It’s December. The Christmas tree is up. Thanksgiving and is
long gone. And Braxton and Carter are 9 Months Old. How did that happen? My
life feels a little like it’s on fast forward these days. But it’s a good fast
forward. The boys couldn’t be doing any better. However, I sort of feel like
there should be another category for babies that falls between infant and
toddler. They have changed so much in the last month it is crazy. We went from
partially mobile babies who were babbling here and there and starting to
interact, to babies who are completely mobile, super chatty, expressing every
emotion possible, playing as hard as they sleep, and are super curious about
everything around them. Goodness they
have grown!
This month both boys got their second tooth (Carter on 10/30
and Braxton on 11/2) which caused a few sleepless nights, but was fairly
manageable. They both have decided bath nights are their favorite nights of the
week and they splash and play like crazy. They both had to be moved to a bigger
car seat and we had to retire our trusty 747 Stroller. It has now been replaced
by a super cool Contours brand stroller that the boys face each other in and
love. And both kiddos had to be moved up
a level in the jumper because they have grown so much they could slam
themselves down and it sounded like a herd of elephants on the way. 
Braxton and Carter have completely mastered the army crawl
and can easily go from their bellies to their butts without much effort. Braxton
is also pulling himself up to standing all the time, and Carter isn’t far
behind. BBoy LOVES to army crawl over to me when I am sitting on the floor and
use my shirt like a rope to crawl up to standing. Once he gets there he laughs
and laughs and jumps and bounces, but isn’t very happy if you have to make him
sit down again. Both kiddos totally love cartoons and I think I can say Mickey
Mouse Clubhouse is their favorite show. As soon as they hear Mickey’s voice or
the silly “Hot Dog Song” they immediately turn to the TV. I am grateful for
appropriate channels like Disney Junior, which is a go to channel in the house,
and I can’t wait to get to take them to Disney Land when they are older.
I knew that at some point I was going to wake up to super
independent babies, but I didn’t think it would happen at 9 months. However,
both boys certainly have a mind of their own. BBoy still wears his emotions on
his sleeve more than his brother, but Carter Man explodes with emotion when
something is going on. Both still are clearly good eaters, but now seem to have
an opinion about what they eat. Braxton will spit out things he doesn’t like
and turn his head to the side to you can’t put the food in. Carter makes the
worst faces when he doesn’t like something, and acts like he is gagging. I am
currently hiding broccoli in pears, and have all but given up on avocado (once
their favorite food) and pureed chicken (which I don’t blame them). Both boys
randomly decide they do NOT want their diaper changed and make sure you know
it. You wouldn’t believe the tactics we have come up with to keep they busy
during these times. Braxton is completely independent in holding his bottle,
and sometimes even multitasks holding the bottle with one hand and a toy in the
other. Carter could be independent, but half the time he is just lazy and the
other he gets too distracted to lay there with his bottle. We usually end up
coaxing Carter to finish his food, and BBoy pounds his like he’s in a beer
shotgunning match and doesn’t miss a drop. And finally both kiddos want to play
on their own and pick out their toys. They specifically love playing “Soup”
with their dad which means they put a plastic ball into one of the bowl toys
and swirl it around like they are making soup. So much more of what they are
doing now is intentional and it is fun to see them make choices and learn.
As my little men get bigger and bigger one thing I absolutely
love is their little hands. I love it when we get to snuggle and I can feel
those little fingers holding onto me. Or I love it when they reach out and want
to be picked up or reach out to hold my hand. There is something about those
little hands that just melts my heart. It must be a Mama thing, or maybe just
the face that I know they won’t stay little for very long, but I love it.
Carter has really shown his personality this month. He is so
much more vocal than ever before and so much louder. He loves it when you have
a “conversation” with him and mimic the sounds he is making. When he gets super into it he will even exhale
really loudly as if to say, “Jeeze, why didn’t I tell you this before?!?!”. He
also learned how to click his tongue this month and loves it when you copy him.
