Price Play Table
Toy - Fisher Price Lil' Zoomers Chase and Race Ramp

He loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  It has these little holes punched out of foods that the caterpillar eats on several pages.  He will sit there and poke each of the holes from left to right as we go through the pages.  I find him reading the book to himself all the time!

Nicknames
Little Bug
Boo-boo
Ephroo

Here are some pictures from his nine month birthday!