Owen - 9 Months

Owen is nine months old. This post will cover more time than usual. I just recently realized that assuming Owen a month older every four weeks doesn't actually cover all 52 weeks in a year. Therefore, I've recalculated and will start counting Owen a month older on the 8th of each month moving forward. I blame all of this on the fog of being a mother months ago. I'm finally coming back into the light of the real world.

Owen is around 30 inches long. It's hard to measure him accurately because he won't sit still long. He weighs at least 19 pounds. Long and skinny.

He generally goes to bed around 8p.m. and wakes up between 7 and 8. He generally naps twice a day, but he is becoming harder and harder to get to sleep during the day unless he is in the car.

Owen has four teeth. Two on bottom and two on top. His top teeth have a gap in between them. So cute.

Owen has mastered crawling on his hands and knees rather than his belly in the past weeks. He can pull himself up on anything he wants and can cruise alongside stuff, especially his play pen.

He still loves to clap his hands, bang objects together, look at anything that spins (especially ceiling fans), and playing peekaboo. He likes to facilitate peekaboo himself with his blankets or a pillow. He also likes to duck below the edge of his play pen and pop his head up when someone is watching. Some of his favorite toys are his table with the purple legs and any kind of block. He will play on his own for five or ten minutes at a time.

He eats food at most once a day. He really likes spaghetti and bananas. He also likes drinking water out of a straw if someone is willing to squirt it in his mouth.

We are still fighting food allergies. He has had two rashes in the past weeks because I have eaten something that bugs him. Dairy still seems to be the issue, but it doesn't bother him all the time. It's a mystery pretty much that we have just learned to do our best to keep under control.

Owen seems to be getting sweeter and cuter every day. I realize I say that in every blog update about him, but certainly this is a really fun age. He has so much personality. He is very active, happy, and sensitive about some things. He is pretty much the best thing ever.

On a completely different note, Owen's GeeGee passed away on February 4th. It has been a challenge to manage all that comes with a parent dying and keeping up with a baby. However, time and again Owen has been the shining light in a room of sadness. He has made us smile and laugh. He has been a welcome distraction. He has been a source of strength for me at a time when I have felt as if the world is crumbling around me. It upsets me to know that Owen will never know my mom. To him, she will only be someone I tell stories about. However, I find myself on a daily basis reminding myself to slow down, to drink in the moment, to try to capture his little sweet breath or his wispy hair because my mom would want me to. She would want me to relish this time with my first baby whether she is here or not. So in a way, my mom will always be here. Owen will know her because he knows me. I suppose that's what being a parent is about, passing along the good even after you are gone.

Pretend this just says 36 weeks. 

His hair is the best. 

Wearing Dad's hair net from work one day. 

Owen likes to reach for lights and people and all sorts of things. He did this while we were meeting with the pastor about my mom's memorial service. From then on, we've considered this Owen's "praisin'" motion. 

Swinging at the park. 

Shopping with Aunt Sandy. 

Giving Dad a bottle. 

First thing in the morning. 

This kid is the best.