Monday, May 20, 2013

9 months old

I'm not exactly sure why it's significant to mark the 9 month point in a child's life (supposedly, it highlights that the baby was inside for 9 months --really 9.5 months-- and now the baby has been 'outside' for 9 months...but why does that matter? Please share comments if you have any ideas!)...but it's significant to ME (and that's the most important part, right? Why I find it significant...) because K is now wearing 12 month clothing.

I see other infants, usually 5 months and younger, and I am immediately wistful (oh, that strange womb-y feeling of wanting another so soon is relentless!). K is what I consider an "established" baby. That's not a medical term or a child development term, it's just a term I use to tell myself that yes, we know this child, he is firmly established in his personality and in our lives, and we are moving together, usually forward, as a unit.

But back to clothes. He is 8 months and 4 weeks (seriously people, I'm just going to say 9 months!) and I am still trying to keep him in 6 month clothing. 1) Because his torso is still quite thin, and 2) because I am just really not ready to accept that he is 9 months. I still try to talk with other 6 month old-having parents like we're in the same boat. We are so not in that boat.

Yet, I'm not ready to let go of 6 months.

He had his 9 month checkup today. He's 19 lbs (42nd percentile) and 30+ inches (99th percentile). He's crawling, standing on his own for 3-5 seconds, eating solid-y food, sharing his disdain for not getting everything he wants in 0 seconds, playing in bed for minutes on his own before he calls us in, wriggling out of EVERY diaper/clothing change, putting everything SINGLE thing in his mouth, he's on his 5th tooth, he has words that have meaning that we know (which is pretty cool because communicating is awesome!), and there is understanding between us (which is also related to communicating, but is often non-verbal). And don't forget the new and improved sleep pattern of letting mama and papa get 5-7 hours of sleep straight (this is by far the best thing ever!)

I am having a hard time packing up those 6 month outfits. I am also challenged by the fact that there are more needs (different needs) and that K has preferences. At 9 months? You can't possibly know what you like at a mere 9 months...oh yes I can, mama. And I do.

There are big letting go moments and small ones. I frequently cannot judge which is which until some hindsight has been established. But it seems that putting away clothes is a trigger for holding on...a kid who grows in his sleep will inevitably outgrow clothes pretty often...and I hate it. I don't really want another baby for several more years, so hanging out with mamas with new babies is appealing for the sole reason of remembering that now we are out of that crazy time, and it's a lot better. But man, do I lament the switching out of clothes.

Sometimes my blogs are declarative (Letting this go!) and sometimes they are simply an awareness I've gained (Not ready to let this go!). I'll let you know when the clothes things goes away or is let go...it'll likely be around the time K is weaned or potty-trained...swapping one thing for the other.

Parenting is a strange, strange trip.

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Kalev

Kalev
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