Nine Months of James
Another month, another post. Also, another several days late…I think every month yields a later post. Hopefully I’ll get back on track by his first birthday!
James at nine months is a hoot. He figured out how to clap recently, and he likes to do it all the time.
He moves constantly, and one of his favorite activities is pushing Elise’s cart or rolling hedgehog toy all around whatever room he’s in. He gets very, very frustrated when he bumps into something and can’t figure out how to turn himself around, screeching and throwing a baby tantrum until I point him back in a direction with more room. Once he’s off again, he’s instantly delighted. Moods change on a dime these days.
He has a favorite book - In My Tree - that has a built-in finger puppet of an owl. He laughs and laughs when the “owl” says, “Whoo whoooooo!” and he likes to poke the owl with his finger.
When it comes to eating, he still has yet to meet a food he won’t try. He makes a disastrous mess every time he has a meal, but it pays off in the sense that he feeds himself until he’s full, and he eats what we eat and I mostly get to eat my food at the same time in relative peace. This month he’s seeming to really enjoy watermelon and pretty much any kind of meat…the little carnivore.
In addition to clapping, he also likes to both flap his arms all over the place and also thump them on things, including me. At bedtime he alternates between snuggling his head into my torso and then sitting upright and flapping both arms to thump my shoulders, which sounds somewhat painful but is really just funny.
Whenever we’re in a room with cabinet doors or drawers, he takes it upon himself to open them and explore their contents. He particularly likes the bathroom cabinet that contains a box of Q-Tips, but fortunately he has yet to dump them all out. In the kitchen, he goes straight for the drawer that contains all the kid cups and bowls, probably because they’re colorful.
Speaking of the kitchen, he’s earned himself “Dangerbaby” as a nickname - he figured out how to climb up Elise’s tower, which allows her (and I guess now him) to stand at counter level. I can’t turn my back for a second with him before he’s off to explore new heights.
He’s very pleased with his newfound abilities. And I think that’s all we have for now! I still can’t believe we’re creeping up on a year already…but I can’t wait to see what he’ll accomplish before then.