Jack is 9 months!

9 months? 9 MONTHS?! How is this possible? Our baby boy is 9 months. :(

Jack is exactly the same age that Layla was when we moved to Midland. I can't believe how fast time has gone in the last few years, it seems like we just moved last week! 

Although Jack is still such a happy baby, he threw his first temper tantrum a week ago. I wouldn't give him puffs and he just Hulk smashed everything on his tray until I finally gave in. After the puffs hit the highchair he started smiling away...he has me wrapped around those precious little fingers. Mommy has a big weakness for those big brown eyes and dimples. I'm doomed.

Jack is getting better at crawling and now likes to explore the whole house! His favorite thing to do is go up and down the hallway by our bedrooms and the back hallway by the garage. He's still army crawling but has learned to use the toes on his left foot to push off. Silly boy. 

Ugh he's just so freaking cute. 

Jack is still in 12 month clothes but has moved up to 18 month sleepers because his chubby ankles get stuck in the feet. LOL. Poor guy. We don't know what size shoe he's wearing because, honestly...he doesn't own any! He's not standing up yet so no shoes for the boy. I like to see naked piggies during the summer. :) 

Jack is sleeping a little bit better. He is taking a long morning nap (50 minutes - 2 hours) and then a couple of short afternoon naps (2 - 30 minute naps). He goes down fairly easily until night time when he tries to fight it (bedtime is 6:30 or 7). It still feels like my days are revolved around when and how long Jack is taking his naps. He loves to nap when Daddy takes him for jogs though!

Jack is eating like a true champ. He'll feed himself a great variety of things but his favorite is, of course, puffs. He normally eats Cheerios and yogurt (vegan!) or fruit for breakfast, a fruit or veggie with bites of whatever I'm having for lunch and the same for dinner. He enjoys feeding himself and isn't too picky. He has 4 teeth and 2 more should be coming through any day now!

Mommy got a night away this month so Daddy got 35 hours with the kids alone. We were nervous about not being able to nurse but Jack handled it pretty well! He slept great for Daddy and took his sippy even though he still doesn't care for it. I think this is the last month I will exclusively nurse Jack. At 10 months I'd like to stop dropping nursing sessions and giving him sippys (we do this now but it is in addition to nursing). As ready as I am to be done, I know part of me will miss it. Jack's world will end and that makes me sad, but he's getting to be a big boy!

One of Jack's favorite times of day is when Daddy gives him his bath. He's getting to take more and more baths with sissy and LOVES it. Layla doesn't mind much...she kind of just ignores him. He's sitting up well but still a little unsteady in the bathtub so one of us still has to hold him.

We got great news from the head doctor- Jack is done with head squeezing for now!! We will see what his pediatrician thinks at his 9 month and 1 year check up but even if he wants us to follow up in Lansing, it should only be 1 more appointment. I haven't had a chance to really go through our pictures but the doctor shared these two with me. The first pic was taken the first time we went in April (4 months) and the second picture was taken at the beginning of July (7 months). The difference in his head is amazing...I'm totally in awe of this doctor!

Jack can say 3 words now- "lala" (Layla), "dada" (Daddy) and "baba" (Mommy). He's starting to be easier to read and basically just acts like a complete caveman. For example he bangs his hands on his tray when he wants more to eat. It is amazing how early he's "talking" to us. I think he's going to be our talkative one while Layla always focus on her physical skills. I'll be OK with him not walking until he's about 15 months...we'll see what he has in store for us though. :)

Other than that Jack continues to be the happiest baby on the planet. Although he doesn't nap as much as a "normal" baby, he is happy all day long. He has the best smile and his little dimples just light up the room. He's the biggest snuggler and he loves to laugh when we tickle him or when Layla shakes her head like a puppy. He pulled up on his activity table twice last week but just kind of slumped over it. It's hard being such a BIG boy!

I wonder what next month will bring. Maybe a few more "words" and an interest in napping and the sippy cup? A Mommy can always dream...