9 Months Old!

Timmy,
You are nine months old today. The closer we get to the one year mark, the more I find myself reminiscing about the newborn version of you and thinking about all the ways in which you have changed and grown. Sometimes I can't believe what a little person you are and how much you understand of all that is going on around you.

In my mind, the biggest difference from the newborn days is sleep. We're all getting it! You've always been a pretty good sleeper but your daddy and I are finally starting to feel rested and energized again. You go to bed at 7pm and wake up around 6:30am. Then you sleep another 2-3 hours during the day. Every time we come get you out of your crib, you're doing push ups in the middle of the mattress and babbling to yourself.

You're not crawling yet, but you're starting to creep on the floor. It seems inefficient to me, but you don't seem to be frustrated. You'll pull yourself around, usually in circles, with your belly still on the ground and you'll scoot backwards. I'm trying to enjoy the last few weeks of a semi-immobile baby and a non-baby-proofed apartment, but I'm also excited for you to learn how to move and explore the world around you.

Most of your food these days is mashed up or cut into little pieces instead of pureed. You aren't a very picky eater, but your appetite is kind of fickle. One day you'll eat two bites and call it a meal, the next you'll eat pieces of zucchini, cheerios, an egg yolk, sweet potatoes, rice and carrots. It's fun being able to feed you little pieces of what we're eating and I look forward to sharing lots of meals with you!

You also finally drank straight formula a few weeks back and don't seem to mind it too much. Right now you have that about twice a week. I'm hoping we don't really have to switch to it and can just transition to whole milk in a few months, but it's nice to know that you'll take formula in a pinch!

Your tooth is getting bigger and bigger each day. I'm sure you're ready to be done with teething and believe me, so am I. I will miss that gummy smile more than anything, but I'm a little curious as to what you'll look like with teeth too. Let's just hope you get a break from the teething business soon!

I could listen to you babble all day long. I love hearing your voice. You now say Mama and Dada, although you don't really call us those names yet. If we say them, you will look at the right person, but you know I'm dying for you to say Mama to me! Come on!

You are an expert high-fiver and wave high and bye-bye to mostly everyone these days. Occasionally, I'll get a hug from you which is the BEST. Kisses are still open-mouthed and very slobbery. You are starting to figure out how to clap your hands and like it when I help you do it faster and louder. You are getting much better at "gentle" when you pet the cats. Seeing one of their tails sway back and forth still makes you crack up laughing. You love the swing set, splashing in the pool, watching other kids and being outdoors.

I love doing whatever you're doing.

Welcome to Month 10 little man!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy






More pictures...

Timothy Month 9

Trying to Earn a Seat at the Big Kid Table

I'm not sure if it's the tooth invading his baby mouth or just a random phase, but Timmy's eating habits have been very capricious lately. One day, he'll wolf down every bite I offer and the next he'll be done after one spoonful. It doesn't seem to matter whether I'm spoon feeding him or he's feeding himself little chunks from his high chair tray.

I figured if he's not going to eat much anyway, he might as well have fun. So even though I said he wasn't going to be feeding himself again for awhile with the spoon, I let him at it.

He did much better this time! I would hand him a spoonful of food and he would eat it and then let me refill it. The part of the spoon with food on it actually made it into his mouth most of the time.

Timmy Learning to Eat with a Spoon from Lisa Ottomanelli on Vimeo.

Of course, he is just starting to learn how to eat with a spoon, so we still ended up with a very messy Timmy at the end. But he had fun and there was some food in his belly, so I will call it a success!

If only the sun were cool and the shade were warm

I hate putting sunscreen on Timmy. Hate. Perhaps this is because I never really wore sunscreen until I was in college. (Coincidentally, moving to New York was also the time when I discovered my natural skin tone was not so olive.) If it weren't for the fact that my daily moisturizer has spf 15 in it, I would almost never leave the house with sun protection. And hats! What sort of ridiculous articles of clothing are they?! They never really match, never really fit and mess up hair. (as a side note, I realize the hat in these pictures is way too small...I just can't bring myself to pay money for a new hat...maybe this weekend).

All of this is rather unfortunate because I have chlorophyll. Seriously, I need sunlight more than I need food (or maybe they are equal needs). And Timmy seems to have inherited Pete's pasty white skin. So for the sake of Timmy's--and my--health, I have to put sunscreen on him daily and go outside in the sunlight.

I usually try to cover him up with clothing as much as possible when we're outside so that I can be swift in my spf application. But therein lies the problem! It's too warm for pants and long sleeves. Pants make the Timster sweat. So, often he will wear pants in the sun and then once we're back in the shade I will take them off and let him cool down. Crazy, huh?






