Tomorrow my sweet boy turns 9 months old. In my mind, that means he’ll be a year old soon. Which means it’s time to start planning a big bash for his 1 year old party!! I am so excited yet saddened by that. I already feel like I don’t have a baby anymore. He’s more like a toddler now. And a very mischievous one at that!
Braxton had his 9 month appointment today and he’s growing so well! He’s 29 inches long which is in the 78 percentile, and 20 pounds 12 ounces which is in the 70 percentile. So proud of him. No shots today, but a long talk about his sleep problems (more about that later on), and got some samples of formula to try out. (I am wanting to supplement right now, in hopes that it helps in weaning him in another month or two. We got a sample of Enfamil Gentlease and Similac Soy. I’ll let ya’ll know which we prefer!)
(My adorable little bachelor. Onesie from Target and Hat from Gap.)
Braxton’s New Tricks:
- Still no crawling which is fine because he still finds a way to get around. He scoots all around and tries to pull up on everything. Looks like we’re going to have a walker before a crawler. Scoots to everything he’s not supposed to. Very sneaky boy and already trying to get in all sorts of trouble.
- Loves his puffs. Not a fan of other types of food though. Still loves sweet potato, squash and pumpkin the best. Not a fan of fruit yet.
- Favorite toys include his tsum tsums, blocks, his new slide, and a picture book.
- Loves getting around in his Mickey Mouse Walker. Tries to go to the cabinets and open them. More baby proofing for mom & dad!
- No new teeth yet.
- Points to stuff he wants.
- Squealing and yelling in delight a lot now. Babbles constantly.
(Braxton’s new slide! Link posted in bullets above. Disney shirt from Babies R Us.)
My 9 Month Postpartum Update:
I am back down to my pre-pregnancy weight and back in all my regular clothes that fit fine now. Even though I’m 9 months out now, I’m still not where I was before I was pregnant. Which makes sense. My skin is still tightening from the extreme change it went through, and besides that, right before getting pregnant I was in the best shape of my life. I was working out twice a day and starting to really get into lifting heavy. Eventually I’ll get back to that point but I don’t have the time that I did before. So for now, it’s just nice being able to wear all my clothes again and be back to my normal size.
(My happy boy and I after his successful doctor’s appointment.)
Next month I’ll get back to posting workouts and meals (and we’ve been coming up with some delicious easy & healthy meal plans for the week so I’m excited to share!) but this month I just wanted to share some more about our sleep problems. I appreciate all the feedback I’ve been getting, and all the advice! We spoke with our doctor about it again today and we are hopeful that we can come up with a plan. We have also decided to invest in a Dockatot Grand. Unfortunately they are sold out right now so we are just waiting for them to restock. But for those who don’t know, Braxton has only been sleeping about 30-40 minutes at a time at night. And it’s getting worse. He’s now at the point that he’s reverted back to being a “newborn” and only wants to sleep in our arms or right next to me. Which isn’t safe. His safety and need for sleep is my number 1 priority. But on the same token, you can’t pour from an empty cup. And after 9 months of getting maybe an hour of sleep at a time, this mama is very worn out. And being sleep deprived doesn’t just affect yourself, it affects everyone around you. I’m not the best mom or wife I can be. And I know it affects my mental health as well since I know I’m not as happy as I should be. So after talking with lots of momma friends, my husband, and our doctor, I think we’ve come up with a plan. And a back up plan as well.
Plan A:
This is the one our doctor recommends. She knows about Braxton’s throw up problems which eliminates any chance of cry it out method. So instead, we are just trying to break Braxton of associating sleep with nursing. So this puts a lot on my husband. Because it involves him rocking Braxton to sleep instead. Once he is broken of the habit or nursing to sleep, the hope is that he can start putting himself to sleep without throwing up. Fingers crossed.
If that doesn’t work, Plan B:
This plan depends on getting the Dockatot. Braxton will fall asleep next to me without crying and without having to nurse. But then I can’t sleep because it’s not safe. So our plan is to get the dockatot and use it to co-sleep. Something I swore I would never do. But sometimes, you do what you have to do. Once he is adjusted and sleeping good in the dockatot, we will transition that to his crib. I’m hoping that since the dockatot will be familiar to him, he will be fine sleeping on his own then. The great thing is that the dockatot also fits in his pack n play so we can even take it traveling with us so that he won’t have a problem sleeping other places either.
I’ll let ya’ll know how it goes and if it works since I know others have let me know they are having some sleep troubles too.
Tomorrow is not only Braxton’s 9 month birthday, but also my sister’s 31st birthday as well. So we look forward to seeing Braxton’s Godparents tomorrow to celebrate! I’ll post his official 9 month old picture tomorrow!
(One week old Braxton with my sister. We can’t wait to see them again tomorrow!)
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