9-month update!

 

At 9 months, Iver:

- probably weighs 17-18 lbs (verdict at his well child check next week) and is in 6-12 (pants mostly)-month clothing

- is still exclusively on breastmilk as well as a variety of solids. He is very clear when he is done eating but has done a pretty good job of at least trying anything we offer, including most fruits, veggies, and some pureed meats, and even some dairy (cheese) without a major reaction. He has seemed to now prefer finger-feeding and being fed chunks of (soft) solids rather than being spoon-fed. He will gum up cheerios, puffs, as well as other fruits and table foods like soft chicken and meat. Distracting him with a toy helps us get the meal "down" :)

- now has 4 teeth, all erupting within a course of two weeks--his left lower tooth came in around 8 1/4 months (we called it "snaggle unitooth"), followed by the upper central incisors (right before left), and then the right lower tooth. He's started to bite occasionally while nursing, which is incredibly painful and annoying, and tries to bite off the sippy cup spouts regularly

- is still a regular pooper (i.e. usually at least 3x per day) with the occasional morning blowout (once all over his crib a couple of weeks ago)-- he is really good at pooping in the potty first thing in the morning and either peeing or pooping before and after naps (we are using a Prince Lionheart potty seat now, and it's working really well for cutting down on our diaper laundry/waste)

- is in cloth diapers during the day (with flushable liners) and size 3 Pampers at night (usually with one change after the 2-3 am feeding) or while traveling

- is quite the mover.  He has crawled up our staircase, pulls up on everything, and cruises around his crib.  It's pretty exhausting to watch him, as he's extremely persistent.  Almost all of our pictures of him are blurry with motion! He is NOT a lap child but an explorer. He can free stand briefly on his own before falling down

-  sleeps in his crib/own room at night. He goes to bed pretty easily between 7:30 and 8 p.m. after a routine of nursing/patting/Goodnight Moon-reading/lullaby-listening, and being put down by daddy. He gave us a few-night stretch of waking only once to nurse (around 2-3 am), but after the arrival of teeth (and traveling), has regressed again in the sleep department, now waking about 3x per night (some requiring intervention). We are doing some graduated extinction sleep training, which we hope will eliminate the 11pm waking (/eating) and help him self-soothe himself later in the night.  He is usually up for the day between 530 and 6 am (we miss those weekend mornings of sleeping in!).

- naps twice in his crib, usually for 1-1.5 hours in the late morning (1000-ish) and mid-afternoon, although sometimes he only stays down for 20-30 minutes (he also falls asleep in the carseat and occasionally in the stroller)

- is getting bathed about twice a week now, since he gets filthy from crawling and grabbing everything, and we hope it will help him be more comfortable in the bath-- he usually whimpers or screams in the tub

- has gone swimming with Kelvin a few times in the Arcata pool, which (surprisingly) he loved, despite hating baths

- loves walks in stroller/BOB, and swinging at the neighborhood park. He likes being carried forward-facing in the Lillebaby carrier. He loves to play with cups, balloons, and paper.

- has figured out how to blow raspberries, mostly on Kelvin

- is incredibly smiley and vocal, saying some things like "da," "ba," "gaga" and "mum-mum-mum." He smiles all the time and giggles a lot, too. He is a very well-tempered baby most of the time, except when trapped in his carseat on long 5-hour road trips or when fighting sleep.  

Getting ready to swim!

"Helping" mommy with laundry

Swinging at the park (mommy had a long night!)

He has such a delightful personality!

Here's the extent of the photos we got with (three of us) trying to get our squirmy munchkin to sit for his 9-month photo shoot!

I don't think it's going to get much easier in the next few months!

We love seeing this little guy become a little person!

Happy 3/4 year, little one!

One of their own

I'm not sure when (or if) your husband's family is supposed to start feeling like your own. After four years of marriage (and one kid), it's definitely happened for me.

