Our little Jakey is nine months old and even more lovable than ever. In the past few months, this guy has accomplished so much, making us feel like time is flying by even faster than before his arrival (if that is possible).The biggest recent change is in Jake's mobility. It used to be that you could put him on the floor with some toys, leave the room for a minute, and come back to find him in the same place where you left him. Those days are no more. He is a man on the move and loves to explore.
Jake started army crawling around 7 months and can now fly across the room. He occasionally rocks back and forth on hands and knees in the classic crawling position, though he really prefers to get around pulling himself on his tummy. Some of his favorite things to explore include Daddy's closet and shoe rack, Lucie's dollhouse (much to her dismay), any form of footwear, lotion bottles, laundry baskets, and, the one true baby toy in this list, stacking cups.
We started feeding Jake pureed foods at six months to a mixed reception. He seemed to prefer green foods, with pear, pea, and broccoli being a favorite combo. Unlike his brother who went crazy over sweet potatoes, he scrunches his nose up at anything orange.
Pureed foods are old news now, as his preferences have changed to eating finger foods. He likes to feed himself and not have to wait around for someone to put a spoon of food in his mouth. I don't blame him - in a house of three kids, that can be a long wait sometimes. Puffs, cheerios, black beans, cut-up cheese and soft fruits are some of the finger foods he enjoys now. I'm still a wimp/worrier when it comes to starting new finger foods, so we wait until dinner when Daddy is around to try a new one.
Nicknames abound for this little guy. Newest ones include "The Little Mister" or "Mister Mister" (Lucie's creation), "Muffin", or "Baa-Baa's" (Ryan). Lucie has decided that we really should be calling him by his proper name, so he is now Jacob to her and Ryan. Over Thanksgiving, I even heard her converting Gigi over to calling him Jacob too.
We thought we'd see him start sucking his fingers by now, though so far that has not happened. He sucks on his arm occasionally, but hasn't found that one thing to comfort him. We have a frog lovie in his crib at all times, similar to Lucie and Ryan's beloved Bunny and Ducky. He hasn't taken to it, in fact I often find it flung across his crib. I still hold out hope they'll become inseparable, though the rest of our family isn't convinced, calling me a "froggie pusher".
Each day is another adventure, another accomplishment, another baby-proofing project, and lots of love and laughter with our Jake. We're looking forward, but not too forward, to what the next months will bring. Stay little, big man.
