9 Months

Height: 27 1/4 inches (9%)

Weight: 20 lbs 6 oz (59%)

HC: 46.5 cm (86%)

LIKES 

Can stand up independently! And he loves to show off!

Started screaming in excitement! He is so proud of himself, especially being able to stand up! It is like "AHHHH Look at me! Look at me!"

With his independent standing also came his cruising. He loves cruising along our sectional the most, it is where most of his toys are set up too.

I would not say he likes the swing but he puts up with it. Especially if theres attention, treats and toys. And if the timing is riht he naps there too!

Formula Bottles

Jump up. He even enjoys napping in it. Putting himself to sleep as he bounces. 

DISLIKES 

Carseat 

Struggling with the mask situation. He tries to pull anyones mask off that are in reach.  He doesn't like not being able to see peoples whole faces.

Well he is officially a screamer, so he might not mind it but we sure do. It is cute when he does it in excitement but now it is getting to be more and more, which is a little too much. 

As always Piper rides along with brother or greets
him right as we get in the door. She loves this boy
something fierce. 

8 Months

Dean is 8 Months! My heart just skipped a beat. It’s SO bittersweet watching this guy grow. He just melts me and everyone in our home. He gets WAY too much love! 

Food update: He is now 100% bottle fed. Which is equally freeing and ... heartbreaking, but it was time (teeth!). Nursing is hard. I always have a hard time doing it, don't get me wrong it can be very sweet and perfect but it is also a lot of physical sacrifice, painful and exhausting. When it ends though I miss the closeness, and with Dean it is a little harder because now he runs to Dad for everything instead of Mom. 

Sleep update: He just barely started sleeping through the night!

Movement update: His latest achievement is rolling over to his belly, to sticking his butt in the air on his tippy toes to getting on all fours so he can rock it and then he gets bored and leans over and just ... sits up! He is so close to crawling. 

With all the craziness of COVID in March we started a strict schedule right away, (I didn’t know how long it would last so I seized the moment). 

We started like this…

-Wake 6:30-7, bottles are 4 oz sometimes 6

-Play in pack n play 

-Breakfast cereal and yogurt melts 

-Goes down for Nap with bottle (1-1.5 hrs) 9-9:30

-Wake and play 

-Lunch, fruit food pouch and crackers

-Goes down for Nap with 4 oz bottle 12:30-1:30

-Wake and play 

-Dinner, veg food pouch and pieces of what we’re eating 

-Dinner bottle 

-Play 

-Watch Super Simple Songs 

-Bedtime 8 with bottle 

***Finally sleeping through the night. 

LIKES

Playing with someone, especially Daddy. 

Sleeping/snuggling with Daddy. 

Bath time with Daddy! 

As you can already tell Daddy is his favorite. And with COVID and Daddy being home all the time it has been a nice break for Mom. And Daddy loves all the attention from his biggest fan. 

Super Simple Songs. He LOVES watching them with the family before bed. We all sing together and do the motions and he just smiles and laughs and tries to sing along even. It is my favorite part of the day. 

We haven’t been out about as much due to COVID. Dean loves the sunshine even just on the porch out back. While Mom and Dad eat outside or chat. 

Sibling loving. Piper is obsessed in the most lovingly scary way possible.  Every single child has taken it upon themselves to assign themselves a Dean chore because they are awesome! Piper gets diapers and throws them away. Sydney reads him stories. Bella changes wet diapers. Connor makes him bottles. 

Lately he chews on his tongue all day long, and his fingers and anything in close distance. His first two teeth are growing in, and beware they are sharper then they look!

Daddy says no one can make Dean laugh like Mommy. And yet he has all eyes for Daddy. 

Waking to brother. He is loving sharing a room with his brother.

Having everyone home all the time due to COVID! 

DISLIKES

He is already stranger aware. Although now with COVID he won't have to worry.

He is not happy when people leave, which is pretty rare lately.

The mask thing is also weird to him. As it is to us all. 

Other than the basics; diapers, changing, or being left alone. He is loving life lately! 

"Stranger Danger Look"

Thanks covid for setting us up with a regular routine, and no distractions. By the end of 8 months he had a printed schedule that adorned the kitchen. 

