Levi Update, 9 months

The monthly pictures got a lot harder to take this quarter...

"I'm so done with these pictures Mom."

It's been a busy three months for Levi.  Levi started sitting up at 6 and a half months.  He got two more top teeth right around 7 months and another bottom one around 8 months.  Someone recently described him as fierce with the teething since he seems to desperately grab things to put in his mouth.

Also at 7 months, he was rocking back and forth and scooting around a lot on belly – getting ready to crawl and around 7 months.  He crawled right at 8 months and was pulling up shortly thereafter and has been so busy ever since.      

  

At 7 months sleeping he gave us a few 10 hour stretches (8pm-6am) but still gets up once or twice a night on most occasions.  Afternoon naps are a struggle.  Levi consistently will take a morning nap, usually 2-3 hours, but then doesn't go down for an afternoon nap, either because he doesn't get tired again until its too late to take an afternoon nap or because we are in the car running to pick the big kids up from school or taking them to lessons.  

Levi had his first big car ride at 8 months old when we went to Alabama for spring break.  Aside for the two major blowouts at non-opportune times, he was a real trooper.  He slept or was content for most of the drive.  (States seen so far in his 9 months of life - VA, MD, PA, TN, GA, AL).  Levi also has his first swing in swing at the playground!

 Levi has tried a lot of new food - rice, oatmeal, wheat cereal; peas, green beans, squash, avocado, sweet potatoes, carrots, peaches, apples, bananas, pears, prunes, beef, chicken, and turkey - all pureed.  He has also started to eat cheerios and puffs and we tried little bits of fruit but they don't seem to make it into his mouth.  I made the sweet potato, carrot, and banana puree myself and give him apple sauce but the rest I buy the Gerber baby food.  Those are the ones I feel are easy enough to make at home.  Levi hasn't been spitting up nearly as much so I can tell his digestive system has matured.  He also eats a lot more than the other kids did.  I'm still nursing and trying to pump as much as I can to mix milk with his cereal.    

His eyes are still blue but I'm seeing a lot of brown around the pupil so I think they are going to change to brown.  

Right 8 and a half months I noticed Levi was waving his arm a lot.  Just straight armed, up and down.  At first I didn't think too much of it and then I wondered if he was signing "all done" because he was often doing it after he had eaten a little bit.  He also waves his arm or bangs his hand (depending on how you look at it, usually his right arm or hand) on things he pulls up on.  Shortly after that he started clapping.  He smiles a lot when we say "yay" to his clapping or "all done" to his hand waving so maybe he's happy we are understanding him.  He will sometimes do his hand waving when we are trying to get him to wave hi or bye to someone.  
  

Levi also gives good "hugs" or at least he grabs onto you for dear life when you hold him sometimes and it feels like a hug.  I'll take it.