(Timmy loves watching people play tennis ... I know it doesn't look like it in the picture, but it was not an empty court, I swear!)

Invisible Baby Food

I wish someone would invent wholesome and nutritious food that left no evidence it was ever consumed.

Pretty much since Timmy started eating fruits and veggies, he's been trying to feed himself. Usually he is successful at getting the food into his mouth, but sometimes he feeds his forehead or lap instead.

The other day, I decided that maybe we should just give him a baby-safe spoon and let him go for it. At first, he used the spoon correctly.





But he quickly discovered that the rubber handle was the perfect teether.






The end result:



Risotto and spinach in his ears, nose, eyebrows, fingernails and even his diaper.

I think we'll wait until he's not teething to try this again...

Firsts

It's so crazy how days, weeks and months go by and the changes other people see in Timmy are indiscernible to me. Then other days, about 5 major "firsts" will happen and I wonder how I can keep up with him.

Today his first tooth peeked through! It's one of his middle bottom teeth. I think there are several more on the bottom following close behind. I'm a little bit sad his gummy smile will be gone soon, further evidence that he is no longer a little baby!



He also has become a pro at drinking from his first sippy cup with a straw. He still prefers drinking water over all else and does not seem to appreciate the deliciousness of juice.



Timmy has always been a back sleeper. Does NOT enjoy being on his belly. When he rolls over in his sleep, it always wakes him up and he cries out for us. The other night we discovered him actually sleeping on his belly for the first time (that we know of). He has since reverted to his old habits of waking up when accidentally ending up on his belly though.



Lastly, Timmy developed his first crush on a lady friend today. He seemed totally entranced by everything she did. They sat for a bit rolling a ball back and forth. When she got up to leave, he would just stare at her and giggle. Ah, young love.

Look Familiar?

Do the chubby cheeks and gummy smile on that baby in the middle remind you of Timmy?




How about now?



We didn't realize how much Timmy looks like my mom when she was a baby until we saw this picture.

Our Weekend

As we settle in to the new normal, our weekends are starting to center around friends and enjoying our new neighborhood instead of unpacking and running errands. This weekend we had fun with friends and family.

Saturday morning we went for a family jog to the edge of the harbor in Marina Del Rey. The view on a gray morning before the fog burned off:



On Saturday night, my mom came up to Timmy-sit so we could go out. We had some wine with friends John and Kari before heading to our friends Jon and Tawny's new loft in downtown LA for a housewarming party. The theme was a bar-stocking, so everyone had to wear fun stockings (get it?). We teamed up with our good friends Nick and Jess and showed up as a herd of cows.






We had a great time, and enjoyed the view from their rooftop:



Sunday morning, we tried out Ronnie's Diner for breakfast. Because Timmy is in bed by 7pm, we very rarely eat dinner out. Breakfast on Sunday mornings has become somewhat of a family tradition, whether at the Farmer's Market or a restaurant. Since moving from Santa Monica, we have left behind Jack 'n Jills, Blue Plate and Babalu. Ronnie's was a delicious and cheap diner, and they even had soy milk for my coffee!

I think they also added some sugar to Timmy's blueberries and bananas.

Timmy's Breakfast at the Diner from Lisa Ottomanelli on Vimeo.

The weekend ended with a BBQ at a friend's house and a movie after Timmy went to bed. After so much fun, Monday can be a lazy start to the week!

Life

I haven't found the time lately to blog, but life has nevertheless been going on.

Highlights:

Sunset walk in Manhattan Beach:



Planting a mini-herb garden and eating delicious dinosaur egg pluots from the Farmer's Market:



Meeting cute little Quinn:



Visiting Uncle Steven's new place and meeting Grandpa for lunch:


Eating out on a Friday night, sampling avocado, bread, beans and rice:



Napping in Mama's bed on a lazy day (an unheard of occurrence)

The Great Outdoors

We have been taking full advantage of our new neighborhood and Timmy spends the better part of his waking hours outdoors now. We usually go to the playground in the mornings, the pool in the afternoon and the park in the late afternoon / early evening. He looks around with a smile plastered on his face at the trees, birds, cars and people. Every day, Pete and I say again how glad we are that we moved here.






Today is our first playgroup date with kids Timmy's age. I joined the Playa Vista Mom's Group and have been to a few events already. I wasn't sure whether to bring Timmy to the 6-12 month old playgroup for working moms or stay-at-home moms, but then I decided that I would rather not give up my Sundays, so stay-at-home it is! Weird, never thought I would say that. Anyway, should be fun. Timmy loves meeting new babies!

Happy Anniversary!

Two years ago was one of the best days of my life.






Still life keeps getting better with every passing day.


Our anniversary last year:



Tonight:

Dinner at Mastro's, champagne, red velvet and my MAN!