Jasper weighed in at 20.6 lbs at his 9 month check up. The maximum weight for the baby bjorn is about 20 lbs so I guess we will be retiring the handy contraption soon. His head growth has finally slowed down. Dr. Bates was just a bit concerned at his last check that the line that shows the size/growth of his head was shooting straight up the chart. He asked if we have big heads in the family - ahem, Mommy wears a size medium men's helmut on the bike and Daddy wears an xl, does that answer your question? A few more ticks off the developmental chart: making "mama" sounds (check), making "dada" sounds (check), responding to his name when called (check), likes banging things together to make noise (loud check!) and enjoys a good game of peek-a-boo (check and double check!)
Our little baby is growing up so fast I sometimes forget he is a baby. It's a bit difficult to explain but I feel I have not been able to enjoy or "soak up" Jasper's baby stage as much as I did with Sam. Of course it's not like I love him any less, but things get so busy with two kids, I feel like I miss out on a bit of Jasper's baby-ness. Because of these feelings, I have been trying to slow things down and take time to give Jasper a few extra cuddles after I nurse him and have more Jasper playtime that doesn't involve Sam's big kid toys.
Though Jasper loves cuddles, especially being kissed repetitively under the chin, he doesn't like having his back scratched. Correction: he likes having his back scratched but it is not soothing for him (it nearly puts Sam in a coma), it tickles him! With this funny baby I get the full on giggles so now I definitely don't do it anymore when I am putting him to bed. He actually rarely falls asleep in my arms, he likes to stretch out so I end up putting him in his crib to fall asleep. (another thing that is so different from Sam!)
I've added yummy Yo Baby yogurt to Jasper's menu and he loves it but I also discovered something that Jasper doesn't like to eat, spaghetti! (ironic because it is one of Mommy's favorite foods!) This is surprising coming from a baby that starts smacking his lips at the sight of baby food jars in a store. Albeit, this is baby food spaghetti from a jar. I tried mixing it with some butternut squash and even put it on a piece of bread but the bread was just picked out of his mouth by his little fingers. Maybe things will change when he gets more teeth (still waiting for that pesky tooth #8 to come out) and can have "real" spaghetti.
