9 Months

My Handsome is 9 months old!
(as of 8/28/12 that is)

"Um, Mom, you left his sign next to me."

"Here you go!"

First thing first:

The Doctor Visit!

Weight: 15 lbs. 9 oz (off the charts, as in below)
Height: 27 1/2 inches (25%ile)

While Jackson continues to grow and gain weight, he's just not doing it as fast as other little 9 month old boys. I think he looks like a healthy little guy, but the charts disagree. Jackson's weight has fallen off the curve. I was always ok with him being in the low percentages, but I'm a bit saddened he's fallen off completely! Thankfully, his pediatrician was nice and not condemning. He just gave me a few pointers to help bring his weight up. We're going back in a month for another weight check.

On to good news! At 6 months, the doctor heard a small heart murmur. He said it wasn't any cause for alarm yet. It could be a normal condition, but it also could possibly mean something is wrong with his heart. Thankfully, during this visit, the doctor said the heart murmur was still so small that he wouldn't recommend doing anything. We'll still keep tabs on it in the future though.

Movement
Jackson does the push-up position regularly and scoots himself backwards and sideways, but still not crawling yet. I think it's a little funny that Jackson never really rolled over. He did every once in a while, but the doctor and I agreed that he just didn't want to roll over. In fact, now he hates being on his back and never gives himself the chance to try. I think it's so cute when he wants a toy that's just out of reach and he stretches his little arm out as far as he can in hopes of getting it. Sticking out his tongue really seems to help :)

Solids/Milk
I guess I'm not too surprised that while Jackson did gain weight, his percentage dropped. He's had some "tummy problems" and we've taken the transition to solids slow. He's not the pickiest eater, but he doesn't like everything I give him either. We're both getting better :)


Jackson has been a great nurser... almost too great. He refuses to drink formula or even frozen breast milk. He's going to have a wake-up call when I decide to wean him!

Sleep
Sleep? What's that?! Just kidding. I do get... some. Even though I've tried the same method with Jackson as I did with Chyler (and she was a GREAT sleeper), Jackson continues to wake up about 2 times every night.  He knows how to put himself to sleep, but still refuses to do so in the middle of the night.

Every mom has her own opinion on letting your child cry or not. I'll just say, "I won't judge you if you don't judge me." The past two nights, I let Jackson cry himself asleep after he woke up the first time. The first night wasn't so bad. He cried for maybe 15 minutes and then went back to sleep. Last night, however, he cried for over an hour! While Brian was able to sleep through it, I was wide awake the whole time from 1:30- 2:30. I know the 2nd night can be the worst, so here's to hoping tonight will be better! I'm ready for some sleep.

(It's impossible to get a picture of him sleeping because he's such a light sleeper. We've stopped checking on him at night because any time we open the door, he wakes up!)

Q. What do I love most about Jackson?
A. I LOVE his little smile, the way he sticks out his tongue, how he adores his sister, how he lights up when he sees his dad, his cute little giggle, his head bob, and his calm, go-with-the-flow attitude.

We love you Jackson!