Kenley at 9 months

Kenley, we’ve been joking that you’re going to skip crawling and go straight to walking because you have no interest in being on your tummy at all. Whatever you decide to do is fine with me, because you’re just a pleasure to be around. You are content to sit and play with your toys while we work and play around you. You also love the jumperoo and the exersaucer for standing up and playing.

One big development is that you are doing much better in the “going to sleep” department. Carissa (your babysitter) and I worked on a new routine of reading, rocking and singing and then laying you down in your crib for naptime (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). The first week or so you would fuss and cry for about 15 minutes before falling asleep but now you often just quietly fall asleep on your own. It has made a big difference in the amount you sleep at night, too, although you still wake up once or twice overnight.
I admit that I’ve been a little lazy in introducing new foods this month, but I can tell that you’re ready to branch out into more finger foods. It is fun to watch you reach out and carefully pick up a single Cheerio or other snack. You are definitely interested in eating whenever everyone else is sitting down to eat. I still breastfeed you four or five times a day (including once in the night) but you’re spacing those times out as you eat more solid foods.
When we’re out, people often comment about what a calm and serious baby you are. You really inspect the new people around you. When you are comfortable at home, we hear all sorts of sounds, including your trademark growl and recently mama and dada sounds. Today we were all in bed together and you rolled over and said “dada” straight to your dad, I’m sure of it.

We just got back from a week long spring break trip and you were a super traveler. When we went out to dinner each night, you spent most of the time playing with a spoon and/or a straw. You loved the extra attention from your nana and pop po and cousins and you were interested in feeling the sand and shells on the beach.