Elliott 9 months

Drool man, Elliott has had a cold for several weeks now.

This past month hasn't been super eventful, but the two kiddos are busy, especially Mr. Elliott. He is so fast at getting around and he is always trying to get into things, that it is a full time job teaching him boundaries. Thankfully, he seems to be slowly catching on. He no longer tries to splash in Bears water dish daily, so that is good! And Elliott being more active leads to a more frustrated Hannah. Hannah builds a puzzle, Elliott takes it apart to chew on a puzzle piece. Hannah has her Playmobile hospital all set up or a Lego house build, Elliott comes over and destroys it.  Put that on repeat and it leads to Hannah getting frustrated and having meltdowns and to some tired parents. This is just a phase and hopefully in due time Elliott too will want to be building houses with her instead of just chewing on all the pieces.
 

Here are some stats for Elliott this month:
Weight: 20.735 pounds, much heavier than Hannah at this age. He is in the 50%
Height:28.7 inches, again taller than Hannah was. He is in the 50%

 

Motor skills: He has been pulling to stand since 8 months and now will cruise around a little while holding onto the sofa or a table. He can stand unsupported for a second or so, but he doesn't try this too much on his own. I think he will walk much sooner than Hannah did, but for now he can crawl quite fast and is content doing that. He can drink from a sippy cup by himself. He loves to splash in the bath tub, and hit the tray on his highchair using the same movement. He is still not so good at the pincer grip, but really tries so that he can feed himself finger foods.
Sleep: This is about the same as last month. 11.5-12 hours at night, and two nap: usually a shorter AM nap and then a longer afternoon nap.... although he does still occasionally have two short naps.
Teeth: He has 8 teeth and seems to be always teething... He isn't fussy really but chews on his fingers a lot.

Personality: His personality is starting to show a little bit, although I think we all go through some personality changes as we grow and mature. He is much more cuddly right before nap or bedtime than Hannah. He will actually give hugs! He loves to smile, laugh, and have fun! As of now we think he will love trying new things and Hannah will remain a bit of a party pooper when it comes to trying things. He loves to be moving... wonder where he gets that from! He is going through a mommy stage, but is usually fine with someone else taking care of him as long as I am not in sight.

 

Eating: Like Hannah he likes to eat and is not overly picky, and easy eater like his sister.

 

That is all that I can think of for now.  Next up in 2.5 weeks is our big trip to America, visiting both Iowa and Pennsylvania. I am excited and very anxious all at the same time. We are hoping to get some time with friends and family, some time without the kiddos, and some yummy American food. It has been almost 2 years since I have been back to the States!