Hayden 7, 8, 9 months

Whoops, I am behind on blog posts.  So here I'm going to quickly catch up on Hayden.  He's 9 months old now!  Wow!  Time flies.  He's such a joy.  Hayden is such a happy baby.  He is so content.  He is so patient with Tenley (her intentions are good, she's just a little rough sometimes!) and he just thinks she is hilarious.  

Sleeping:
For months 7-9, his night time sleeping habits haven't changed.  He normally sleeps 10 hours at night (8-6), wakes to nurse at 6, and then sleeps from 6-8am.  I know, I know, he should be sleeping the full 12 hours by now.  Sometimes he does, so I know he can.  Tenley did this for awhile too and just naturally transitioned herself to 12 hours.  I'm just waiting on him to do that too, but if it lasts another couple months, I will get more structured with it.  I don't mind much for now.

Eating:
He is still only nursing; no solid foods.  I tried cereal with him at 8 months and he hated it.  I'm fine with that.  I really just wanted to give him the option, but since he doesn't care for it, I'd rather wait anyway.  For the last 3 months and up to now, he is still eating every 3 hours during the day (8, 11, 2, 5, 8).  Occasionally I will add in a feeding at 7 if he is staying up a little later or needs a little help staying up until bedtime, but that doesn't happen often.

Naps:
At 7 months he was napping 3-4 times a day for 1-2 hours.  At 8 months he took 3 naps, about 2 hours each.  And now at 9 months he is down to 2 naps: 1 in the morning for 1 hour, and 1 in the afternoon for 3 hours.  Occasionally he will break up the afternoon nap into 2 shorter naps, but not often.  I am all for Babywise, but I am definitely one of the less strict Moms.  I love flexibility.  I do Babywise for the sake and sanity of both us and our kiddos, and for us that includes lots of sleep and a general schedule, but also a good amount of flexibility when needed.

Development:
During the last 3 months, Hayden has mastered rolling from belly to back, rolling back to belly, sitting up without support, and putting weight on his legs to stand while being held.  The last one was not even a milestone I paid attention to for Tenley because she always did that.  I think most babies do.  But Hayden never cared to until almost 9 months old.  He kicks more than Tenley ever did, and obviously has had the strength but just didn't care to stand.  He still doesn't do it unless he has a good reason, like to play with a toy that is at a level he has to stand for.  He does not say any real words, but babbles with sounds like ma, da, and ba, and of course fun screams, random babbles, and laughing.  He also got his 1st two teeth at 8 months old - the two front bottom teeth.  That's still all he has.

1st tooth

Other:
Hayden has been going through some separation anxiety for probably a couple months.  He is in the nursery every Sunday morning, and that is usually with the same ladies, but he cries every week.  I can tell because his face gets ALL blotchy very quickly when he cries.  It makes me sad, but I know it is good for him and us.  He also goes to the play center at the Life Center a few times each month while I am teaching Truth Talk classes.  If we are there for a few days in a row, it seems he remembers the girl in charge and is fine by the end of the week.  But if we haven't been there in awhile, he cries again.
One fun thing is that Hayden loves to throw EVERYTHING.  He has a good arm for a baby!!  It's really cute to watch him.  It's like he tries to throw his toys as far across the room as he can.  And he does it over and over and over....

7 months: 27 3/4", 18lbs
8 months: 27 3/4", 19lbs
9 months: 28 1/2", 19.5lbs