9 Months of Jay Wheeler

At 9 months old Jay:

-graduated from his helmet!!!! His head improved dramatically--all the way down to a 4.5mm asymmetry which is considered minor and falls into the 'normal' category. You better bet that I have been rubbing that soft blonde coconut as much as possible.

-is seconds away from crawling. As soon as that helmet was off this kid took off! He gets into crawling position, will stretch his arm out and reach far away objets, can make his way several feet across the room, turns 360s all over the place, and pulls up on everything but just hasn't gotten down the exact mechanics yet. 

-has been having some late nights. We took him to an evening concert in our community one night and also kept him up for a backyard party we hosted another night. As long as someone is feeding him all the goodies (one night he was fed an entire marshmallow and about 20 bites of frosting. *gasps in horror*)he is so happy and resilient. 

-discovered his pointer finger. He uses it to examine anything he can get his hands on but his favorite are buttons and tags.

-loves food. I have to repeat that for emphasis--THIS KID LOVES FOOD! He is my little bottomless pit. We joke that he got his dad's appetite and his mom's metabolism. The other day we were shopping at Costco and I made the mistake of eating a sample of cheesecake in front of him. As he always does if someone eats in front of him and doesn't share, he proceeded to flip his freaking lid (this is truly one of the only things that makes him mad). Well I didn't want him to eat the cheesecake, so I dashed around to the other sample stations frantically searching for something he could eat. Let's just say he downed 2 cups of veggie fried rice, a cheese asparagus ravioli, and half a dino nugget in about 3 minuets. Such a healthy, well-balanced lunch. #momfail  Ha! Some of his recent favorite foods are hummus, quinoa, oat muffins, graham crackers, and banana mashed up with almond butter. And all this food is on top of his usual supply of breastmilk, mind you.

-continues to enjoy this wonderful summer season. Some of our recent fun adventures were a trip to the Molly Brown house, Cow Appreciation Day at Chic-fil-a, shopping at the Golden farmer's market, and a trip to the city to meet daddy for lunch.

-has discovered a love for books. If I set a pile of board books (because these are the only kinds he won't chew up) in front of him, he will happily sit and turn all of the pages and examine the pictures. Oh it makes me so happy that he loves to read. I don't know what this bookworm mama would do if my baby didn't share my love of reading. We also finished the 6th Harry Potter and just started the 7th. I promised myself we would finish the series before I can read the Cursed Child! #soexcited

-'s favorite time of day is tooth brushing time. I am not sure if it is the mild fruit training toothpaste (that is literally the flavor) or the texture of the bristles, but he opens wide in anticipation every time. 

-continues to prey on his beloved Thule. Much to his mama's dismay, Justin taught him how to take drinks from her squirt bottle and now he opens his mouth wide every time he sees it. Jay loves watching me fill her food bowl and is practicing his "gentle touches". He also enjoys examining the tip of her tail (which is the only part of her tail that is white) with his magical pointer finger.

Each stage with this little guy gets more fun! I love our daily adventures together and enjoy watching him learn new things. He is a smart, funny, observant, patient, and happy kid and I am the luckiest to be his mama.