I've been trying to cherish every moment with him as a baby as much as possible but he sure isn't making it easy! Every day I see more signs of a soon to be toddler rather than baby.
His walking skills have really picked up. He will stand up and take a few steps, fall back down and then he's back up again. If he's cruising along furniture he lets go and independently gets his way across from one thing to another. He can climb up the stairs and pretty much anything else in his way. It is not unusual to see him using Louis as a step stool to get what he wants or what he shouldn't have. Baby proofing has never been something I've been over the top about but with a 9 month old attempting to walk? We've had to step it up. He has started to go feet first to climb off the couch.
He went from no teeth to now having two on the bottom, a few more forming and his first front tooth pushing its way through. His interest in food, especially finger foods, has grown over the past two weeks. He still nurses around the clock and this month presented us with the challenge of a growth spurt and teething...but we're getting through it.
Sleeping is...what it is. Like his big brother and big sister at 9 months he wakes at midnight and 3 am to eat. Though I noticed he is starting to skip his 3 am wake up more often than not. He is usually up by 6:30 or so. It works for us. I am typically up until midnight so the late night feedings aren't terrible. I know it won't be forever and with that I try to remember that I will actually miss out solo late night feedings. It goes by so quickly.
His personality is very different from Louis and Leah's at this age. Gabriel is much more serious. He is happy and will laugh and smile but his overall disposition is one of major contemplation. He lights up when his siblings make their way down in the morning and when Leah gets home from school. He follows Louis everywhere and wants to do whatever he is doing. Generally they play beautifully together...well as much as a toddler and infant can play nicely together.
Gabriel is not fond of anyone from his day to day life disappearing on him so he does not appreciate Louis's attempts at hide and seek. Had our second separation the other day while I attended a PTA meeting. It was only 2 hours but I think it went well for the most part.
His babbling has increased some and he appears to say Leah's name when he sees her. He waves hi/bye and has started to clap his hands.
I'm unsure of how much he weighs right now but he's been gaining 2lbs a month for the past few months and from how his clothing fits him I'm going to guess that he's around 22 lbs or so right now based on last month's weighing.
9 Month Milestones
Mastered Skills (most kids can do)
Stands while holding onto something
Jabbers or combines syllables
Understands object permanence
Emerging Skills (half of kids can do)
Cruises while holding onto furniture
Drinks from a sippy cup - While Gabriel can drink from a sippy cup he prefers his milk 'straight from the tap' ;)
Eats with fingers
Bangs objects together
Advanced Skills (a few kids can do)
Plays patty-cake and peek-a-boo - He likes to try to play patty-cake and does play peek-a-boo as long as you don't completely disappear.
Says "mama" or "dada" to the correct parent - While I've noticed some of the sounds and often times when we are around I don't think it is specific to a parent.
