nine months old

Well, I’ve slacked on my blogging duties. I missed Ammon’s eight month post… and almost missed his ninth. But, he is still considered a nine-month old. So here goes.

He LOVES: his afternoon routine with his daddy – to be sung to… especially Popcorn Popping, Sing (from Sesame Street), Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles and Abadabadabadabadabadabadab Says Ammon to the Moon – books – dogs – trucks, trains, cars… anything with wheels – to play rough with his daddy – to stand on your lap or on the floor – to blow bubbles – zerberts – to be outside – to eat – playtime on the floor – any electronic device – music – to dance – to talk, squeal, laugh – his family – large amounts of attention – anything that crinkles – to be in water – his bathtub – trees – peek-a-boo – his mom’s hair – his feet – watching Transformers, Airwolf, Voltron, Scooby Doo yada yada yada, with his daddy – to play – the sound of acoustic guitars – textures – his bink – the park – nap buddies in his crib – paper – shoes – to move, move, move – Transformers, especially his Ammon-sized Jazz – to snuggle – to give kisses… be they Eskimo, forehead or slobbery wet ones – to "jump" off the couch for his daddy to catch him

He HATES: public restrooms – not getting his way – anyone or anything trying to get a peek at his teeth – having things taken away from him – his sippy-cups

Ammon had his nine-month appointment on the 8th. All went well… and no shots.

Stats: 16 pounds 6 ounces, 27 ¼ inches
Dr. Brown continues to be impressed with Ammon’s development. He is amazed at how much Ammon thinks things through. He did a bit of a double-take after hearing Ammon’s non-sippy-cup-antics. He then said, “You’ve got to quit thinking so hard, bud!”. Ammon now has some hydrocortisone cream to help treat a little eczema that was triggered by the vacation-sun-screen-fiasco. Dr. Brown said that since that was his first prescription, and considering he has gone this long without any illness whatsoever, Ammon is doing fantastically well.

Ammon currently has four teeth, and is working on getting his two incisors… still. He continues to be very suspicious of anything in close proximity to his mouth. Meal times continue to be difficult, as he only takes a few sips from his bottle before having to take a break. I think that he does this because this is what the big people do. But…

Ammon is a talker. A loud talker. He practices new sounds just about every day, still preferring muma (mom), duba (dad), num-num (used for nummy, as in “mmm, good”, and his bottle, which we call “nummy”).

Ammon’s sense of cause and effect, along with his stubbornness, will-power, and intelligence continue to astound us. He thinks things through like no nine-month old I’ve known before. He is like his daddy, and likes to figure out how things work.

Ammon is now a proficient crawler. And by crawling, I really mean warp speed travel. He can effortlessly transition from a crawling position to a sitting one. He is also pulling up on everything he can, and is doing great at sitting on his knees. He is in to everything, but is still fairly good… he is more interested in observing and quietly handling than destroying. He doesn’t put things in his mouth other than his bink. His fine motor skills have been honed to a masterful science. The child can find the tiniest of dust-motes and work it back and forth between his fingers, analyzing every surface. All in all, Ammon is looking at the world through new eyes. The world is his for the taking now, and he knows it.

Ammon continues to sleep through the night and take two good naps in his crib during the day – his stomach is still his sleeping position of choice, and he loves snuggling his blanket. With this last round of teething, though, he has had a harder time going to bed. Our bedtime routine has been a rougher time of day lately.

Ammon still loves to read books – he cannot get enough of them, and I am so glad. He picks his own bedtime stories each night. At the end of the day Ammon also helps pick up his toys and sits reverently with his arms “folded” for prayers.

Ammon loves to follow me around. Brian, too, but more so me. We have been having some separation issues of late – with just about everything. Here’s to hoping this is just a phase… we’re trying to teach him something throughout all of this.

Ammon’s personality continues to make us laugh – he is such a funny, smart and sweet boy. Everything about him makes me smile – from his ragamuffin, wild hair that I can’t do anything with, to his fat, pudgy feet – I love this boy. We all love this boy. Who could not?