9 months - Peekaboo!

Today was my birthday. Trite but true, the best gift I could ever receive came about nine-and-a-half months ago.  Today I got these smiles as we played peekaboo at the library; who could want anything more?

9 months - Another visit to CHOP

You may remember that last month, we drove down to Philadelphia for Augie to be checked out by a neurologist at CHOP. Today we had a follow-up appointment and repeat EEG. We weren't very worried this time around, as Augie hasn't repeated his weird head movements since before our first visit, and he's continuing to develop and acquire skills apace. The whole visit felt - and turned out to be - quite perfunctory. We saw a different neurologist, who took the time to explain what she was looking for on the EEG and what types of behaviors we should be looking out for in Augie. The EEG was "beautiful" and Augie doesn't display the troublesome behaviors, so we were sent home without any further ado. Whoopee!

Not that the day was entirely easy, though. Our pediatrician told us that ideally, Augie would fall asleep during the EEG so the test would record his brainwave pattern as he drifted off. Yeah, right - like my kid's gonna fall asleep on the EEG table?!? Essentially, she told us to deprive him of sleep to increase the likelihood of him falling asleep during the test. So we didn't give him any naps in the morning, hoping he'd be so tired he'd fall asleep during the test. He was definitely tired, but he definitely didn't fall asleep. He did kick, wriggle, squirm, and scream though.

You've already seen the pictures of Augie during an EEG, so we didn't take more today. We took one immediately afterward though, to show off his new hairstyle:

The doctor's office is a 4-minute drive from our house; Augie fell asleep on the way home (he hadn't slept in seven and a half hours!), so Baba gently carried him upstairs:

We don't get a lot of snuggle time with Augie, because normally he's too busy trying to walk, climb, or bang something together to sit down and share his little warmth with us. James took advantage of his incapacitated state to get some extra cuddles in:

9 months - Goofing around

I haven't posted a video in a while, so here's one. Not much happens - I just make a lot of stupid sounds to get Augie to laugh. He laughs. He spits some food out. Just another dinner. (Email subscribers click here to view the video.)

9 months - Gym time

Augie's been really cranky the last 2-3 days, which has manifested in a lot of yelling. A lot of him yelling. Not crying - just yelling. If anyone in our building - or the buildings out our bedroom window - didn't know we had a baby, they certainly do now. I know that he has at least one more tooth about to break through, but I'm wondering if maybe he has some molars mobilizing for their world debut. Or maybe he's just sick of New Jersey. Can't say I'd blame him.

This afternoon Augie and I took an intro class at a local kids' gym. He had an okay time - but he was tired and fussy (see first paragraph), so maybe we should give it another shot when he's feeling a little more rambunctious.

Doing his squat-stretch exercise to get warmed up:

Riding the technicolor inner tube:

Showing off his stair skills, maraca in hand (because who doesn't climb stairs with their maracas?)

Climbing across something:

Crawling through a tubey thing:

Emerging from the tubey thing:

 Catching bubbles (that thing on the top right is the tubey thing he's crawling through in the above pictures):

9 months - Just chillin'

Not a lot going on around here these last few days. Here's the proof:

Water play out back:

Ahoy, sailor:

9 months - Playing with pegs

I spent most of today (successfully) trying to make Augie laugh. Naps were easy, the weather has turned autumnal, the world is right again.

9 months - Birthdays

Before I get to the photos, let me share with you my favorite thing that Augie is doing now. You know that we've been playing hide-and-seek with him for a while now. Recently he started taking the game one step further. It goes like this: I get his attention and then run behind something (like the couch), so he'll have to come find me. He'll start sprint-crawling toward where he saw you go (and you can hear him coming, his hands and feet slapping the floor, him grunting on the exhale with his exertion) - but as he nears me, rather than stopping to "find" me, he'll do a fly-by and just start running away! He might look back, a grin on his face, to see if I'm following, but off he goes, expecting me to follow him. He giggles and runs until he comes to a dead end, then he sits up and looks back at me, smiling. He knows I'm coming to get him! Sometimes he even tries to go farther (up the wall), but it never works, and Mama prevails.

What I love about this new variation of the game is that he started with something we taught him and, all on his own, took it to the next level. It's like he said, "oh yeah, you want me to come find you? Well then, you chase me!" I think it shows his playful creativity.

But on to the birthdays and the pictures...

Today, September 3, is the birthday of Augie's maternal grandfather, Bill and his paternal grandmother (Ah Mah) Terry. (It's also the birthday of my best friend Sabrina's daughter Maggie - she's one today! - and my high school friend Beth). Augie had his first artistic endeavor yesterday making gifts for his grandparents.

First, Baba had some camera shenanigans to play:

As you might guess, helping a 9-month old make art with finger paints is an all-hands-on-deck endeavor; James handled the canvases and the paint, I handled the baby and his hands and feet, leaving no one to take pictures of the actual art-making. We got pictures of the artist with his masterpieces, though:

Showing off his technique:

9 months - The 9-month photo shoot

We finally got some "official" 9 month photos of Augie. Of course, none of them are quite what I'd hoped for (baby sitting quietly next to a perfect stack of blocks with a pensive look as he meditates on the wisdom of his first 9 months), but they're kinda great anyway.

Oh - and a couple things I didn't mention in the big 9-month post: Augie now has 7 teeth (another lower one came in) and a new word: gaga.

9 months - Sleeping beauties

We had a delicious family nap this afternoon (which might explain why, at 8:34pm, we're still working to put Augie to sleep for the night). It's humid here in New Jersey, and we weren't inspired to do anything today except...this.

9 months - Lunch with Linden

Yesterday we were fortunate to have guests for lunch: Linden and Auntie Kristin. Not only did Linden show off his ability to eat without splattering banana on the wall, he also gave Augie a little lesson in standing with no hands. (And today, Augie showed off his student skills by standing for a full ten seconds on his own!)

Augie had his supreme commander's chair, but Linden was just as happy in his tie chair (that's Auntie Kristin rummaging through the fridge, in case you thought it was me):

For dessert, let's nibble some sea creatures:

Wait, I wanted that octopus!

Fine, I'll get ready to practice my squat-stand here and chew on a dolphin:

I'm sorry, do you mind if I just sort of stand right on top of you?

Man, that Linden guy just wore me out:

9 months - Family swim time

I somehow convinced James to knock off from work a bit early so that we could have family time at the pool. We haven't loved living in an apartment complex at the margins of town (understatement), but we've maximized the utility of the place by playing lots of tennis on the courts here (pre-baby) and swimming for much of the summers (the pool was a lifesaver when I was pregnant last year and it was too hot to even go for a walk). But really, we're only just beginning to discover the joys of having a pool now that we have a wee one around.

First, we get our gear on and stroll around poolside:

To make sure everyone has an opportunity to notice the guy who can pull off a hot pink shirt, we take our time strolling to the water:

But we gotta stop to see who's checking us out from behind:

He's too sexy for his hat:

Always test the waters before getting in:

But when you hit the water, man, you just gotta let go and have fun:

And everyone has to try a new Instagram effect now and then:

This is the last weekend for the pool, as Labor Day marks the end of summer. I'm glad summer's over, actually: it's always too hot to play outside, and even Augie gets a bit irascible in the heat. Autumn's coming, the most luscious time of the year, and I'm looking forward cuddling up with my boys, wearing plaid scarves, and lingering over bowls of lentil soup with red wine. What are you looking forward to?