Dean’s Schedule 

6:30/7:00a – Wake and Bottle 6oz

7:30a—Play

8:00a—Breakfast (dry cereal/yogurt melts/water)

9:00-9:30a—Nap #1 

11:00a—Wake and Bottle 4oz

11:15a— Play

12:00p – Lunch (fruit pouch/water)

1:30-2:00p —Nap #2

3:30p – Wake and Bottle 6oz

4:00p – Play

5:00p— Dinner (veg/fruit pouch/pieces of dinner sometimes/water)

7:00p – Wind down (music in bed, pajamas, child reads a story) 

7:30p — Bottle 4oz, then bed! 

7 Months

7 Month Update-

First tooth broke! Dean did pretty well with it. 

Sleeping horrible, total regression. I want to blame it on the teeth finally starting to come in but really it is just a baby that doesn't get it. 

Starting baby push ups. You know what that means...

Getting used to solids and starting fruit pouches. Can't wait till he can feed himself them. 

Constantly shocked and relieved that we havent had to struggle with diaper rashes ever! We started him early off on Members Mark (SAMS) diapers, because we got a ton from a friend. I worried they would give him a rash. But no matter the diaper we use he never has a rash. That has been a huge relief, considering his skin seems less sensitive than all the girls. So we haven’t had to worry about eczema or anything. Thank goodness. 

LIKES

Being upside down... I guess it's a boy thing. 

Baths, except when siblings splash him.

Jump up! We finally got the jump up out and I'm sure he would have loved it months ago. But he sure has fun jumping in it now, it hangs in our master bedroom and he loves waiting for us to get ready in the morning or whenever. And we are loving that he has a new place to play where he is content. 

Snuggling with Daddy.

Being sung to. Especially by Daddy. 

Being thrown in the air by Daddy.

Stroller. He graduated to the front seat. And loves having a front seat to the world as we walk. 

Bumbo.

Who's who? 

Spoiler Alert:::Connor

 

DISLIKES

Too long in the pack n play.

Getting stuck when rolling and scooting around. 

Diaper changes.

Water in his face.

Crib time, I’m trying to put him in it to play so he gets used to it but he’s not a huge fan. He puts up with it here and there sometimes even falling asleep, but only if he has company in the room. Fortunately, he has an eager brother who has been awaiting this moment for a while. Connor is doing everything he can to help with the transition, and assures us that his deep sleeping will be perfect for baby brother's midnight squawks. We agree and are crossing our fingers that we can get his sleeping figured out so he can join his brother soon. 

5/6 Months

Weight: 17 lbs 5 oz (31%)

Height: 26 1/4 " (13%)

HC: 45.5 (88%)

Sleep update: Sick again so sleep training thrown out the window in month 5. So month 6 has been us just trying to get back into sleep training, little by little there is progress! But now we’re really hoping we can get it down since his crib is all set up in Cons room and he could transition there if he was actually sleeping regularly. Starting with naps but it’s hard for me to be consistent.  

Food Update: Transitioning from breast to bottle gradually. So supplementing with a 4oz bottle 1-3 times a day. At the end of month 5 he started SOLIDS! BABY CEREAL! He is doing okay with it, not loving it. But we are trying to give it to him at dinner time regularly. All the KIDS LOVE HELPING! 

Piper is the most Dean obsessed almost to the point of
… suffocation. But he loves it most of the time.

LIKES

Bumbo: He spends many meal times and meal prep times in the bumbo! 

He has started using the jump up and is liking it. 

Likes baths if they are just him! He loves kicking in the tub like crazy! 

He spends lots of time “working out” as the kids like to call it in his baby gym! 

When Mom and Dad are getting ready upstairs he even plays in the pack n play happily as long as it isn’t for too long. 

Likes the Boppy. He can sit up with the help of the Boppy, definitely SUPPORTED SITTER STATUS! But after a short sit he wants to dive into playtime or be picked up. 

Smiling. It’s his favorite! 

He loves all his playmates. And is happiest when he’s getting undivided attention from someone. Fortunately, we have lots of someone’s around!

Seeing Daddy! Having Daddy sing super simple songs with him! Especially before bed. 

Still drooling… still no teeth…

DISLIKES

He isn’t a fan of the crib yet. 

The swing is our no one can hold you back up. He doesn’t love it and sometimes he hates it, so let’s call it an ambivalent relationship. 

Bedtime. Nap time. Sleep. Time.

Not loving the kids trying to tickle him to get him to laugh. I think they are just too poky. 

Being sick. 

He is so used to people around him all the time, he hates being alone. So when the kids go to to school and mom can’t hold him all day he isn’t pleased.