A Boo Boo For Our Busy Pre-Toddler

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for Dylan's 9 month check up. He is now 29 inches long and 22.8 pounds. This puts him just above the 75% where he has been all along. The doctor said that he is doing great and is officially a pre-toddler. Exploring everything! It is hard to get him to sit still long enough for me to change his diaper and usually requires a toy for distraction. He wants to do everything himself even though he is not ready yet. This includes meal times. We are adding more soft table foods since he often refuses anything that we give him from a spoon. So far he loves cheerios, sweet potato puffs, ground beef, peas and occasionally bananas. I am trying to be thankful and focus on the positive side of Dylan's independent personality because I know we are only approaching the tip of the ice berg of challenges. This independence led to Dylan's first Boo Boo :(
It is hard to see in the picture, but Dylan has a little cut just above his left eye. Yesterday while I was giving him a bath he squirmed out of my hands and bonked his eye on the side of the tub. It was very traumatic for both of us. Luckily only bled a little bit and he was soon back in action happily playing (as you can see in the picture below). My recovery is still a work in progress. I am going to wait until Scott gets home for bath time for a while.
If you haven't seen the 9-month picture video yet be sure to scroll down to the post below. It is long but very cute. Make sure that the sound on your computer is on to get the full enjoyment.

9 Months!

Our little baby boy is 9 months old today! Crystal and I both agree that Dylan has changed quicker than ever since his 6-month birthday. Here are the major events over Dylan's crazy last three months, which I have tried to convey with pictures in the video below:

• He graduated out of his infant carrier to his big boy car seat, which he absolutely loves. It is rare for him to make it through a lengthy car ride without taking a little siesta.
  
• We all took a trip to Joliet, Illinois to meet Grandma and Grandpa Great, along with many great-aunts/uncles and second cousins.
  
• He was an adorable and cuddly bear for his very first Halloween.
• He started to become mobile with his patented pseudo-crawl, which was comprised of getting into a push-up position, moving his legs forward, belly flopping, and repeating until he became too tired to continue. He was quite the little mover with this technique. Alas, before we captured it on video he abandoned his unique style and moved on to the conventional crawl. Now he is really tough to catch.
• We were blessed to take a trip to the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over Thanksgiving. Dylan managed to endure 20-hour travel days both ways with only minor fussing. He loved the pool, the ocean, the swings, the grass, the weather (no socks!), and spending time with his Nani and Pops.
• During the trip he sprouted his first 2 teeth in the middle of his lower gum.
• Also during the trip he said "Dada" for the first (but certainly not the last) time.
• He tried many new foods on the trip, such as pineapple-pears, mango, pureed turkey, prunes, apple-cherries, and baby formula (because Crystal got sick and couldn't feed him for a couple of days).
• He began pulling up on things during the trip and really honed his skills when we got back home. Now he spends more time on his feet (holding onto furniture) than he does crawling around on the floor.
• He began feeding himself teething crackers, Cheerios, and veggie puffs.
  
• He celebrated his very first Christmas in Albuquerque in the morning and Camas, WA in the evening.
• During our time in Washington he said "Mama" for the first time.
  
• Through it all he has kept growing and growing. He is poised to walk soon and is already learning to fall gracefully. His blond hair is filling out and he is destined for a trim in the near future. His cheeks are just about maxed out and his little buns have pushed past the #3 diaper. We will get some new measurements on Tuesday at his 9-month checkup.
  

See what we mean by it being a crazy last three months? Enjoy the video...