Hard to believe, but our "little" guy is 9 months old! He had his check up yesterday. We are thankful he is healthy and growing well. Abram is now a whopping 21 lbs. 14 oz. (75th%) and 27 3/4" (30th%). And just for fun:
9 Month Stats:
Abram: 21 lbs. 14 oz., 27 3/4 in.
Rebecca: 20 lbs., 26 1/2 in.
Mary: 18 lbs. 5 oz., 28 in.
Justin: 18 lbs. 12 oz., 26 1/2 in.
Hard to say who he takes after...he's just big :P His check up went well. He was not a fan of either the nurse or the doctor and cried pretty much the whole time. He didn't care for the shots, either. But at least he's a healthy little guy. And no more visits until he's one!
Abram is meeting all of his developmental milestones. He is on the verge of walking. He gets better at standing every day. And he's pretty speedy walking around if he has something to push. It won't be long before he puts the two together. With his mobility comes his ability to get into...everything. He likes to empty trash cans, unroll toilet paper, take DVDs out of the player, turn off the computer, rip apart magazines and of course get into his big sister's toys. We have to be very creative with finding things to entertain him. He is always looking for something new and interesting. He can have a huge bucket of his toys next to him, but that doesn't mean he'll want to play with any of it. Give him a piece of paper and he'll be content :)
Abram is starting to enjoy reading books and has started saying a few "words." Mostly he goes around saying "ca, ca" looking for Rebec
ca. And when he finds her he says "ca" and waves at her. He also neighs, moos and quacks. And he claps and says "yay." He's starting to make "car sounds" when he's playing with his cars. And he's very good at growling. Rebecca calls him the giant when she's playing with dolls, legos, etc. He comes over, growls at everyone and tries to grab them.
Abram now has five teeth and is working on two more. So far he hasn't figured out how to chew with them very well. But he certainly knows how to grind them...and does it all day long.
Although Abram looks a lot like his sister he is showing us that he has his own personality. He knows what he wants and makes sure that you know. If he isn't happy...everyone knows :P Abram still dislikes being confined in any way. Car rides are limited to about 15 min. or up to 2 hours during nap time. Meal times are quick...feed him what you can for the few minutes he'll sit in the high chair. The exersaucer is only used as a last resort for about 60 seconds if he needs to be confined/kept safe. Otherwise he uses it as a toy to climb on. We never were able to use the swing. He lasted about 60 seconds strapped in that as well. Thankfully Abram tolerates the stroller once in a while at least.
Abram also is not quite the sleeper his sister was/is. He is too busy to sleep :P Most days he takes 2 naps. And then goes to bed around 8. He is usually up several times at night. And up quite early most days. Both yesterday and today he decided 5:45 was play time. If he wakes up any time after 5 am there is no use trying to get him back to sleep. He's up and ready to go. Sadly this often means Rebecca is up earlier too. He's not exactly quiet all morning.
Abram is very strong. He lifts and pulls things that are quite heavy. The doctor asked yesterday if Justin or I were athletes. He was amazed how strong Abram is and said he'd probably be good at sports. Let's just say that diaper changes and getting dressed can be quite an undertaking. When his legs go straight you might as well not even try. You just have to wait until he's ready. Sometimes you feel like you just ran a marathon after getting him dressed. It's quite a workout.
Even though Abram is a rough and tumble active boy he is also about the biggest momma's boy you'll meet. He still won't let anyone besides Mommy and Daddy hold him. He cries at the sight of most strangers (especially nurses and doctors). And he likes to be touching Mommy almost at all times. If I'm on the floor playing with him he just sprawls on my lap to play with his toy. And I am his favorite thing to climb on. Whether I'm standing or sitting. He's a big snuggler and doesn't like Mommy to leave the room.
Abram is growing well and growing up quickly! He is a handful, but he brings such joy to our lives. We praise God for a healthy, happy little boy.