This weekend, Kelvin had a conference for his leadership fellowship in San Francisco. Since we are trying to get his mom (who has been living with us and watching Iver for the past six months) back home periodically to be reunited with her friends/church/culture/family, we decided that I would accompany her down to OC.

Bà nội (grandma) is sooo great with Iver, and I can't imagine anyone loving our little guy more. While of course, I adore my own parents (who, alas, live on the other coast and who we don't see quite as often), Thao has become like a mom to me.  At one point, it might have seemed weird to me to go down to stay and visit with my in-laws (siblings-in-law, and parents) without my hubby. It certainly doesn't now.  I love my in-laws for many reasons, among them:

- Their complete selfnessness. My mother-in-law is always making sure that I (and her other kids) are well fed and taken care of, before she ever thinks of herself.  She will often (this weekend included) suggest that I go take a nap (or eat first, go for a run, or whatever) while she watches Iver for a little bit more. Katherine took off work on Friday, partly so she could shuttle me to meet up with Debbie, Rick and Ruth. Kelvin's Dad is always jumping at the chance to walk and take care of Pepper, our "other" child, so that I have less to do. He also offered to make me coffee every morning I was in their home.
- They are very timely, organized, and responsible.  I know that no one will drop the ball on airport pick-ups, appointments, or anything at all, which makes going places with them very stress-free.
- They love to eat (as do I). We definitely get along well in this department.
- They are polite and encouraging when I try to say the Vietnamese words that I've picked up from Thao,  and always translate for me when fast Vietnamese is flying between them, making me feel included even though I'm the only one who doesn't speak the language
- They love Iver to the moon and back. It is so sweet seeing his paternal grandparents (and aunties/uncle) treat him like the most special boy on the planet!

The (made into a long) weekend was a nice getaway. While I knew that the car ride there from Humboldt to the Bay Area would be probably the biggest travel challenge due to our squirmy guy (the last time we made this drive, Iver was only 10 weeks old), it (due to strategic nap-deprivation and sleep-induced driving) went better than I had anticipated, due to longer-than-average sleep times in the carseat.  There was quite a bit of bored/trapped screaming, for sure, but it lasted for less than an hour each way.

There was one poop explosion (but thanks to regular use of the morning baby potty and cloth diaper covers, it did not occur on the plane, which was a huge fear of mine!).

There was one baby-hand-in-hot-soup (the last time I'd take Iver to a restaurant, I vowed!) with ensuing screaming (but no noticeable burns).

There was being-a-single-parent-for-the-weekend at night and dealing with the increased (it was about five times each night) night-wakings that perhaps were to be expected from an unfamiliar environment, altered schedule, and overstimulation (or 9-month sleep regression?).

But it was wonderful to just be and be with family that I truly feel is like my own. We shared good meals, good bonding time with the babies, some wedding dress shopping (for Katherine), and good laughs. Here are some good pictures and videos...

 At Katherine and Eddie's for dinner on Thursday

Fake cry

At Kenn and Lisa's

More cousin time with Kingston!

 

 

Moody!

  Swinging in the warm night

Papaya! (Iver is over spoon-feeding)

 

with Auntie Katherine

love these two humans (as well as these smiles, and that you can see his teeth!)

 

With Theresa, other adoring auntie

I'm so lucky to have such a great family! I only hope Kelvin feels (or can some day feel) the same way about "my side."

Jumping into Fall

While we have had an unseasonably (for Humboldt County) warm summer this year, the mornings are a bit cooler (and darker) and, a couple of weeks into September, it's definitely feeling more like fall.

Last weekend, we were invited to a Labor Day barbeque at Marguerite's... where Kelvin got to harvest apples from her yard(/trees)!

Iver was a fan!

And, now that the U.S. Open is officially over (tennis has definitely dominated our TV-watching for the past two weeks [congrats to Pennetta, and oh so close, Roger], it's onto football!  We (Iver in his Niners' shirt) enjoyed the trampoline at Sara's place this afternoon.

Not impressed with the Niners so far...

I'm ready for the cooler weather (and, with hope, more chill workload) of fall!