Carter has the absolute best laugh, and randomly he will just burst out
laughing for no reason. He even cackles a little bit with a slight growl when
he really gets going. For some reason he has decided this month that my feet
are the funniest things ever when I wear socks, and if I tickle him with my
toes he will laugh so hard he falls over. The little Carter growl that goes
along with his laugh makes me laugh just as hard and together we are a heaping
pile of giggles.
C-Man is a very sweet boy, but we have to keep a close eye
on him. This month he has started tackling his brother for no reason at all.
Out of nowhere Braxton is thrown down and Carter lays a great big kiss on him.
The problem is Carter doesn’t realize that his kisses aren’t so welcomed when
they are accompanied by his little chompers. He doesn’t actually bite, but his
teeth graze just about everything he kisses. Braxton is not a fan. Sometimes
Braxton plays along with the wrestling, or even initiates it, but about 80% of
the time it is Carter just going after his brother with a huge grin and open
mouth. I can’t leave them in the crib anymore because they are crazy.
Carter is definitely my sleeper of the two. This month has
been a super hard one for Braxton and he is waking up in the middle of the
night several times a week. Carter on the other hand usually sleeps, and sleeps
hard all the way through. He can fall asleep anywhere. He will fall asleep at
the drop of a hat in his car seat, in your arms, on the floor, and even in his
jumper. More than once I have turned to see him flopped over on his arms passed
out and the jumperoo still slightly bouncing. Don’t we all wish we could just
pass out when we want? Snuggling with either of my little guys when they fall
asleep is one of my favorite things to do. However, I have learned that when
you have a sleeping baby in your arms, it is nearly impossible to not fall
asleep yourself. They are just too sweet and too cuddly.
Braxton becomes more silly every day. He loves to wiggle,
jump when you hold him, make a cackling like sound when he laughs, and holler
to just because he can. He still isn’t a fan of getting dressed or getting his
diaper changed, but he is tolerating it better these days. His chubby little
legs propel him forward in his army crawl, and his round little tummy sticks
out in just about every pair of pants he wears.
I think BBoys chubby cheeks and legs are the most adorable things ever.
He’ll probably hate me for saying that someday, but that’s ok. I can’t go
anywhere without people being shocked that the boys are only 9 months old
because they are so big. At their 9 month well baby check Braxton was 23lbs 3oz
and Carter was 22lbs 4oz. Carter was 29inches long and Braxton was 28 and ¼
inches. We have some seriously healthy boys.
Braxton is my jammer. This month he has really gotten good
at it. If you ask him to jam, the little dude shakes his whole body and moves
his head like a bobble head. Not only is it hilarious, but he LOVES to do it.
If you laugh, he will continue to dance or “jam” until he can’t do it anymore.
Talk about cute kid tricks. He is also my snuggler. As I said before, Braxton
is up several times a week and he loves nothing more than to get up in the
early early morning and come snuggle with me and go back to sleep. While it
means we are both catching zzz’s I wish he would sleep through the night. He
remains a definite binkie boy and while he might not always have in it his
mouth, it is never far away. He loves to take it in and out and has gotten
really good at replacing it himself when he needs a little binkie time.
If we were to sum BBoy up in just a few words this month it
would be that he is a talker. This kid talks all the time. He talks to himself.
He talks to his toys. He talks to us. He talks while he looks out the window in
the car. And he talks to his brother in the crib next to him to wake him up. If
we were to translate his babbling it most certainly would be in all CAPS and
end with many !!!!’s. Michael says he
gets that from me. Maybe he’s right but I cannot wait for the all baby sounds
to become words and to know what the little guys are actually thinking. I am
hoping they will start expressively signing too. Right now they are still just
signing MILK, and they use that for any sort of food. At least they are close.
With the holidays right around the corner I couldn’t be any
happier. I am really the most blessed Mama around. I have been waiting for so
long to share this special time with my kids and now that it is here I am so
excited. We are starting our own traditions and making or own memories. I want
them to know and love the reason for this season and let Christmas in their
hearts. While they might not totally understand this year, we’re still going to
love every second.
Happy Holidays everyone!
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