Collins Family: 9 month check-up

Today we went to see Sawyer's pediatrician for his 9 month check-up. Sawyer now weighs 21 pounds, 3 ounces (70th percentile) and is 29.25 inches tall (90th percentile), and has the motor skills of a 12 month old. He only had one shot -- the seasonal flu vaccine -- and didn't even cry. He was sitting and watched the nurse stick him and everything -- it didn't seem to bother him one bit.

At 9 months old, Sawyer still LOVES to eat. In fact, he prefers to feed himself. He still eats some baby food, but loses interest quickly and demands to have more food on his tray (usually by banging on it)! He still takes 4 or 5, 6 ounce bottles a day. He begins and ends his day with a bottle. He is able to stand for 3-5 seconds without assistance and can take a few steps while we hang onto one of his hands. He is able to walk a lot if we hold onto both his hands or if he is hanging onto his push toy. He is getting much braver when he cruises around the furniture and transfers from the couch to the chair to the coffee table to whatever else he can hang onto. He can crawl very fast and goes all over the house. We usually have to corral him in the pack-n-play in the morning while we get ready. He is really starting to jabber. He loves saying da-da-da, and can even give the sign language sign for daddy. He can say ma-ma-ma, but he doesn't say it as often. He also says ba-ba-ba for his bottle before bed, and has lots of other jabbering he does frequently. He loves it when Sam rough houses him in the floor when we get home and has the greatest laugh. He is very nosy and has to constantly look around anytime he is somewhere new or if he sees something new at our house. Sawyer still loves to cuddle with ducky at night, and is very happy to see him at bedtime. He snores LOUDLY sometimes, and we laugh at what a deep sleep he must be in. He still goes to bed at ~7:30pm and sleeps until ~6:00am. On a not so pleasant note, he is starting to develop some assertiveness and really lets us know if he isn't happy with us. He doesn't like to be told "no" or "that's not for Sawyer" and will often look at us, smile, and head right for whatever he isn't suppose to have again. Then, he will start crying and the cycle repeats itself until we are successful at redirecting him. He has started crying some mornings when we drop him off at day care, but it is purely for my benefit as I have watched through the window and he usually quits crying about 30 seconds after I am out of sight! He still loves being outside and listening to the birds, bugs, and train we hear from our house.

We still can't believe what an amazing addition to our family Sawyer has been. He is such a blessing to us and we are loving watching him grow and change every day. What a whirlwind of 9 months -- with lots of routine, hard work, mild sleep deprivation, never a dull moment, and TONS of fantastic memories. Thanks for checking in on Sawyer! Here are a few pictures from this evening.