9 months

Stats: 23.5 lbs (90th percentile) , 28” long (25-50th percentile), Summary: short and fat (but adorable!)

Holy moly has Logan developed into his own person with strong opinions and habits.  It is easy to assume since babies can’t really move or talk that they are less opinionated, but oh no, Logan has his likes and dislikes.  He knows all of his toys and exactly how he likes to play with them (and which parts are best for chewing).  He also remembers things and is excited by anything new – his new toy is a bob’s redmill baking mix.  Anything new and especially un-toy-like is very interesting to him.  He loves leaving the house and will get really excited when we walk into the garage.  He is very expressive with his noises, his facial expressions, and especially his little arms, which flap around when he is happy or sad.  It is interesting how they flap similarly for both ends of the spectrum (though the facial expressions are very different).

This month Logan got his first tooth.  It is his right of the bottom front two teeth.  It poked through on September 26th and is still barely out.  The other bottom tooth and the top ones are all close, with the gums being tooth shaped already.  I expect we’ll see more teeth very soon.  Logan has been pretty grumpy these last few weeks and has struggled to sleep and eat, so I wonder if it is teething, and if so, how difficult the next year of teething will be!  However, I’m hopeful that he’ll adjust as some point.

Logan is now a very proficient self-feeder.  His favorites are puffs and peas (loves them equally or maybe peas a little more), but also self-fed some squash, cheese, and pasta successfully, though tired of quickly.  He has mastered the pincer grasp (forefinger and thumb).  He appears to greatly prefer his right hand.  He will pick up food with his left, but it is less coordinated, so he will often have to bring his right hand up to help poke the food in.  He rarely drops food (unless it is intentional at the end of a meal).  We are already working (and seeing the effects) of training his behavior during mealtimes.  When he throws food, the meal is done and when he drops the water cup, he doesn’t get it anymore.  We are trying to instill these behaviors while food and water are still practicing, rather than means of getting sustenance.  We are seeing huge improvements.  Logan almost never drops his water cup and we usually have to pry his fingers off of it when it is clear he is just playing with it and no longer drinking.  He drops food on accident occasionally (rolls down his front instead of going in his mouth), but he almost never drops food over side and if he does, it is because he wants to be done and we haven’t picked up on his other cues.  We are trying to also teach sign language for “more” and “all done.”  We aren’t going to do a lot of sign language, but those seem useful especially since Logan is a chubby dude and a good eater.  It is hard for us to tell when he is still hungry or just eats because we give it to him.  We’ll see at what point he starts picking them up.

Logan has continued to be very vocal.  He says “d” sounds the most, like “da” and “deee.”  They are his happy noises.  He also will say them back to almost any baby sound we make to him.  If we say “ma ma” his answer is “da da” and same is true for “ga” or “ka” or “ba.”  He makes the other sounds too, but they aren't his go-to.  His second most common is “ba” with ga, ka, and ma all getting rare hits.  He also just squeals with joy and also has been back into his panting with excitement.  And of course, his giggle is the cutest thing in the world.  There is a definitely difference between his giggle when we tickle him and his giggle when he is having fun.  He just seems so complex already and so wonderful.  On our walks, he will often talk to himself almost the entire time (of course I’ll talk from the stroller too, but I’m not sure how much that matters). 

This month, Logan’s favorite toys have been the toys that are good for chewing/teething (his spatula is #1) and anything new that he can explore.  When we carry him around, he is much more likely to lean to grab anything or twist around in your arms.  He has a very strong core and he can use it to help you carry him or make it nearly impossible, especially when all 23.5 lbs of him is trying to wiggle to his death! 

Logan and I have been going on walks (in circles or to the park) most days this month.  He loves getting out in the later afternoon and I have been working on getting some exercise since I’ve been feeling better and I’m trying to slowly build my strength (and lose my baby weight).  On that front, I have officially lost my baby weight and now am hoping to lose a few extra while I’m still breast feeding!  Total of 18.5 down so far.

Logan really mastered rolling this month and used it and pivoting to get around to any toys he wanted.  He still doesn’t crawl and this whole month, still stubbornly refused to roll back-to-front over his left shoulder (but did finally early October).  He’s definitely less motivated on the moving front, but he spends a lot of time on his tummy and rolling around, so it seems to be a matter of time.
What an incredible month yet again.  I grow more in love with Logan every day and feel so bonded and attached to him.  I really can’t wait for his future and I can’t wait to have another (okay, yes, I’m crazy but I’m excited for #2 at some point).