Caden's Latest Tricks

Caden is 9 months now. At his check-up, he weighed in at 19.5 lbs and measured 26 3/4 in. long--short and stout. He is perfectly on target developmentally. And he is so much fun! Most of the time. Caden loves to stand up on his own and wants us to applaud every time he does. He can walk holding onto furniture and pushes the little walker my visiting teacher let us borrow (he wouldn't at first). He figured out how to open any kind of drawer. He mostly just enjoys the sound of it banging shut, but he also likes to take things out. We can't put the latches on yet because we are moving to a new house (more on that later). He is also obsessed with my flip flops and other shoes. Every day we say no and move him away a million times, yet he always goes back, as with anything else we say no to. He knows he's not supposed to because he gives this little innocent smile and tosses the shoe away from himself. He also knows the sound of an off-limits door opening and speeds over to get inside before I close it. Too cute. But tiring chasing after him all day. How do moms get fat when they're constantly chasing and picking up their kids?

Anyway, Caden can entertain himself for most of the day, which is really nice. He'll just play in his room by himself. Sometimes he'll suddenly realize I'm not there and cry and then come crawling to me. He recently learned how to make clicking sounds with his tongue. He also scrunches up his face really funny, like a fake big smile (sorry, no photo currently). He was making some people in sacrament meeting laugh last Sunday.

His latest way of falling asleep in the stroller or car seat.

Caden is currently on a potty strike. He won't tell me when he needs to go, and his digestive system has been out of wack the last couple weeks, resulting in a lot of poopy messes and a nasty diaper rash. I've switched to disposable during the day instead of cloth so I have one less thing to clean and smell. Caden also doesn't like to stay on the potty anymore. I used to be able to leave him alone while he went, but now he climbs off, spilling the potty contents all over the floor. Yucky surprise for me one morning. I have no idea how long this will last, so I've been lax about taking him potty. Only if I catch him pooping will I rush him to the potty. I also put him on whenever I change his diaper, first thing in the morning, and before bath time. I don't want all my work the past five months to go down the drain!

Caden alternates sleeping in his crib and sleeping with us. Most nights he sleeps in his crib for 3 or 4 hours and then sleeps with us the rest of the night. Two nights now (not consecutive) he's slept in his crib the whole night; he still woke up at night, but he went back to sleep in the crib. He usually goes to bed between 8 and 8:30 and wakes up between 6 and 6:30.

More laundry fun!

He has two bottom teeth. He's not a great chewer though, so he still eats mushy foods. He can't feed himself either. I have to be careful when feeding him whole fruit because, like his father, he takes big bites and swallows, resulting in coughing and choking. He eats solids 3-4 times a day and nurses 5-7 times a day and 2-3 times at night. Basically, he's always hungry. He's more of a grazer unless it's been a long time since he last ate. Caden is so funny after he nurses. He gets this happy look and goofy smile that we call the drunk baby face.

I love my baby so much! He is so funny, even when he's getting into trouble. He is so much fun and we love playing with him and making him laugh and then laughing in return. Caden is the cutest baby ever!