Paul Daniel: Nine Months

Paul is now as old as it took to grow him! And speaking of growth, he had his wellness checkup and is 24lbs and 30” long. He’s still in size 3 diapers and he’s wearing 9-12 month clothing, but he’s favoring the 12-month end of that range.

He can roll both ways now whereas last month it was just rolling onto his tummy. Unlike Lily, he hasn’t quite figured out yet that his rolling can take him places. 😂

Paul’s always been a vocal baby but now he’s starting to say Mama and Dada and make intentional noises to get our attention. He even gets mad when you take something away from him. Lily has a tendency to grab his toys, and now he’s squawking back at her.

One of the things I love watching is the bonding moments between him and Lily. Every morning she’ll give him a big hug and she’s always so eager to see him after his naps. She tries to show him how to play with her toys and helps him any way she can. These moments are so incredibly special, and I love that I’m able to snap more pics of the two of them together.

Sleeping

He is such a good sleeper, and I’m SO grateful! He takes a short nap in the morning, a 1-2 nap in the afternoon, and sleeps ALL night. We had a small sleep regression where he was refusing to nap, but I kept his routine consistent and now we’re back to more solid naps. One thing’s for certain is that he is EASY to put to bed at night. He falls asleep no problem, even with his scootching and rolling.

Feeding

Paul rocks 3 bottles a day plus solids in between. He doesn’t have the same appetite as Lily did, but he eats well given he’s in the 97th percentile for his weight. I tried to do a combination of baby-led weaning and purees, and he definitely likes the purees more. I still offer him other foods, and he’s gradually showing interest, especially when he watches his older sister eat her food.

Valentine’s Day was the last day I pumped and ended my nursing/pumping journey. It was a decision I made and felt emotionally ready for unlike with Lily where I felt it ended more abruptly. By this point, I was exclusively pumping since teething made it difficult for Paul to want to nurse. The pumping got to where it just wasn’t worth it for the amount I was getting, and I was ready to move on. I’m SO grateful I made it as far as I did and it’s an experience I’ll never take for granted.

Favorites

Little Spoon – I got these with Lily and now with Paul. Every two weeks I get fresh organic baby food delivered to my door. The flavors are age-appropriate which if you know baby food there are different stages. It’s one of those things that I can “set and forget” and make feeding time a lot easier. Paul loves his Little Spoons to the point where he’ll do a little happy dance if he sees me holding one. If you’re interested in giving them a try you can take $20 off with my referral code.

Busy Baby Activity Chair – Now that Paul is sitting upright more, he loves hanging out in Lily’s old activity chair. There’s so much for him to grab and play with, and he particularly loves hanging out in it on the floor next to Lily playing because he feels like he is playing along with her.