Hayes is 9 Months!

 

Too much personality to handle!

At 9 months, our Hayes could not be more fun. We've had a lot of new developments in the last month...

Weight: 22 lbs

Height: 27 1/2 inches

Loves: This boy LOVES his Rio dog! It is so sweet to see him interact with Rio, and he has recently started reaching for him and giving him open-mouthed kisses. Speaking of kisses, Hayes is super sweet and very generous with giving Mommy and Daddy lots of slobbery ones. Everytime I pick him up from school or come home from work, he greets me with a big hug and an open-mouthed kiss. Talk about melting Mommy's heart! He is still a bit of a stage five clinger when it comes to me, but once again, I love every second of it and am cherishing these moments while they last. I know soon he'll be choosing Daddy and all of the outdoor adventures, so I have to soak up all the snuggles I can while I can! Hayes still adores bath time and playing with his bath toys, and bounces with excitement when he hears the water running. He also loves to clap, and is especially good at performing "If You're Happy and You know It, Clap Your Hands". Hayes also loves singing "This Little Light of Mine" and reading books, especially his bedtime books (The Going to Bed Book and Goodnight moon). It is so fun to watch him get excited as I read each page. I'm thankful for a boy who loves books! Another favorite activity these days is playing catch with his soft A&M basketball, and playing with his bowls and stacking rings. As long as this boy is busy, he's happy!

Sleep: Besides the week of sickness that through his schedule a little out of whack, Hayes continues to be a rock star in the sleep department. The week he was sick also happened to be the week of the time change, which was a little bit difficult, but after a couple of days he was back on his normal schedule. Hayes still goes down at about 8pm and wakes at about 6:15 every morning. Sometimes he will talk himself back to sleep until 7:00 on the weekends, but this isn't usually the norm. We are just thrilled he has continued to sleep through the night and wake up happy!

Food:We have started incorporating more blends in Hayes's purees this month, and he has taken quite an affinity to his butternut squash and pear puree. I can definitely see why... this one is delish! Hayes Man is becoming more and more like his Daddy and deciding that the taste of strong green veggies just isn't his favorite. In fact, I usually have to mix his green veggies with sweet potatoes, carrots or butternut squash (basically something with a little bit of sweet flavor) to even get him to partake. I have a feeling there will be lots of veggie sneaking into my recipes in the future! Hayes usually take 4-5 bottles a day, but is starting to be less interested in his early morning bottle. He is a champ with the sippy cup and LOVES his water. We are starting to work in more and more finger foods, and have mastered chicken and cheerios in the last week!

Personality: Hayes Man has recently become quite independent. Case in point: There have been quite a few days this month that he has decided that he would rather not eat if he can't feed himself. This has caused the meal time experience to lengthen just a bit, but it has been so much fun to watch as Hayes meet the next big milestone of feeding himself! We may drop more food in our chair at the moment than we make into our mouth, but that's beside the point. :) Our little man is still full of sunshine and will wake up most mornings with a good belly laugh. We can't get enough of his squeal and his recently acquired "dinosaur roar". He especially enjoys letting this one rip in nice boutiques and embarrassing his Aunt Kirby to death. Haha! Pops is loving that Hayes is getting more and more fearless by the day, and he definitely does not like to sit still anymore. Whether he's scooting, barrell rolling or diving from a lap into the floor, Hayes definitely keeps us all on our toes... and he's not even walking yet! (I see a lot of heart attacks in my future...) Our boy could not be sweeter, and while he can be a bit mischievous and insists on trying to pull the paintings down from the wall above his dresser, we are enjoying every second with our adventurous little one! Never a dull moment, that's for sure!

Dislikes: I suppose this really qualifies as more of a mommy and daddy dislike than one for Hayes, but assuming that he wasn't happy during the experience I think it's safe to say that Hayes is not a fan of being sick. This month we had our first ear infection and bout with RSV, which was no fun at all given the fact that Daddy was in Seattle on a work trip for most of the week. Hayes ran a 100 degree fever off and on, and did not sleep a wink unless he was laying on top of Mama. It was heartbreaking to watch our little man suffer, but we are so glad that he was able to heal quickly once we saw the doctor and received a good dose of antibiotics. After the first treatment, little man was already back to playing and laughing again! We are very glad to have survived the first sick experience, and hope we don't have another encounter anytime soon. Another painful obstacle Hayes had to deal with this month was getting his first *two* teeth! That's right, not one, but two! We are clearly champions in the Johnson family and don't have time for getting teeth one at a time. :) Our little drool machine has been working on these suckers for a couple of months, and this month they finally broke through. Poor kid couldn't have been comfortable through the process, yet he keeps a smile on his face anyway! Hayes has also recently decided that he's not a fan of the changing pad. We think it's due to the fact that he is being restrained and can't see the world... it's the adventurer in him. He will yell and yell until we let him sit up, or better yet, take him off the changing pad. I suppose this is something we'll just have to deal with until the phase passes!

Hayes Man truly lights up our lives every day and we are having so much fun watching him learn and grow. Every day brings something new and we can't wait to see what is ahead of us in his ninth month of life. We love you, Monkey!