Baby Must Haves: Month Nine

Robby turned 9 months old on December 9! We have been having the most fun lately. I can see his little world opening up and he understands so much more now. I'm getting the best work out ever chasing him around the house. He crawls so fast. His favorite thing to do is look for cords to pull on. I am not sure what to do about this. Are we not supposed to have lamps? Sigh.

Childproofing the house kind of makes me cringe. I totally said I wouldn't change my house for kids (I love all things home decor), but I am slowly realizing that if I don't want to have to keep my eyes on him every second of every day, I am going to have to make some small changes. So basically a little childproofing = a lot more freedom for me. For now, I have only moved one glass side table out of the living room. Robby loves that glass table like he loves food. I may as well not buy him toys because he is a fan of glass tables, electrical cords and outlets, and kitchen utensils. Our pediatrician told us not to worry too much about outlets because your child would basically have to be standing in a puddle of water while sticking a metal fork into the outlet exactly right for something terrible to happen. I just love him. I did, however, still place outlet covers around the house. I have not, however, put up gates on our stairs yet.......#badmom  It's on the to-do list.

Here are our baby must haves for month nine!

California Baby Eczema Cream - This has been a lifesaver. About a month ago, Robby started getting the WORST dry skin. It turned into little red patches all over his back and tummy. I though he was dying of some rare disease (dramatic, much?).....turns out, it was Eczema. This cream is so awesome. It reduced the redness almost immediately and smells heavenly.

Baby Motrin - Robby cut two teeth a few days before he turned 9 months old. It was a brutal week. Motrin really helped him us get some sleep at night. Babies can't have Motrin until they are 6 months old, and it works so much better than Tylenol. It also lasts longer which usually equals more sleep. Yay! You know how I need my sleep...the hubs REALLY knows.

Graco Pack 'n Play - This truly is a must have these days. If I have to leave my kind-of-un-child-proofed living room for more than a minute, I stick Robby in his Pack 'n Play. He doesn't love it but I know he'll be safe in there. It's also great for taking a shower. Or for having to go into the kitchen to open a bottle of wine. Safety first!

Diaper Booster Pads - This one is weird but trust me, if you have what is known as a heavy wetter, you need these. I hear this is more of a problem with little boys than with little girls. Once Robby started sleeping all night, his diaper leaked sometimes. Then, if he woke up, he was pissed. Literally. I can't imagine it feels great to be laying on a cold, wet, sheet. I found these diaper pads on Amazon and they have worked SO well. You just stick them down the middle of the diaper and they create an extra absorbency layer. We only use them at night. They could probably come in handy if you know you won't be able to change a diaper in the daytime for a long period of time - maybe a road trip or something. Or maybe just if you're lazy. When Robby is older, I am sure his Dad is going to tell him he once wore women's maxi pads. Poor kid.

That's it for month nine!  I'll leave you with some nine-month photos and a little nine-month update on Mr. Robby for those who care.

As stated above, playing with electrical cords and kitchen utensils are favorite pastimes of Mr. R these days. Bath time is always fun, as is eating. Specifically, R still loves bananas. Puffs are also a fave, although half of them end up on the floor. Other yummy things R loves eating are shreds of chicken, applesauce, and sweet potatoes.

Robby wants to stand all the time now. He crawls all over the place looking for things he can pull up on. He took his first few steps with the assistance of his Fisher Price walker toy on Christmas Day. He crawled right up to it, grabbed the handle to stand up, and started walking. I feel like I may have an early walker on my hands! Yikes.

He is really busy. All.the.time. Is this all nine-month olds or just my baby?.....He has also become way more verbal than in the past. We hear lots of "Dada" and only sometimes "Mama" around here. Tear. Surely he will learn who is more important soon. ;)

Things that do NOT go over well at our house are diaper changes, rubbing R's face with Aquaphor, and taking things away from him. I wish I could reason with him and just explain why he can't chew on electrical cords. Why are they so much more inviting than his actual teethers? This brings an idea to mind....perhaps I should invent a teether that looks exactly like an electrical cord but would somehow be safe and not a strangulation hazard. Why are there so many hazards? Ugh. I'd buy almost anything to keep R busy so I can, you know, watch Real Housewives and shop on Amazon all day. Kidding. Kind of.

Hope everyone had a great holiday. Our Christmas recap and some yummy recipes are coming soon!