Nine Months In, Nine Months Out

Seth has officially been alive as long as I was pregnant with him. I think that there are theories about everything getting easier at this point, but I haven't noticed any really magical changes. He is much, much more mobile now- hmm maybe that's what the changes are supposed to be :) He loves to explore and get into things, and now that he is doing very well feeding himself finger foods, he thinks that everything has potential to be finger food. So I am always trying to prevent catastrophe.

I love being Seth's mom. He is such an awesome baby, and now watching him become less and less of a baby is so cool. He says "mama" a lot now, and it absolutely melts my heart every time. He is very smart and very observant- I am really looking forward to seeing what he's like when he's older, and having conversations with him.

He got his first vaccination on Tuesday. We waited to start, and are following an alternative schedule, because from the extensive research I have done I feel that it is less of an assault on his immune system this way, and will put him at lower risk for adverse reactions, and also the vaccines will be more effective. This was probably the hardest decision I have had to make as a parent- whether or not to vaccinate Seth. There are risks either way, but I feel that we made the best choice for our family. Anyway, I was a nervous wreck before his appointment on Tuesday, and I gave him homeopathic ledum which was recommended, and then when they gave the shot he didn't even cry!
Besides the shot, Seth's nine month appointment went well. He has only gained four ounces in the last month, so his pediatrician asked us to come back next month to check his weight. I think it is because he is so active now that his weight gain has slowed. He still nurses a lot- day and night- and he likes his solids foods too. I'm sure he's just fine, but they want to keep an eye on it.

Our lives have been very busy lately. I am trying to balance working from home with being a mom and maintaining our home, and it isn't always easy. I have times when I feel utterly defeated, but I am trying to keep plugging away and telling myself it will get easier. Seth gets bored if we stay at home too much, so I try to go to playgroup events and get together with friends as much as possible. That has really helped me feel less lonely, too.

I have just started a new blog, so I'll have a personal one that is separate from my Etsy business blog. It's http://spicygranola.blogspot.com.

Finally, new Seth pictures (I know that's why you read this after all!)

More pictures mom, seriously?

Look I can stand! (With help from chair.)

I think I'll do a little reading now... (he loves to turn pages- it's so funny to watch!)

Crawling around

Strolling around downtown

And He's Off!

A few days ago Seth finally figured out how to move forward. He's still just "army crawling", with his tummy still on the floor, but he's definitely getting where he wants to go and starting to get into things that are in his reach!



We have been pretty busy lately. Seth is teething a lot, though no teeth have shown up yet, and some nights I get very little sleep. He is so miserable because of it sometimes, and even had a fever one day. I use Hylands homeopathic teething tablets ad teething gel, and a teething oil that has clove and chamomile oils. Those things seem to help some at least.

I am working on handmaking Christmas gifts (yes already!) and new things to sell in my Etsy shop. A friends and I are also toying with the idea of getting booths together at craft fairs in the area, which I think would be really great. Between all of that and trying to keep the house clean and trying to get out with Seth at least once a day, I keep pretty darn busy.

I got this batik sea turtle onesie for him at a local craft fair- I love it :)

Playing on the deck in the back yard

"8 Months" Pictures

Green Cay Nature Center

Seth loved the turtles in the tank at the nature center!

Sunrise at the beach- Seth was up at 5:30 because of teething and wouldn't go back to sleep, so we decided to go watch the sunrise. It was wonderful!

New family photos taken by my mom in our backyard. The only time that Seth has ever worn a long-sleeved dress shirt!