9 months old!

Hey there, it's me Jack. I turned 9 months old on Sunday, so I just wanted to let everyone know what I've been up to. Mom and Dad took me to my 9-month checkup at the doctor today. I was a little mad at Mom because she said I wouldn't be getting any shots today, and then it turned out I had to get a flu shot because it's winter, and they also had to draw my blood for a lead test.

I was pretty brave, though. I only cried a lot when they drew my blood, and that was just because the silly nurse kept tying my arms up and poking me. She said something about how it was hard to find a vein in my chubby arms. But after she finished, and right after I got my shot and Mom held me, I was fine. This is how I felt about getting my blood drawn:


I have quite the hot bod, apparently. I'm a svelt 19 pounds, 4 ounces and 28 1/2 inches long. I'm not quite sure what Mom means, but she says I'm just under the 50th percentile for weight-for-length, and I'm just over the 50th percentile for length-for-age. After all those months of packing on the pounds when I was first born, it feels good to not be gaining weight so fast. After all, I've got to make sure I look good for the ladies.

I'm getting more exercise these days, which is helping me stay fit. I'm not crawling yet, but I can push myself up from my tummy onto my hands and knees. I'm still not sure what to do after that, so for right now I just rock back and forth. I can also push myself along the floor when I'm laying on my stomach. The only problem is I always go backwards. Sometimes I get frustrated because I'm going the opposite direction that I want to go.

I also get frustrated at night. I roll over onto my stomach and push myself up on my arms, and for some reason I just can't remember what to do next. I can roll over onto my back during the daytime, but at night when I'm tired I forget that I know how to do that. For now, I think I'm discovering that I actually like to lay on my stomach. Last night after I fussed for a minute when I woke up on my stomach, I just decided to lay my head down and sleep. It's just easier that way.

I'm getting better at eating. I figured out how to feed myself Cheerios--at least most of the time when I pick them up they make it to my mouth. Some of my favorite foods are sweet potatoes, bananas, and apples. I've also been trying corn recently, and I think that's pretty good. Mom tried to feed me mashed (white) potatoes again, and I still thought those were absolutely disgusting. I don't have any teeth yet, but Mom says she doesn't mind since she's still breastfeeding.

I'm having a good time during my first holiday season. We went to see a lot of family in Vermont for Thanksgiving, and we'll spend Christmas with our family around here. I don't really know what Christmas is, but so far I like the lights and crinkly wrapping paper. If Christmas involves more of that, I think I'll be happy!